Ask Mr. Answer Person: a reader asks about school opening date and hot weather learning environments

Dave asks: With an August 20th start date, how does the (school) administration plan to keep those buildings cool enough so teachers can teach and kids can learn? I understand they can lease cooling units for the two or three weeks necessary. I don't see how kids can learn in 90 degree temperatures.

Dear Concerned about hot weather:

Mr. Answer Person first wants to acknowledge the irony, and perhaps comic relief, to be thinking of hot weather after what we have been experiencing! But, to be serious, none of us think that the extreme heat we experience in the fall (or sometimes spring, let's not forget that) provides a good experience in either West Side or John Cline schools.

But the context of the decision to begin mid-August is pretty broad. Most of the school districts in the state begin approximately the same time (granted, we don't know how many have full air conditioning for their buildings).  Decorah School Superintendent Mike Haluska notes that Decorah Schools have had as many dismissals after September 1st as during August.  The School Board discussed the issue at length last year when a group addressed them at an open hearing. Haluska noted it would be impossible to wait until mid-September to begin school and yet be out in time to accommodate activities sponsored by Park and Rec, as well as Vacation Bible School.  There are also a variety of academic reasons, Haluska says. Mr. Answer Person remembers discussions last year about standardized test scores being positively correlated to an earlier start date.

There were no public comments at the recent Decorah School Board open hearing related to start dates for next year.

So, there are clearly some trade-offs in this decision, but it was not one made thoughtlessly.  It is also important  to note that the Decorah Shareholders Group's recent recommendations about the future of West Side and John Cline address the non-air conditioning as only one part of the unsatisfactory learning environments for those buildings.  And that brings us to a key part of your question – no, there is not a realistic ability to lease cooling units for the buildings, given the electrical loads that would be involved in such a venture. Information about public tours of those buildings will be forthcoming soon from school officials.