Stop Ohio Governor Ted Strickland adding 20 extra days to the school year

Governor Ted Strickland is trying to add 20 extra days to the school year, and all day kindergarten. This will cause a lot of problems, on how he plans on funding the schools to keep them open the extra 20 days. Right now schools are having a hard enough time trying to keep schools open and to keep busing services.

The schools are not getting enough funding as it is. If schools were to stay open until late June early July, all schools in Ohio would have to install air conditioning, due to the extreme heat. They would also have to get more funding for food, supplies, busing, utilities staffing. That could cost Ohio millions if not billions of dollars.

Right now Ohio is only allowed 5 calamity days. Which most of those calamity days are used up in the winter months. What if a heat wave occurs in the middle of June and school has to be closed and the school district has already used their 5 days given to them? Then will have to make it up which could lead students to have to go to school in July, and that is just ridiculous.

I believe they should not extend the school year an extra 20 days, due to the reasoning that it will add more stress on the students. With more stress put on the students it could lead for more students to drop out, not pass, not graduate, and also could lead to more teen suicides. Also school violence would rise because some students would get irritated easier especially if the schools do not have air conditioning. Funding already for schools are hard to get. Many school levies fail, because residents don't want to support the school system.

The money is going to be wasted on this plan. Sending students to school an extra 20 days is not going to help them learn much. If they are not going to learn it throughout the year they definitely will are not going to want to learn it when their summer is being taken away. It will absolutely serve no purpose.

Also parents that have children in school are very upset. The summer time is the only time that they can spend quality one on one time with their kids outside the house. Most parents wait until the summer time to take their vacation days, because the kids are out of school, and they can go on vacation to get away and relax. Some parents have said that his plan will take away the time they want to spend with their children. The summertime is when most families get together, to have reunions and go out of state to visit other family members they could not visit though out the year because of school. It is their time to have their children and the schools need to stop trying to take that right away from them.

The students deserve a well needed break to relax, after an already long year of hard work.

Tourist attractions are also afraid of losing business and not having enough employees. The biggest attraction is Cedar Point, they hiring mostly students and with students having to go to school until late June early July they can go up to a month if not more with out enough employees. Yes, times are hard right now and there is plenty of people looking for jobs. But think in the future, they will get their jobs back, which will leave tourist attraction destinations such as cedar point, without employees for a month. Other attractions may close down due to the lack of employees to run the business. Which would worsen Ohio's economy because we depend on tourist from other states to spend their money here.

School should start after labor day and end before memorial day. Shorten the spring breaks and unnecessary days off.

Governor Ted Strickland is just not thinking about us. I feel like he left us Ohio residents in the dark, without a say so. He always want to to things his way, because he "thinks" its the right way. But he needs to get to our level and think about how it will affect each and everyone of us. He is going to push these kids to the breaking point!! Please sign my petition so the school year will not be extending an extra 20 days. Thank you!!

Please spread the word about my petition so we can get it passed.