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MD Senate Approves School Start Bill

Don Rush

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The Maryland Senate has voted to enable local school boards to decide when public schools start.

Senators voted 31-13 for the bill Tuesday. It now goes to the House.

The measure in the Democrat-controlled General Assembly has prompted a battle with Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who signed an executive order in 2016 requiring schools to start after Labor Day. 

Supporters of the later start say longer summer breaks give families more time together and help tourism. But opponents say it shortchanges education.

Hogan has proposed compromise legislation to require voters to decide the issue in jurisdictions where there's a push to move the school start to before Labor Day. Hogan has said he's confident voters will petition the bill passed Tuesday to the ballot and overturn it, if it passes.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.