This weekend is Georgia's annual Tax-Free Holiday weekend - a big shopping weekend, especially for back-to-schoolers. It is hard to believe that kids are starting school already. It seems like the days of being out from June - September are long gone. Summers have gotten shorter and shorter, with kids now getting random weeks off from school throughout the year. A week in October, a week in November and then two weeks in December… it still adds up to 180 days no matter when you take the time off.
This isn't just in Georgia - schools acorss the country are going back earlier and earlier. This begs the question, how does this change impact businesses? What about places like Six Flags that depend on school aged kids to operate their businesses during summer? What about being green? How much more electricity is used to keep kids cools in August (traditionally one of the hottest months of the year) vs September?
According to Save California Summers (www.savecaliforniasummers.org ) and similar organizations across country, the issue impacts teachers, students, businesses and the environment. The National Climatic Data Center states that is it four times more costly to cool California schools in August than May. Eliminating August cooling days should save school districts money and reduce the energy needs for the entire state, says the organization. Tulsa, Oklahoma schools saw a saving of almost $500,000 by pushing back the start of the school year in 2003 from mid-August to post-Labor Day.
Research by Save California Summers highlights that in 2008 one in five states in the nation had laws governing the start of the school year. In the last few years, legislatures in Texas, Florida and South Carolina have all passed uniform school start date law. Since the laws were enacted, each state has reported state standardized test scores on the rise and Texas and South Carolina saw ACT college entrance exam scores at all time highs.
So, you tell us. How does this impact your businesses and your family? Do you feel the pinch of organizing multiple options for "day camps" throughout the year so that you can run your business while your child continues to learn and enjoy their time out of school? Do you rely on tourism during the summer that is reduced dramatically due to shorted summer vacations? Or, does your business thrive when kids are in school and families have more predictable routines?
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