Louisiana Year-Round School Good or Bad?

With the mindset that students tend to regress during the summer months, state Superintendent Cade Brumley is now supporting a bill that would move Louisiana schools into a year-round education schedule. Experts have shown that during the summer months, students indeed have a regression of education and teachers are having to review the previous year's lessons in order to move forward with the new year as students arrive.

Brumley commented to the House Education Committee that there is indeed loss during the summertime for students. If it does get approved, the school districts would be able to opt in or out for the change. No district would be forced to accept the calendar change if it does get approved.

With any new policy or idea, there will be pros and cons. The big push for the Louisiana schedule is that the new policy will reduce the loss of learning during the long summer break. Schools will be able to evenly distribute breaks throughout the entire year. No need for summer child care for parents that work full time.

On the other side, we begin to have higher costs of operations during the year. Summer means more need for electricity and higher bills at the schools. There will be an initial higher cost to actually get the schedule in motion for each district. No more summer camps, summer sports, or other summer activities students and families are accustomed to.

The new calendar proposal is not being widely accepted by everyone, obviously. Educators and teacher associations are pushing back on the change and have voiced their opposition. The bill is currently in House committee to be considered. If it does get approved, it will move on to the full House and then on to the Senate.