Jerry Brown Vetoes Bill Delaying School Start Times

Coming with the swipe of a veto pen, Governor Jerry Brown has rejected legislation that would have delayed the start time of most California high schools and middle school until at least 8:30.

Amid overall opposition from hundreds of teachers and school boards, SB 328 authored by State Senator Anthony Portantino will not be developing into law. In Brown’s veto message he stated “This is a one-size-fits-all approach that is opposed by teachers and school boards. Several schools have already moved to later start times. Others prefer beginning the school day earlier. These are the types of decisions best handled in the local community.”

Additionally the sacbee has reported “the California Teachers Association and the California School Boards Association lobbied against the bill, which narrowly passed the Legislature last month, arguing that lawmakers should not dictate start times for diverse communities all over the state. SB 328 included an exemption only for rural communities.

Portantino and other supporters of the bill insisted that there was substantial research concluding that later school start times improve student health. Perhaps that’s the case, however the state will be leaving these decisions up to individual communities.