Early school start pinches seasonal student workers
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Faye Williams, manager at Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor, soon will lose 10 staff members — more than an eighth of her restaurant’s workforce.
Now, she said, she’s scrambling to hire workers as soon as possible to alleviate scheduling conflicts.
“I thought I had until August to replace my staff,” Williams said.
Williams and some other companies that rely on teenage workers face similar staffing shortages, as fall classes will begin two weeks earlier than usual next month. And teen workers saving up for college, cars or other expenses will miss out on a paycheck this summer.
Next month, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. students will learn under a new school calendar that features a shorter summer break, but longer breaks throughout the year. The modified calendar calls for an eight-week summer vacation and two-week breaks in the fall and at Christmas.
In 2011, the BCSC board approved the new school calendar for the 2012-13 through 2014-15 academic years.
School officials say the new calendar will help the district avoid eventually having to comply with expected state legislation that would push the start of school to after Labor Day.
Students and business owners say the shorter summer is a definite adjustment.
Hannah Milan, a junior at Columbus East High School, said she thinks students and their families will be caught off guard when school resumes.
“Even though the breaks are longer (during the school year), summer is just going to be different because it’s going to be cut early,” she said.
Milan, 15, said she plans to take an early break from her job at Zaharakos to prepare to go back to school, giving herself extra time to shop for school supplies and other school-year essentials before the first day of school.
“Once that time gets here, it’s going to be just mayhem,” she said.
Milan said that once she gets back into the swing of school and has a better handle on how she will manage her homework, she plans to pick up more hours at Zaharakos, probably in October, she estimated.
Luke Carr, a lifeguard at Donner Aquatic Center and sophomore at Indiana State University, said that although he’s not going back to school earlier than normal, Bartholomew Consolidated’s new calendar has affected his workplace’s schedule.
Jim Lemke, aquatics director, said the pool will cut its hours to 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays from Aug. 6 to 19, after school starts; weekend hours will stay the same.
Carr said that last summer he worked 22 days straight before he went off to college.
“I made a pretty good chunk of money,” said Carr, who is saving up as much as he can.
But that won’t be possible this summer. Carr said he’s working several jobs around town, such as house-sitting, lawn care and pet care, but that won’t make up for the loss of hours at the pool.
Charles Weber, a soda jerk at Zaharakos, said he plans to continue working at the restaurant throughout the school year but will have to cut back his hours because of football practice, which has been moved up with the start of the school year.
“I probably won’t be working more than five hours, one day a week,” said Weber, who typically works 20 hours a week.
The 17-year-old said his loss of hours will put his plans to buy a new car on hold.
“I desperately need a new car,” Weber said. “This is going to delay it by quite a bit.”
Instead of buying a car before school starts, he said he’ll probably have to wait until sometime during the school year.
However, some teen workers who are used to juggling school and work say the modified calendar will have little to no effect on their work schedules and earnings.
Darbie Dowden, 16, a junior at Columbus East, said she and her teen co-workers at Dairy Queen in downtown Columbus usually work afternoon shifts that they will be able to maintain during the school year.
Dairy Queen typically does not hire seasonal employees and schedules adults to work during the day, so students won’t see much of a change, Dowden said.
Key dates
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.
School start Aug. 6
Christmas break Dec. 24-Jan. 4
Spring break March 18-29
Last day of classes May 31
n Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp.
School start Aug. 13
Christmas break Dec. 21-Jan. 4
Spring break * March 18-22
Last day of classes May 30
* Snow makeup days will be March 25-29
School calendars, 2012-13
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.
Aug. 3 First teacher day
Aug. 6 First student day
Sept. 3 Labor Day — no school
Oct. 8 to 19 Fall break — no school
Nov. 22 and 23 Thanksgiving break — no school
Dec. 21 Semester ends
Dec. 24 through Jan. 4 Christmas break — no school
Jan. 4 Teacher work day — no school
Jan. 7 Classes resume for students
Jan. 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day — no school
March 11 to 15 Preschool and kindergarten registration
March 18 to 29 Spring break — no school
March 25 Snow makeup day 2
March 26 Snow makeup day 3
March 27 Snow makeup day 4
March 28 Snow makeup day 5
March 29 Good Friday — no school or snow makeup day 1
May 27 Memorial Day — no school
May 31 Last student day
n Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp.
Aug. 10 First teacher day
Aug. 13 First student day
Sept. 3 Labor Day — no school
Oct. 12 End of first nine weeks
Oct. 18 and 19 Fall break — no school
Nov. 22 and 23 Thanksgiving break — no school
Dec. 20 Semester ends
Dec. 21 through Jan. 4 Christmas break — no school
Jan. 4 Teacher work day
Jan. 7 Classes resume for students
Jan. 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day — no school or snow makeup day 1
Feb. 18 Presidents Day — no school or snow makeup day 2
March 8 End of third nine weeks
March 18 to 22 Spring break — no school
March 25 Snow makeup day 5
March 26 Snow makeup day 4
March 27 Snow makeup day 3
March 28 Snow makeup day 2
March 29 Good Friday — no school or snow makeup day 1
May 27 Memorial Day — no school
May 30 Last student day
May 31 Last teacher day
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