With House Bill 375 and House Bill 389 making their way through the state House of Representatives, an ongoing issue is brought to light: school district autonomy.

These two bills reference the school calendar year. HB 375 would let districts start as early as Aug. 15, to align with colleges and universities. HB 389 has selected 20 counties from across the state to start school two weeks early for the next three years, with a study of the changes to follow.

Opponents of this increased flexibility with the school calendar argue in favor of uniformity and are concerned about the potential effects the shortened vacation month of August could have on the tourism industry.

In a state with 100 counties — ranging from the mountains to the sea — uniformity does not work. No entity knows the ins and outs of a county’s school district better than that district. What works for some may not work for others.

Perhaps a mountain county would prefer to start the school year earlier, as snow days often pose a problem, forcing officials to tack days onto the end of the year. Maybe a district would prefer its students to have end-of-semester exams before Christmas break, rather than January, as is the case now.

The same concept applied earlier this year, and still does apply, with setting class sizes. Only a particular district knows its personnel and how many students can comfortably fit into a classroom — within reasonable expectations of a quality education. The district is the entity that knows how many teachers or teaching assistants are needed, or if adding more room onto a school is a possibility.

Whatever the issue, the bottom line remains the same. School districts deserve some autonomy and flexibility. It’s a matter of doing what is best for the district and its students.