The number of schools in Michigan opening before Labor Day climbed sharply this year as more districts sought waivers from a 2005 law mandating they wait till after the holiday to benefit tourism.
The state Department of Education granted 230 waivers — all that were sought — to start school before Labor Day this fall. The waivers went to 57 local school districts, 125 charter schools, and 48 intermediate school districts. That’s roughly a quarter of all districts.
The number increased nearly 22% from the 2025-’26 school year, when 189 waivers were granted. The greatest increase was among local school districts, with just 33 starting before Labor Day last year compared with 57 this year.
Bob Wheaton, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Education, noted that Labor Day came a week earlier last year than this year. The holiday always takes place on the first Monday of September, so Labor Day was on Sept. 1 in 2025. This year it is Sept. 7.
House bill would end mandate
State Rep. Matt Koleszar thinks the 21-year-old mandate has outlived its usefulness. Koleszar, a Democrat and former teacher from Plymouth, has introduced a bill to rescind the waiver requirement, giving districts the ability to start earlier without special permission.
Koleszar said making districts apply for waivers is a time waster — especially since it appears all of the applications are approved. Similar bills were introduced during the last two legislative sessions but didn’t make it to a vote.
“The Michigan Department of Education has rubber stamped all of these applications,” Koleszar said. “If they’re going to rubber stamp all of these waivers to start school before Labor Day, then the waiver essentially means nothing.”
The House Education Committee, which received the bill April 15, has yet to hold a hearing on it.
Compromise sought
Michigan’s tourism industry opposes the bill, which it says would hurt the nearly $55 billion-dollar travel economy. A study by the Anderson Economic Group found that the post-Labor Day mandate added at least $20 million in 2006, the first year after the Legislature passed the measure. That would be more than $33 million in today's dollars.
Jack Trebtoske, director of government affairs for the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, said families immediately stop vacationing as soon as school starts — and the tourism industry feels the effects immediately in lost business.
“We see tourists with young families drop off as soon as Labor Day comes around,” he said.
The industry is seeking an amendment to the bill to keep districts from scheduling classes on Mondays and Fridays before Labor Day, even if the bill were to pass. Trebtoske said that hopefully would encourage families to fit in a few more vacations before the holiday.
“Family vacations make up a significant part of tourism in Michigan,” he said.
More family time
Districts say they should have the authority to set their own calendars, and the priority should be education — not tourism.
Start dates are all over the map throughout the region, from Williamston and Dansville starting on Aug. 17 to Lansing, Mason and Okemos starting on Aug. 26. Hope Christian School in Lansing is among the few schools starting after Labor Day, along with Potterville Public Schools.
“This is always an interesting question for educators,” said Ryan Batson, the interim head of school at Hope Christian, a new start-up school that will open with 120 students the day after Labor Day.
“That allows families to have more summertime and enjoy Michigan,” Batson said.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: Whether or not schools start before or after Labor Day is an annual controversy in Michigan.
Schools in the state have to apply for a waiver if they want to start classes before the holiday.
And more and more are choosing an early start.
WKAR's Karen Bouffard has been looking into that issue. Thanks for joining us.
Karen Bouffard: Oh, it's my pleasure.
Saliby: So, Karen, why are Michigan schools' start dates so controversial?
Bouffard: Well, there was a law passed under former Governor Jennifer Granholm in 2005 that required schools to stay closed until after Labor Day, and the law was passed in order to benefit the tourism industry. Families generally stop traveling and vacationing as soon as schools start in the fall, and so it was thought that by keeping schools closed until after Labor Day, this would extend the summer vacation season.
But school districts don't like the law because they say schools shouldn't be staying, you know, closed or opened, you know, depending on an industry. They think they should be able to control their own calendars, and they don't like having to apply for a waiver. They think it's a total waste of time, and that has doesn't have anything to do with educating kids.
Saliby: You found that there has been an increase in the number of waivers this year. What did you find out about that?
Bouffard: Well, actually, the number increased quite a bit this year. There was a 22% increase from last year in the number of school districts that applied for waivers. So, part of this might have to do with the fact that Labor Day started a week later this year, since Labor Day is always scheduled for the first Monday of the month.
So, last year Labor Day was on September 1, but this year, Labor Day was on September 7, so that really had a lot of school districts thinking that they did not want to wait, you know, a whole extra week before they started school.
Saliby: So, it seems like a lot of schools are choosing that earlier start. Did you talk to anyone from a school that's decided to stick with that traditional after Labor Day first day of school?
Bouffard: It was actually hard to find a school or school district that wanted to start after Labor Day, although Hope Christian School in Lansing and Potterville Public Schools will be starting on September 8. Here's what Ryan Batson, the interim head of school at Hope Christian said about their decision to start after Labor Day.
Ryan Batson: This is always a an interesting question for educators. Just the timing of our new school, the new start date, we decided that September 8 would be a good day to go back, and that allows families to have more summertime and enjoy the state of Michigan.
Bouffard: But again, like I said, these schools were clearly in the minority. Nearly all the schools in our listening area started before Labor Day this year.
Saliby: There's also a legislative effort underway to get rid of this waiver requirement, just so schools can start whenever works best for them. They don't need to communicate that to the state. Tell us about that.
Bouffard: Well, State Representative Matt Koleszar, he's a Democrat and a former teacher from Plymouth, has introduced a bill that would rescind the waiver requirement, and that would give school districts the ability to start before Labor Day without having to file for special permission. Here's what he had to say about the issue.
Matt Koleszar: Right now, as it stands, if a school district wishes to start before Labor Day, they have to get a waiver from the Michigan Department of Education. Now, the Michigan Department of Education has rubber stamped all of these applications. This waiver is essentially just a nominal step in the process.
Bouffard: I should say that it's not clear whether his proposal will make it out of the legislature. Similar bills have been proposed during the last two legislative sessions, and they never made it out of committee.
Sophia Saliby: We've been speaking to WKAR's Karen Bouffard. You can find her full story breaking down the history of when school starts in Michigan at wkar.org. Thanks for joining us, Karen.
Bouffard: Oh, you're welcome.