Va. Senate panel kills school start time, home school sports bills
RICHMOND – In the end, tourism industry opposition to a bill to let school systems open before Labor Day won out.
The Senate Education and Health Committee by a 9-6 vote Thursday dismissed Virginia Beach Republican Del. Bob Tata’s HB 1063 to allow local school boards to set the school calendar start date.
The committee previously defeated an identical Senate bill.
And in another vote, that panel rejected legislation to permit home schooled students to try out for public high school athletics.
Tata’s school calendar bill would have stricken from Virginia law the rule that the school year starts after Labor Day unless a division gets a state waiver, which 77 of the state’s 132 school systems have.
The perennial pre-Labor Day effort cleared the House of Delegates this year with a push from Gov. Bob McDonnell, but still failed in the face of strong opposition from tourism interests who said the early start date would undercut their businesses.
Already facing a $37 million budget shortfall, Virginia Beach City Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson said the city school system would face further financial harm from tourism revenue lost due to an earlier start date.
“We cannot take those revenues away from our schools,” she said, adding passage of Tata’s bill would “be like breaking the wing of that golden goose we desperately need.”
Another local who spoke in opposition to the bill was Verne Burlage, president of the Virginia Beach Hotel-Motel Association.
He said starting the school year in August would hinder tourism during a peak period in the summer vacation season.
Testimony in support of the bill came from various education officials, including Virginia Beach schools superintendent James Merrill.
He said starting schools later puts students at a competitive disadvantage to those in places where classes start earlier.
After Tata’s bill went down, the committee shifted its attention to another controversial education proposal — Del. Rob Bell’ s HB 947 to let home schooled students join public high school sports teams.
The so-called Tim Tebow bill, named for the former Florida home schooler who went on to professional football fame, would simply give kids “chance to try out,” not impose any quotas or set aside roster spots, said Bell, R-Albemarle County.
Standing with him were several home school proponents, including a procession of youngsters who appealed to the committee to advance the bill.
Supporters of the bill say it levels the playing field for kids whose parents choose an alternative educational environment but still pay taxes toward public schools.
Opposing them was the Virginia High School League, which argues the bill would create a double-standard for student athletes, and other education advocates.
Criticism of the measure came from Democrats like Sen. Richard Saslaw of Fairfax County, who suggested it would start a domino effect of future legislation to give home schooled students access to other public school facilities like science laboratories.
Saslaw and other lawmakers said parents of home schooled students made a choice not to send their children to public schools.
They said those choices have consequences, namely non-participation in public high school athletics.
And Newport News Sen. John Miller said paying taxes doesn’t grant people an automatic right to play public school sports any more than “a citizen who pays taxes, and doesn’t have school age children, has a right to use school facilities.”
Bell’s bill was narrowly defeated on an 8-7 vote; opposition from Chesapeake Republican Sen. Harry Blevins, a former high school principal, was critical to its demise.
-Julian Walker, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot
March 1, 2012 - 1:40 PM
It’s amazing how you can take my taxes — I don’t have the choice in that but my children can’t play sports. To discriminate against children because their parents decide to homeschool them is shameful. You could never take another group and tell them they wouldn’t be allowed to participate in something they PAID for. I have the choice to pay for my children’s education 2x’s – in taxes and to educate them at home – and I can’t even use the HS gymnasium. Stick the 65,000 kids in VA who are homeschooled back into the system — see how much you’ll pay then! 32 out of 50 states allow homeschooler’s to participate. Unfortunately, our founding fathers would be ashamed at how backwards VA has turned out to be
So much for all men are created equal huh? Looks like constitutional rights there? discrimination?
I’m glad the home-school bill failed. It’s simply unfair for public school students to abide by a certain set of standards (class attendance and grades) when the homes-choolers do not (or at least there is little oversight to ensure they meet the standards. As a Botetourt Republican voter it is irritating to see our new senator from Lynchburg voted against public education when so many voters in Botetourt, Craig and Alleghany support our public schools. We could depend on Lacey Putney in the House but we had to depend on a senator from Chesapeake to do the work for us in the Senate. Very disappointing.
Melissa please do explain what taxes you pay for your children to be educated that I, with grown children, my sister with no children, or my son and daughter with no children, do not pay? You made the point so prove it. How do you “pay twice”.
You are not paying to educate your children in the school system, none of us do. You are paying for an educated society and whether you believe it or not, you benefit from that even if you never had any children. Go check with the Founding Fathers on that.
