The North Dakota School Boards Association is urging a “no” vote on Measure Eight – which would start school after Labor Day.
NDSBA executive director Jon Martinson says supporters claim it’s a very simple measure that will not have much effect on local control. Martinson disagrees.
"Just as you can't be partially or sort of or somewhat or kind of pregnant, this is a local control issue," said Martinson. He says delaying the first day of the school year until after Labor Day will have a ripple effect throughout the school calendar.
"If kids start school in August, you;re going to get out in May," said Martinson. "If you start school in September, you're going to get out in June."
Martinson says the state mandates the number of teacher-student contact days -- and there's no other way around it.
"If you add up those days, the professional development days, and you include the holidays, you're going to end up in June," said Martinson.
The measure’s supporters have said this will allow families to take late-summer vacations, and allows tourism-related industries to keep their workforce longer.