Despite the findings of a bipartisan legislative panel last September, the state should keep its hands off local school boards' current power to decide when classes should begin.

Local boards are most suited to decide what's best for their districts' individual circumstances. The tourism industry's best interests should not be a factor in that decision, although, unfortunately, that industry would like its economic interests to rule.

Again this year, as they have for several years, tourism officials are pressing lawmakers to pass legislation that would require all school districts in the commonwealth to start the school year after Labor Day. Those officials say their industry and the state's economy in general are losing hundreds of millions of dollars by the loss of what generally is regarded as the last official week of the summer vacation season.

Those officials point to the bipartisan legislative panel's determination last year that starting school after Labor Day statewide would add $378 million annually to the commonwealth's economy, including $164 million in direct travel and tourism spending.

Currently, nearly 90 percent of the state's 501 public school districts begin classes prior to the Labor Day holiday weekend. Nationally, there are some states — including Virginia, Michigan and Minnesota — that require that schools begin classes after Labor Day. Wisconsin stipulates classes cannot begin prior to Sept. 1.

While the financial loss to tourism and the economy might be significant, the process of educating the state's children must be given priority. It is generally acknowledged that an earlier start of classes provides flexibility to school districts in terms of making up time lost as a result of inclement winter weather, or other unforeseen interruptions such as teacher strikes.

It also is generally recognized that students have a decreased attention span when the school year extends too deep into June.

Those factors combined, it is understandable why the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and Pennsylvania State Education Association strongly oppose the tourism industry's initiative.

State Rep. Tom Tangretti, chairman of the House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee, is one of those who support starting classes after Labor Day. He said "sometimes we all have to deal with things for the good of the economy."

But academic calendars should be the exception, with the state mandate of 180 days of instruction by June 30 in place and the challenging weather uncertainties that are a part of living in the snow belt.

School districts know what is best for them, and Gov. Ed Rendell is commendably siding with school districts on this issue.

The state's tourism industry generated about $27 billion in spending in 2006, and the industry gives thousands of teenagers summer employment opportunities. However, removing academic calendar control from local school districts for tourism's sake would be bad policy, and the efforts under way to do that should be resoundingly rejected.