Why Does Howell Start School before Labor Day? 5 Things I Learned

Recently, I came across a very active conversation in a local Howell Facebook group about the school calendar. People were asking why Howell students return to school in August while some neighboring districts, including Brighton, wait until after Labor Day.

Hundreds of people joined the conversation, sharing different opinions and asking good questions. It made me curious, too: Why do we do it this way?

That question gets at a big reason I decided to run for the Howell Public Schools Board of Education. I believe information about our schools should be easy for everyone to find and understand.

For almost 20 years, I have worked with families to help them find answers, understand how systems work, and connect with the right resources. One thing I have learned along the way is that people usually do things for a reason.

We may not always agree with the reason. We may even decide there is a better way. But I believe understanding the why is a good place to start.

So I went looking.

The good news is that we don't have to guess. Superintendent Dr. Erin MacGregor previously explained why Howell moved to an earlier school calendar.

Here are 5 things I learned.

1. Michigan's move from 175 to 180 school days helped lead to the change

• All Michigan public school districts currently have to meet the same minimum requirement of 180 instructional days and 1,098 instructional hours. But Michigan did not always require 180 days.

• Beginning with the 2016-17 school year, the state increased the minimum from 175 days to 180 days.

• Dr. MacGregor explained that this change was one of the reasons Howell began looking at an earlier start. If the district continued starting after Labor Day, those additional school days would push the end of the school year farther into June.

• Starting earlier does not give Howell more school days than neighboring districts. It changes where those required days fall on the calendar.

2. First semester can end before winter break

This is an important reason for the earlier start, especially for middle and high school students.

• Howell can finish the first semester before winter break.

• Students can finish their classes and semester work before they leave for the holidays.

• When they come back in January, they can start a new semester instead of returning to first-semester classes or exams.

• This benefit is most noticeable for middle and high school students because their schedules are organized around semesters.

• Elementary students do not experience semesters in the same way. But the earlier calendar can benefit younger students in another way: it gives them more instructional time before spring assessments.

3. The calendar better aligns with college schedules

• Some Howell students take college classes through dual enrollment or participate in Livingston County Early College.

• Colleges often begin their semesters before K–12 schools that start after Labor Day.

• Starting Howell’s school year earlier helps the calendars line up more closely.

• This can make scheduling easier for students who are attending both high school and college.

• Dr. MacGregor specifically identified better alignment with dual enrollment and Livingston County Early College as one reason for the earlier calendar.

4. Students have more learning time before spring testing

The school calendar also affects when students take state assessments compared with where they are in the school year.

• Starting earlier means students have more instructional time before spring testing.

• For elementary and middle school students, this gives teachers more time to teach grade-level content before students take M-STEP.

• Students then finish the school year closer to the end of M-STEP testing instead of continuing farther into June.

• At the high school level, the calendar also provides better alignment with AP testing and SAT schedules.

Dr. MacGregor specifically identified better alignment with required assessments as one of the reasons for Howell’s earlier calendar.

5. The school calendar is locally negotiated

Something many people may not realize is that the school calendar is not simply chosen by the superintendent or Board of Education.

• The calendar is part of the collective bargaining process between Howell Public Schools and the Howell Education Association.

• That process helps determine things like the first and last days of school, breaks, and other calendar details.

• The calendar must also meet Michigan’s requirements for instructional days and hours.

This is another example of why it helps to understand how a decision is made before deciding what we might want to change.

Starting before Labor Day is allowed, not required

There is one more important fact to understand.

The Livingston Educational Service Agency (LESA) has historically received a waiver that allows its school districts to start before Labor Day.

It does not mean they have to start early.

That is why nearby school districts can have different calendars.

This is also an example of local control. Different communities can make different choices based on what works best for their students, families, and staff.

Does this mean everyone should like the August start?

No.

Learning why Howell starts early does not mean you have to agree with it.

There are good reasons families may want more time in August.

Michigan summers are short. August can be a great time for camping, swimming, boating, vacations, and family time.

Other families may like getting out of school earlier in the spring or having the first semester end before winter break.

There are tradeoffs either way.

That is why I think learning the WHY is so important.

There is a difference between saying: “I don't understand why we do this.”

and saying: “Now I understand why we do this, but I still think we should do it differently.”

That second conversation can help us make better decisions together.

Want to learn more?

You do not have to take my word for it.

Superintendent Dr. MacGregor explained the reasons behind Howell's calendar in a district blog post.

Read Dr. MacGregor's explanation of the school calendar

Have a question? Ask!

Howell Public Schools also has a helpful page called Resolving Questions and Concerns — Who to Contact.

It can help families figure out who to contact when they have a question or problem.

I encourage families to save this page.

If you wonder why something is happening in our schools, ask questions. Be curious. Look for good information.

We will not always agree. We don't have to.

But when we understand how our schools work and why decisions are made, we can have better conversations about what is working and what we may want to change.

Understanding the WHY helps us have better conversations.