An Iowa legislator offers her take on a bill that could allow school districts to choose their start dates.

The Iowa Senate Education Committee recently advanced Senate File 205 to give public and private schools in the state an opportunity to begin the year prior to Labor Day. According to Iowa District 14 Senator Sarah Trone-Garriott, state law currently requires school districts to start on August 23rd. 

She describes that the issue with that is that the day fluctuates as this past year, it landed on a Friday, and this year it falls on a Saturday. Trone-Garriott explains that many school districts are asking to have more flexibility when it comes to the start date. She highlights that Senate File 205 will give districts the option to begin as soon as the third Monday of August. Trone-Garriott is in favor of allowing school districts more independence.

“I think that it’s really important to give school districts that flexibility because every school district has different needs. Maybe they’ve got a high population of kids that really need the support, maybe they need food assistance. There’s a lot of things that students get at their schools, but there’s also a lot of schools that have students who are co-enrolled in higher education. So, I look at a lot of students who are in high school, who are also receiving college credit or going to community colleges and getting credits towards their college degrees.”

Trone-Garriott believes that if school districts are able to align their calendars with the higher education institutions, then it would be beneficial for all parties involved. She says that some students are potentially worried about their sports seasons being cut short, but she emphasizes that the focus should be on education.