Could students in the Northern Lehigh School District start the 2011-12 school year before the Labor Day holiday?

The possibility certainly exists after Superintendent Michael Michaels discussed the matter with school board members on Monday.Michaels said the district was in the process of exploring the possibility that students could start next school year prior to Labor Day.If such action were to be approved, Michaels said students would return to school Aug. 29 through Sept. 1. They would then have off Sept. 2 through the Labor Day holiday, scheduled on Sept. 5, he said."We'd be out of school [next year] potentially by the first week of June," Michaels said. "We're working in concert with LCTI [Lehigh Career & Technical Institute]."Much like it did this year, the district has typically started the school year the day after Labor Day.Director Natalie Green said she believes the earlier start date would work out well for all involved."We've been doing that for 10 years already in Bethlehem," Green said. "The students think it works really well."Amid discussion, no action was taken by the board on the matter.Also on Monday, the board approved the 2011-12 Lehigh Carbon Community College budget.As per LCCC's 2011-12 General Operation Budget, the district's share is $187,254, which represents a $263 increase over the 2010-11 budget. As per LCCC's 2011-12 Capital Debt Service and Lease Budget, the district's share is $56,234, which is a $340 decrease from last year.The district's overall total sponsorship to LCCC in 2011-12 is $243,488, which represents a $77 decrease from the 2010-11 school year, Melber said.In an unrelated matter, the board approved a resolution for the 2011-12 Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit Operational and Program Services budget.As per the CLIU budget, total expenditures equal $2,431,237, which represents a 6.53-percent, or $148,955 increase, over the 2010-11 budget.The district's share is proposed to be $19,610, which represents a decrease of $104 from the 2010-11 budget.