Chronicle Editorial

Start date standoff

     The Iowa Department of Education recently announced its intentions to start enforcing a rule that mandates schools begin classes no earlier than the week of Sept. 1. For years, the department automatically granted special waivers for districts that wanted to start before that date, but the policy changed after Gov. Terry Branstad and certain tourism groups lobbied education officials to enforce the Sept. 1 start date law. They claim early start dates hinder participation at the Iowa State Fair and other late summer activities, in turn impeding the state’s tourism industry.

     School administrators have cried foul following the announcement. Early start dates allow high school students to align their schedules with community colleges for dual-credit courses, and students can also wrap up semester tests before the winter break if classes start in mid-August. State lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have rallied around those two arguments, and many have pledged to support early start dates with legislation this year.

     The start date issue is poised to continue as lawmakers head into the 2015 General Assembly. Both sides of the argument will make their case, but it’s important to keep the educational priorities of students at the top of the list as the start date plan gets refined. It’s somewhat odd that economic interests swayed a policy shift in the Department of Education, but it seems like lawmakers are more than ready to change state law and allow mid-August start dates to continue.

New year, clean slate

It’s hard to imagine that another year has flown by already. 2014 came and went like a flash in the pan for some people, while others probably can’t wait to see it go. 2015 is here nonetheless, and it gives us a chance to grasp new opportunities while casting the previous year’s problems aside.

     The new year always brings with it a certain degree of reflection. In the news industry, that means countdowns and lists of the top stories of the year. 2014 certainly had its fair share of headliners both good and bad, but it seemed like those big stories were overwhelmingly negative at the global and national levels. There was turmoil in Russia and Ukraine, ISIS slaughtered thousands in the Middle East, and Ebola killed even more people elsewhere. Racial tensions boiled over in America following the situation in Ferguson, Mo., and citizens endured yet another year of insufferably partisan politics in Washington.

     However, there were plenty of positive stories worth noting in 2014. The economy continued to improve in Iowa and across the country, we made great strides at halting the spread Ebola despite significant hurdles, and the United States avoided significant military entanglements that could have cost thousands of American lives. All these stories are important to remember in a year filled with depressing news coverage. They gave us a little pep in our step in 2014, and we need to build on those positive strides instead of dwelling on the negatives in 2015.

     It appears like we’ve got a lot going for us in the new year. Gas prices are still low and all signs indicate the economy will continue its upward climb. These are two very important factors if we’re to have a successful year, and we can be thankful we live in a relatively stable state that works to move forward instead of falling behind. There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic at the local level as well, and we can only hope the community builds on the accomplishments of 2014 and grows during the next 365 days.