By Patrick Bryant
<[email protected]>

The thought of the school year starting after Labor Day brings a smile to freshman class president Chris Johnson’s face.  If a bill sitting before the Indiana legislature passes, it would require Indiana schools to start their year after Labor Day.  If the bill passes, the change would go into effect for the 2012-2013 school year, Johnson’s senior year, something that he said he is very happy about.

“I would love to have school start after Labor Day,” Johnson said via e-mail.

The bill, authored by Mike Delph, state senator and 1988 CHS graduate, has passed the Indiana senate and will be voted on by the House next year.

In a survey of Carmel voters conducted by Delph, 78 percent of voters said that they agree with his proposal.  Delph said the bill was written for many reasons.  According to Delph, Indiana’s adoption of daylight saving’s time and ISTEP no longer taking place in the fall warranted the need for a change in the calendar of Indiana schools. Delph said he felt that extending summer into the warm month of August would allow families to spend more time with each other, something he said is very important.

Despite Delph’s reasoning, not everyone supports his proposal.  Math teacher Kathie Freed, one of Delph’s former teachers, said she is angry that he would make such a suggestion.

“I was mad,” Freed said.  “I honestly know for a fact that starting school based on the weather is wrong.  You can’t win if you use the argument that kids want to swim in the nicer weather.”

Freed also said she believes that the decisions should be made by school districts instead of the state.  Freed said they should focus on making a better funding formula for schools instead of changing the calendar.

“The people in the statehouse have enough to govern,” Freed said.  “Schools should be driven to make decisions locally.”

Delph, however, said he believes that education is the state’s responsibility. “We are in the public education business,” Delph said.  “And the students and their families are our customers.”

Freed said that she opposes this bill in the interest of students.  According to Freed, a change in the calendar would alter the way that classes prepare for final and AP exams.  She said that she wants to allow students the most time for finals.

Freed said, “We want students to do as well as they possibly can.”