Newport News school year to start after Labor Day
NEWPORT NEWS — Students in Newport News will return to classrooms after summer break on the Wednesday after Labor Day, the School Board decided Tuesday evening.
The district had been contemplating a pre-Labor Day start, something that several neighboring districts have adopted recently. York decided Monday to start the school year on Aug. 30, and Williamsburg-James City County made a similar call last week.
Hampton was set to make a decision Wednesday. Poquoson also opted for a post-Labor Day date earlier this month.
Peninsula school districts usually start the school year at about the same time — the Tuesday after Labor Day — and they share a joint calendar committee that coordinates things like spring break. Southeastern Virginia has been a holdout after Virginia changed a state law to allow school districts to start before Labor Day
without special permission.
District staff recommended the school board decide between Aug. 30 and Sept. 8, the Wednesday after Labor Day. Rosh Hashanah, a major Jewish holiday, starts on Labor Day this year, so administrators suggested that they move the start date back a day.
A survey of mostly families and staff done in February found most supported a post-Labor Day start. Other Peninsula districts saw different results in their surveys. York school officials said support was close to evenly split.
Some of the largest concerns were family commitments and vacations and summer jobs. A number of respondents said they needed to know earlier if the district was considering starting before Labor Day.
The School Board unanimously approved a Sept. 8 start date, in part based on that feedback at Tuesday’s meeting.
However, they didn’t approve a full calendar — Superintendent George Parker said staff would present a detailed calendar based on that start date in April.
Parker also said they’ll make a decision about the 2022-23 school year this fall instead of next spring. The board has said they’re interested in a pre-Labor Day start, but given the survey feedback, Parker said it made sense to make a decision earlier.