Our children should NOT start school at the beginning of August, and the source of the continual advancement of Arizona's school year lies with the Department of Education. Arizona boasts some of the hottest, most miserable temperatures in August, with the cost of utilities at least doubling from June to August. Yet each year school calendars are adjusted to "allow enough instructional days" to accommodate the state-mandated testing schedule, thereby requiring schools to begin in early August and dismiss in mid-May. Last week we received a poll from our school district, asking our preference for a start date, which was between August 1 and 6. Arizona school districts could save thousands of dollars, collectively millions, by moving the calendar to a later start and extending the year into June. Arizona is near the bottom of national polls in education, and putting our kids in school in August when they are NOT ready to learn is not helping. Just think how much smarter they would be if their brain cells weren't killed because of waiting for a bus, riding their bikes or walking to school in 110-degree heat.