Star editorial: School start dates should be local decision

In an editorial in today's edition, the Kansas City Star said decisions on school start dates should be left in the hands of local school boards, rather than dictated by the state legislature and the tourism industry:

Last year 90 percent of Missouri districts started school earlier than 10 days before Labor Day.

Clearly, the General Assembly has gone against what most locally elected boards think is best.

The new law says if school boards want to start earlier, they must hold a public hearing and vote to set the date earlier. They have to do this annually.

That creates unnecessary extra work.