Berrien RESA holds public hearing to discuss starting school before Labor Day

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- Berrien Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) opened the floor on Wednesday during a public hearing to spread the word about the possibility of some Michigan schools to return from summer break before Labor Day.

Another reason for the hearing was to get some public feedback for the idea. 

Berrien RESA is an agency that provides financial services, special education services, and assists the school districts within Berrien County. Currently Michigan schools are legally barred from returning before Labor Day every year. This is due to the Michigan Legislature passing the law in 2005, the idea being that it would boost tourism during the profitable Labor Day holiday weekend. 

Since the law was enacted several school districts in Michigan have been able to bypass the law by applying or and receiving a waiver from the Michigan Department of Education. The law has also been brought up for discussion in the legislature as far back as 2023 but has not yet been changed.

Eric Hoppstock, the RESA Superintendent since 2020, told us that things have changed since the law was passed, including sports schedules:

"And interestingly, because we’re in Michiana, it’s Michigan, Indiana, you know our counterpart just to the south start really a week to two weeks earlier than we do so if we start even later, that would be more like a two- or three-week gap and it doesn’t align well with fall sports because most times the first football game the first soccer game the first the first are starting before Labor Day anyways so this is an acknowledgment to get our calendars more aligned with what students need and are doing already so like I said, we’ve been doing it for six years now and we’d like to continue.”