I am very frustrated with this decision. I was on the Cave Spring PTA Board of Directors several years ago when this issue was first raised. We were asked to vote on whether to allow home-schooled students to participate in extra-curricular activities. I admantly advocated voting yes on this issue, but I was told that the state PTA advised us to vote no since public schools do not get tax money for students not enrolled. I said, “Well then, that is the issue. We need to go after the tax money.” The other board members looked at me like I had lost my mind. Then they turned and voted with the state PTA like a bunch of sheep. Frustration. I didn’t have home-schooled children then, and my grandchildren are not home-schooled now, but I think it would be a win-win for everyone.
Well they didn’t even really mean it at the time either Dottie. Think about it.
You have no constitutional right to a school system you decided to pull your children out of. You are not being discriminated against when it is your choice to leave. Is this the kind of stuff you teach your children at home? I am starting to think you people are dangerously ignorant of the facts.
This law should have been optional for all schools and then you might have had more support. This is YOUR CHOICE, stop acting like we are the ones punishing your children. YOU did that.
typo – adamantly.
It costs about $9,000 of taxpayer money to educate one child. As homeschoolers we pay taxes and fund education for our children. We had two children participate in High School sports in the public school and they won 3 Coach awards in 3 different sports. Our daughter was Captain of her team.
We’re genuinely stunned at the discrimination against homeschooled children. We live in an area of the country where kids can participate in so much history- where the Smithsonian museums and the Kennedy Center have programs to support the education of all children…and yet, blatant discrimination from within the public school system exists. This is disgraceful.
Our founding fathers would applaud how we turned out to be, they would applaud the parents right to educate their children in a homeschool envirnoment and with everything else when you make decisions withthem goes consequences good or bad!!!!!!
I totally agree with the bill being defeated.
I’m very pleasantly surprised that this effort has stalled, at least for this year. The idea that home school students or their parents are discriminated against is absurd. Are students at private schools like North Cross or Roanoke Catholic also discrimated against since they can’t play sports at the local public high school?
Home schooled students are not discrimated against. If they or their parents want them to participate in VHSL sanctioned activities, they are free to participate as long as they enroll as bona fide students in the school. Why aren’t home school parents lobbying for their children to eat at the school cafeteria or use the school science lab? That would make as much, or more, sense than lobbying to participate in VHSL activities.
Homeschoolers do not have the right to “pick and choose.” We demand to teach our children at home, but want them to be able to play high school sports….. as far as I’m concerned, you’re either all in or all out! I applaud the bill being defeated!
Carol, home schooled children are not within the public school system so a system you are not in cannot discriminate against you. The schools did not choose to leave you, you chose to leave them and once again, no you do not pay any taxes that people without children do not also pay. If the schools were forcing you to do anything you would be screaming about it.
Kathy, home school parents are the people who CHOSE to remove their children from the school system. No one made them chose that path. Not being allowed to pick and choose what public school programs they should then be allowed to participate in at their discretion is “discrimination”? No, it is not.
Maybe you can explain what tax you pay that other taxpayers do not? For the record, ALL taxpayers, even those without children, pay for public education. YOU chose to remove your child from public education. That was your choice free and fair, so stop complaining that you don’t like what that choice meant now.
If you needed proof that the democrats don’t actually care about children, this is a perfect example. They keep claiming that smaller class sizes are good for kids, but when they are given a chance to vote on a bill that would keep class sizes small, by allowing kids who want to play sports to be taught at home, instead they voted to force those kids INTO school, thus making class sizes bigger.
Why do they hate home school? It cuts costs, give better outcomes to the children, and give parents more control. Wait — is that why democrats oppose it? I don’t think so — I think it is because each kid not in school means less chance for them to hire more teachers, giving more money to the NEA and state education associations, that are big democrat contributors.
So instead of embracing a common-sense rule — that kids who have a right to attend a school should have a right to participate in school activities, and that so long as academic standards are met, parents and kids should be allowed to choose how many classes they attend, which would help lower overcrowding, take pressure off the budget, and create better results — they vote to discriminate against kids, forcing those who want to play sports back into the schools they would otherwise avoid.
good comment Charles
“Comment by Charles”
Somewhere a Kroger has run out of tinfoil.
“If you needed proof that the democrats don’t actually care about children, this is a perfect example.”
Is your name Stretch Armstrong?
You cannot pick and choose where your tax dollars go. It is not discrimination, it is a product of your choice. High School Sports are for the children whose parents have chosen to have the state educate their kids. Homeschoolers choose the other way, therefore they have to form their own leagues, and with that choice comes the absence of the benefits of public education (i.e sports, band, etc). If it is a matter of you pay taxes, that argument fails. My grandparents are elderly and do not use the libraries, parks, sidewalks, streets, or school systems, yet their tax dollars go to fund such things. Should we offer tolls on all public things and have a pay as you use it/pay as you go society? Perhaps we should do away with all high school sports and have nothing but Rec leagues?