Minority Leadership Issues Statement on Post-Labor Day Start

News Release, Minority Caucus of The Maryland General Assembly

Annapolis, MD:  House Minority Leader Nic Kipke and House Minority Whip Kathy Szeliga released the following statement regarding the passage of SB 128, legislation that will repeal Governor Hogan’s Executive Order requiring post-Labor Day school start dates.

“This body has a history of supporting a post-Labor Day school start dates, albeit under a Democratic Governor,” said House Minority Leader Nic Kipke. “Then suddenly, after an election and three years after Governor Hogan’s Executive Order was signed, there is an emergent need to repeal this policy under the guise of local control. Given the number of bills in the House that bypass the locals to set education policy, this excuse is laughable.”

The legislation also prescribes ballot language should the bill be petitioned to referendum.

“Post-Labor Day school start dates have been widely favored by a vast majority of Marylanders”, said Minority Whip Kathy Szeliga. “With this bill, the House is not only bypassing the will of the citizens of Maryland, but it is also rigging the system by writing the ballot question itself. If the House has so little confidence in the citizens’ support for this bill that it needs to rig the ballot question, why are we passing this bill in the first place?”