Edina will start school before Labor Day
The Edina School Board has approved a plan to start school before Labor Day, despite the objections of many parents.
The board voted unanimously to begin classes on Aug. 25, starting with the 2014-2015 school year.
Minnesota is a one of a handful of states that mandates students start school after Labor Day, unless a district obtains a special waiver from the state. Efforts to change that law have failed at the legislature in recent years.
Edina schools superintendent Ric Dressen supported the move, saying that the five more days of instruction in the fall would give students a jump start on standardized tests in the spring.
More than 30 districts in the state, including Minneapolis and 25 districts in southwestern Minnesota, start school before Labor Day. The Northfield and LaSueur districts recently dropped plans to start their school years in August.
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