Kinder signs school start bill for 2008

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- School districts will have to do more work if they want to start school in mid-August next year.

At a ceremony in Branson on Monday, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder signed a bill requiring schools to begin their school year no sooner than 10 days before Labor Day.

But the bill makes a big exception to the scheduling rule. Districts can set an earlier date if school boards first hold a public meeting and vote to set the start date sooner. That standard must be met again each year a district opts for the earlier start.

In the just-completed school year, more than 90 percent of Missouri school districts started earlier than the new law stipulates, according to state figures.

Supporters of the change say seasonal student workers are vital to the state's tourism industry, and that students gain valuable experience in those summer jobs.

The law does not take effect until Aug. 28, so it won't apply until the 2008-09 school year.

School start bill is SB64.

On the Net:

Legislature: http://www.moga.mo.gov