THERE'S THE TRADITIONAL END OF SUMMER, AND THEN THERE'S THE SCHOOL BOARD'S END OF SUMMER.

Align 'em both as Labor Day, says Karol Markowicz.  "Why are colleges cutting into valuable work time for their students by calling them back to campus ­before Labor Day?"  Possibly so that they can end the semester earlier and give those same students a shot at starting summer jobs earlier.

Apparently the rhythms of the agricultural calendar still matter to school scheduling, although it is the tourist businesses that do most of the lobbying.  "Bills have been introduced in Ohio, Georgia and other states to delay the start of the school year until after Labor Day so farms have enough workers."

That's already the practice in Wisconsin, although much of the seasonal help at the Dells is still from the Eastern Bloc.