Many Minnesota school districts are frustrated with a state law prohibiting them from starting school before Labor Day.

Legislators this session are seeking a measure to change the law, which was enacted in recent years after a push from districts in tourism-dependent regions and from the Minnesota State Fair, which ends on Labor Day.

The argument was that starting classes before the holiday — which falls on the first Monday of September each year — prevents some students from participating in and attending the state fair, and others from working in tourism-related jobs during one of the busiest times of the season.

The Austin Public School District supports granting school boards the authority to set their own start dates.

State Sen. Dan Sparks said Thursday that in his discussions with other area schools, the sentiment is the same.

“Many of the small districts have said the same thing,” he said. “We should allow school districts to set their calendars and start before Labor Day.”

Southern Minnesota is not as dependent on tourism as the northern part of the state, and as for student participants in the state fair, “Most districts are very accommodating,” Sparks said.

He also explained that Minnesota schools face inclement weather on a frequent basis, and snow days can pile up at the end of the year. Starting earlier would mean school would not wrap up as late in June.

“It’s a lot easier to get those students in there and get them oriented,” he said of an earlier start.

Sparks said that the legislature has made this discussion a priority for the beginning of the session, which begins Jan. 6, so districts can finalize their schedules for the next year. Some are already making preparations for a possible change.

“The problem the school districts have now is that they have to put out two calendars,” Sparks said.