Cox’s Corner by State Representative Doug Cox, M.D.
Summer Vacation, Winter School
Tourism is one of the largest industries in Oklahoma, and lake tourism is the largest segment of the tourism industry. In the Grand Lake and Lake Hudson area, many businesses depend on the lake tourism season to make enough income to sustain them year round. In “lake towns” like Salina, Langley, Bernice, Ketchum and Grove, just to name a few, as the summer goes, so goes the year.
School starting in mid-to-late August is stabbing our lake tourism industry in the back. The number of people visiting the lake plummets once school starts. Local restaurants, marinas, hotels and retail shops all suffer financially due to August school start dates. Not only do they suffer financially but they also lose their high school summertime workers. In addition, the working high-school kids lose income and valuable work experience.
Oklahoma needs to go back to the September 1 until Memorial Day school year. Since the state school requirements are based on hours per year, this is easily done. There would be no need to sacrifice any vacation days during Spring Break, Christmas or other current holidays. What would change is the plethora of days without school due to teacher meetings. The teachers would get their continuing education meeting days before or after the academic school year. This simple change would revitalize and inject cash and jobs into the lake tourism industry that is so important to our state’s economy.
It is ironic that we spend millions of tax dollars each year on incentives to attract industry and jobs to our state while our policy of schools starting in August does major harm to the much larger industry of lake tourism.
I have a bill in the upcoming legislative session to restore the school calendar to the September-May schedule that so many of you readers had during your school years. Summer-school sessions would still be allowed, and there will be an exemption for school districts that have adopted year-round academic calendars. There would be no need to change athletic event schedules, but the first football game may occur before school is in session if they play it the last weekend of August. But frankly, it is really too hot to have a game then and all the practices required beforehand. In addition, schools will save thousands of dollars currently spent on cooling buildings in August. These dollars can then be used in the classroom and for teacher salaries.
It is time our state, and the educational institutions in it, recognize the economic impact of lake tourism. Once they do, then it is time to get them on board to support the industry with a September-May academic calendar.
Thanks for allowing me to serve as your state representative. I can be reached at dougcox@okhouse.gov or 405-557-7415.
The post Cox’s Corner – Summer Vacation, Winter School by Dr. Doug Cox appeared first on Grand Lake Business Journal.com.