For all state officials’ talk of supporting “local control,” it sometimes seems like they prefer to keep control in their own hands.
That’s even more noticeable when their decisions are to the detriment of Missouri.
Our example du jour is Gov. Mike Parson’s signing of a bill that restricts schools from starting earlier than 14 days before the first Monday in September.
Why, you ask, is it in the best interest of our state to not start educating our students any sooner?
Tourism.
That’s right. Families aren’t vacationing well into August, so the tourism income slows down sooner than the tourism industry would prefer.
So by banning schools from starting early in August, we can boost the state’s tourism industry during the month. Or so the theory goes.
We question how well that will work, since most people have a limited budget for discretionary spending, including vacations/day trips, etc. If people take their vacation in August rather than in July, there’s no net gain. Granted, children could still provide cheap labor at burger joints and log flumes a little later into the summer.
This isn’t the first time tourism interests have gotten lawmakers to change the school-starting schedule. Eventually, lawmakers changed the law to allow local school boards more flexibility in setting their calendars.
Like all states, tourism is important to Missouri, and the Show-Me State has much to offer between the Lake of the Ozarks, theme parks, sports teams, the state Capitol, Branson, etc.
But why should we prioritize tourism at the possible expense of education?
You can argue the effect on education is minimal. After all, students still will have the same number of days in schools. But different schools have different needs, and we suspect many of them have reasons for starting when they do.
Plus, the more schools extend their year into late May or June, the harder it will be for teachers to keep students’ attention.
At any rate, it’s disconcerting to see public education used in any way to prop up tourism.
News Tribune