Board reviews survey of 21,000 respondents and signals intent to keep current school start times

Staff reported that about 21,000 people responded to a district survey on start times; roughly 57% of respondents identified as parents or guardians and approximately 54% selected option A, which aligns with the district’s current schedule. High-school students and staff raised concerns about later start times interfering with part-time jobs, sports and extracurriculars, while parents raised safety and supervision concerns for younger children who would be waiting at bus stops in darkness if elementary times shifted earlier.

Staff said Senate Bill 296 governs the procedure and that, under current statute, the district had completed the required surveying process. Board members said they wanted to present the survey results publicly, add the start-time item to the agenda for a vote, and seek any necessary waivers. One board member noted the survey was intended as a “one and done” process under the statute.

What happens next: board staff will put a start-times agenda item on the next meeting for formal action and prepare the documentation that the state requires for the waiver/approval process.