Classes start today for about 14,000 students in four districts: Bellmore, Bellmore-Merrick, Jericho and Westbury. The idea, according to school officials, is to give youngsters a few extra days of instruction.

The real rush comes just after Labor Day. Forty-nine districts open the day after, on Tuesday, followed by 63 districts on Sept. 7. The last openings are scheduled for Sept. 8 in Hempstead and Roosevelt.

Staggered opening dates do produce at least minor scheduling headaches - for example, at regional BOCES centers that provide job training for students from various local districts. BOCES officials say it's not unusual for teens from late-starting districts to trickle into their centers a day after the official start of classes, though they add that the effects on training are negligible.