Time to talk about earlier start to school year

In Wisconsin, it is not uncommon for students to still be in school in early June. Especially with our winter weather causing a number of school cancellations already this year. Those snow days have to be made up, often in what we used to call summer. Of course, there is a way to get students out of class earlier. Simply start the school year sooner. But that is not so easy in Wisconsin. State law prohibits local school districts from starting school before September first unless they are able to secure a rare waiver from the state. But now some lawmakers in Madison are circulating a bill that would let local school districts decide when they should start school. That makes sense. Local control is always better. What works in La Farge may not work in the Dells. It is better if local school districts decide what works best for them. And there is plenty of evidence of many benefits to starting the school year sooner. Football, band and other practices already start in August. And getting older students more classroom time before the Advanced Placement Exams should help their scores. The earlier students start, the earlier they can get out. Like they taught us in school, the early bird gets the worm.