I haven't read the whole thread yet, but the person who mentioned AC in the schools was right. It is possible to begin in August with AC in the classrooms. The excessive heat and humidity is terrible here in South Louisiana sometimes as late as October. I can remember being a student (40's and 50's) trying to combat knats and perspiration. I have terrible memories of trying desperately not to swallow knats while playing my clarinet in band class. YUK. Another reason for the early start is that there are more holidays. Our parish has holidays such as Labor Day, Sugar Cane Festival Friday (teachers have inservice day and children have a holiday. Many students bring animals to the fair.), Thanksgiving week (teachers have state meetings), Christmas Holiday (of course it's not called that), Martin Luther Kind Day, Mardi Gras, Spring Break (Easter). Also twice a month, teachers have inservice on Thursday afternoon, thus giving early dismissal to the students. This year they begin around Aug 9 and end the last week of May. The local colleges start their summer sessions early in June, so students who participate in summer programs must be done with reg. school to be able to attend. As a teacher, I loved beginning early. I always went two weeks early on my own time to get my classroom set up and ready to go. I still get a little bit of the blues at this time of the year. It was my favorite time...just raring to go. The older I got, the more I appreciated those holidays. I needed to re-charge "my batteries."