A Start of a New Day for SPS?
I doubt it.
I'm reading the presentation for tomorrow's Work Session on Transportation and School Start Times.
Staff is explaining why they could not implement any change to high school start times in 2014-2015. There are valid reasons, of course, but then there are several references to "all stakeholders who will be affected need to be consulted and kept informed."
You read that and think, "Is the district finally getting the message on that kind of transparency and consultation?"
I would not hold my breath. I think it's just a fairly convenient reason to NOT make the effort this year. (And by effort, I don't mean change the start times for 2014-2015 - I mean actually start the process that they say is needed.)
I think the Next Steps/Questions is something of a throwdown to the Board but frankly, one the Board should consider. Did they really get the right information to decide on district priorities? It's unclear to me.
And I have to laugh at the nerve, yes nerve, of anyone to say that the "Equitable Access Framework" is a priority.
The Board has asked for that framework for years. In fact, it was a running joke for Kay Smith-Blum to regularly, each and every year (and several times a year) ask where this was. And now, it's a "priority?"
Well, thank goodness for institutional memory or somehow these presentation slides might come across as reasonable and practical.
I'm reading the presentation for tomorrow's Work Session on Transportation and School Start Times.
Staff is explaining why they could not implement any change to high school start times in 2014-2015. There are valid reasons, of course, but then there are several references to "all stakeholders who will be affected need to be consulted and kept informed."
You read that and think, "Is the district finally getting the message on that kind of transparency and consultation?"
I would not hold my breath. I think it's just a fairly convenient reason to NOT make the effort this year. (And by effort, I don't mean change the start times for 2014-2015 - I mean actually start the process that they say is needed.)
I think the Next Steps/Questions is something of a throwdown to the Board but frankly, one the Board should consider. Did they really get the right information to decide on district priorities? It's unclear to me.
And I have to laugh at the nerve, yes nerve, of anyone to say that the "Equitable Access Framework" is a priority.
The Board has asked for that framework for years. In fact, it was a running joke for Kay Smith-Blum to regularly, each and every year (and several times a year) ask where this was. And now, it's a "priority?"
Well, thank goodness for institutional memory or somehow these presentation slides might come across as reasonable and practical.
Comments
-curious
That's the bus arrival time. There is typically a 25 minute difference between arrival time and start of school. (For breakfast service?) That gives high schools a 6 1/2 hour day - from 8 to 2:30.
What is the program placement process?
For something that has been a Board priority for three years shouldn't it be done by now? Do we even know what it will look like when it is done? Michael Tolley says that it won't be a single document but a suite of documents. When asked what is included in that set he names a bunch of documents that we already have. Does that mean that it's done?
Equitable Access Framework
Ann D
HP
I have heard from several people that this is going to cause a lot of problems in providing professional development.
Standardize to 3 [bus] arrival times: 1) 7:35am, 2) 8:25am, 3) 9:15am
Impacts -
21 elementary schools
1 middle school
4 high schools
10 K-8 schools (up to 30 minutes)
That makes it sound as though Hale may lose its late start.
-parent
It would help if this were published somewhere.
Mom of 4
Mom of 4
This presentation was to inform the Board of the extent of the problem, not to propose a solution, let alone announce that it has been solved.
It also presented a complete redefinition of what the Board wanted. The Board originally wanted a document that clearly described the program placement procedure. They never got one. They still don't have one.
I can't figure out the notes, so I assume they haven't made that decision yet?
Wow, that must not be true at the elementary school level. Several of the buses drop off at 9:20 or later...while the first bell is ringing. My anxious child hates being on the bus because she misses lining up with her class, greeting the teacher, and getting to her locker in a timely manner. I don't blame her, and it frustrates me that the school district doesn't see the message they send by not having the kids at school *before* the first or even the tardy bells.
You're right - for elementary schools it looks like the buses are scheduled to arrive 15 minutes before school starts. Here's the schedule for the current year.
That 15 minutes is a joke at our school. The kids aren't getting off the bus before the first bell rings. Technically, most of the buses may actually be *at* the school 10-15 minutes before the first bell, but those kids are waiting and UNLOADING as that 9:20 bell is ringing.
When my daughter rides the bus, she is technically tardy every time (not administratively, of course). On days she's off the bus and in the building before the 9:25 tardy bell, she definitely doesn't have time to put her stuff in her locker and be in the classroom on time.
And being a Tier 3 school means that the school day ends at 3:35, and one or two of the buses don't even arrive until 3:50 or 3:55. The poor faculty members are still getting kids on buses 25-30 minutes after dismissal, and the kids are surely not home until 4:30/almost 5pm.
(An aside: I do enjoy the late mornings we receive as a tier 3 scheduled school, and the later time lets my family and others figure out ways to get to school that aren't driving or busing. I also know it doesn't work for a lot of parents.)