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Sununu's Commission Convenes To Study N.H. School Start Dates

Johannes Thiel via Flickr cc

 

A group convened by Governor Sununu to study whether schools should start after Labor Day is meeting for the first time on Tuesday.

In August, the Governor issued a "Save our Summers" executive order calling for a commission to study the impacts of a later start date.

The Governor announced the 13 members of the group.

It's a mixture of school administrators, teachers, parents, lawmakers, lobbyists and representatives from the tourism industry.

The commission's chair is Jamie Burnett, a parent and consultant who assisted in Governor Sununu's transition team. Burnett says the commission's job is to hear opinions from all sides.

He says one of the problems with the current system is that the start date varies by district and is confusing.

"For instance you have Manchester - they start after Labor Day," Burnett explains. "Then you got Concord, that starts before Labor Day. And elementary schools go back for two days and then are off for four. So I'm very eager to see what people have to say about it. There may be some people who are opposed to it but I would imagine there will be a number that are very supportive of it, especially families."

The commission will issue its recommendations by the end of November.

Sarah Gibson joined NHPR's newsroom in 2018. She reports on education and demographics.
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