Jamestown, ND (KCSi-T.V. News) — The Jamestown Public School Board, Monday (Aug 19, 2013) discussed the school year calendar.

Some concerns centered around school starting too early some years.

This school year’s graduation is scheduled for May 25, and the last day of school is May 22.

Gail Martin is concerned that school is starting so early this year.

The school district moves the first day of school earlier when Memorial Day is earlier, to allow seniors to graduate on Memorial Day weekend.

This year’s first day of school is Thursday.

School Board member Terry Anderson added that parents in the Bismarck-Mandan area are gathering signatures to petition for a November 2014 ballot measure requiring North Dakota schools to start after Labor Day.

School Board President Roger Haut said he thought Jamestown parents had been surveyed, and most of them wanted graduation on Memorial Day weekend, but board member Shelly Jystad said it was only parents of junior and senior students surveyed.

Superintendent Robert Lech said that he would bring the board’s concerns to the school district’s calendar committee. The board took no further action on the issue.

The Bismarck, Mandan group is organizing its 25-member sponsoring committee and has a rough draft of what they plan to submit to the secretary of state’s office in early October. Once they do, they will have 90 days to collect the signatures.

The biggest concerns for them,  requiring North Dakota schools to start after Labor Day, is the hot temperatures at the end of August and spending the summer time with family.

The Jamestown School Board meeting was recorded by CSi 10 THE REPLAY CHANNEL, with the showing starting on Tuesday.