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The Saskatchewan government introduced legislation Tuesday that amends the Education Act to allow for school to begin before Labour Day, as early as September 1st, in years where Labour Day falls well into the month, a move being well-received by school boards and teachers in the province.

There must be 950 hours of instructional time in a K-12 school year in Saskatchewan.  That requirement, coupled with the need for teacher instructional days, posed a potential time crunch in fitting all the needs in by the end of the school calendar in June.

"The Ministry (of Education) did ask for feedback from school divisions," says Geri Hall, Acting Director of Education for the Holy Trinity Catholic School Division. "We did let them know we would certainly be able to do that (fit in the 950 hours) if we were able to start four or five days earlier."

The 2013-14 school year was the first year where starting after Labour Day became mandatory for all provincial school divisions, and Hall indicated the schedule hadn't been too difficult to manage. "Last year and this year were both doable years.  It's when the Labour Day is so late in the month, as in September 2015 Labour Day would be on the 7th.  So starting on the 8th, it makes it very difficult."

The amendment not only is appealing to the school divisions, but families as well, according to Hall. "Our families have told us they would like to have a February break, and this amendment would be able to meet their needs, as well as the instructional needs of the children."

In a release, the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation also voiced support for the amendment.  “We see the introduction of this legislation as a first step in addressing some of the issues impacting teacher and student time,” said Randy Cline, STF Vice-President. “This change allows school boards to be more flexible in creating their calendars in order to reflect local needs.”

The next school year will begin September 1, 2015.