Tentative August school opening in La Crosse gets support from teachers’ union

La Crosse’s public schools are still waiting for an exemption from the state Legislature to change the school calendar, so class would start in mid-August instead of September.

The La Crosse School Board approved a plan last week to begin the fall semester Aug. 21, but the state doesn’t let public schools open until on or after Sept. 1.

Jesse Martinez, co-president of the La Crosse Education Association, joined WIZM’s La Crosse Talk and discussed how the earlier opening date could allow for a longer break around Easter without delaying the start of summer vacation.

La Crosse Talk airs weekdays at 6-9 a.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk PM wherever you get your podcasts.

“If we start August 21st with students, and we have a full week of spring break, plus whatever Easter looks like, this year that either the Friday or the Monday or both around Easter, then I believe we get out right around Memorial Day,” Martinez said on La Crosse Talk.

Before last week’s council meeting, La Crosse Schools superintendent, Dr, Aaron Engel, talked about how the district is responsible for bussing private school students — that do not have to adhere to state law on when classes start — which becomes a burden on La Crosse’s budget, because they haven’t started class yet.

Engel said it cost the district around an additional $200,000 a year to bus private school students.

The La Crosse School Board recently voted for a calendar change after surveying district families.

“We’ve gotten away from actually having a spring break as a district,” said Martinez, “and having some of those natural times where students get a little bit of time off from school, where they can, like, let their brains refresh.”