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Op-Ed: Later Start Times—a Solution Staring Us in the Face

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It is New Canaan’s budget season again and it appears we are having the same debate over the same start time proposal as last year. 

The world has changed since a year ago, but the proposed scenario has not. The Board of Education has included $450,000 in the current budget which represents only 50% of the total cost for the proposed three-tier scenario. Note this is a 136% increase in the cost of the scenario as once thought. This is the scenario much debated across town that swaps our youngest students for our oldest students. Few schools in Connecticut have made a change to later start times and those that have led the charge (Greenwich, Westport and Norwalk) have not done it at the expense of the youngest.

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Op-Ed: School Start Times—Time for a New Brief

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Much has been discussed around the work that has been done over the past three years, going on four now, to solve for a better start time solution. There is no question there has been a tremendous amount of research, debate and outreach around this issue. However, the reason we have not come to a good place where the overwhelming majority of our 4,200 current enrolled student community is served is that we have been solving around an 8:30 a.m. start time for high school students solely. The approach has brought many, many scenarios on how to adjust start time for this perfect ideal but at the expense of the youngest children and 5/6 graders. 

For example, the last scenario has children being dropped at school by buses 20 minutes prior to school starting just to allow for buses to recirculate for the high school students. Additional care is then required and pick up times as early as 7:01 based on the last bus consultant.