GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Haven Area Public Schools is marking its second year of starting after Labor Day, with first through twelfth graders back in class Tuesday. Young 5s and kindergarten students return Wednesday.

The calendar change began during contract talks with the teachers union. Superintendent Kristin Perkowski said more than 70% of 1,500 families surveyed supported a later start. The decision also reflects the city’s seasonal economy.

“We have a lot of students that feed into our tourism help, so helping out at the local restaurants and things through Labor Day weekend. That’s also a challenge. If we started beforehand, we would lose some students starting school to some of our local community," Perkowski said. "We want to help support our local community as best as

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