While the Seattle School Board met tonight, one increasingly hot topic for some local families was not on the agenda: Another round of changes in school start times.
The alarm has been sounded by the Sanislo Elementary School PTA, but theirs isn’t the only school affected. Transportation changes for Seattle Public Schools are going to change start times at more schools next year. Technically, the district decisions have to do with bus pickup times, not bell times, but the two are inextricably linked, with start times 15-20 minutes after scheduled bus times. From a notice the Sanislo PTA sent to parents:
We want to let our parents and families know that the Seattle School District has decided to change Sanislo’s bell schedule for the 2011-2012 school year. Next year school will start at 9:35 am with dismissal at 3:40 pm. This means that breakfast will start around 9:15. Students not participating in breakfast will not be allowed into the building until 9:30 unless they are enrolled in CDSA, a before school club, or music program.
The district pointed out in February that some changes were on the way, and the board approved “ranges,” but the district hasn’t made a specific announcement of times, since they are not final yet – district spokesperson Teresa Wipple says acting Superintendent Susan Enfield has the final say and hasn’t signed off yet. The district’s list of bus times – which says that bell times are generally 15 minutes after those times – would indicate school would start next year, if the list here gets final signoff, in this vicinity:
ELEMENTARIES – 15 MINUTES AFTER BUS TIME WOULD MEAN:
approx. 9:30 am – Concord (9:15 now), Lafayette (9:20 now), Roxhill, (9:20 now), Sanislo (9:25 now)
approx. 8:55 am – Alki (9:05 now), Arbor Heights (9:10 now), Highland Park (9:10 now), Schmitz Park (9:20 now)
approx. 8:45 am – Gatewood (9:15 now)
approx. 8:30 am – West Seattle (8:15 am now)
K-8 – 15 MINUTES AFTER BUS TIME WOULD MEAN:
approx. 8:20 am – Pathfinder (8:20 now)
MIDDLE – 15 MINUTES AFTER BUS TIME WOULD MEAN:
approx. 7:50 am – Madison (8:05 now)
TBD – Denny (8:05 now)
HIGH SCHOOL – 15 MINUTES AFTER BUS TIME WOULD MEAN:
approx. 7:50 am – West Seattle (8 am now)
TBD – Chief Sealth (8:05 now)
Again, ***the final official word will come from principals***, but that would be after district leadership signs off on the plan. If you have concerns or questions, check with your school’s principal; Sanislo’s PTA also suggests school board and superintendent messages:
You can reach our local representative, Steve Sundquist, at steve.sundquist@seattleschools.org.
You can send a message to our new interim superintendent, Susan Enfield, at superintendent@seattleschools.org
Sundquist also has community-conversation meetings coming up next week; here’s the schedule. We covered the last major change to start times two years ago. And if you still think “what’s a few minutes?” – here’s some context: Gillian Allen-White from the Sanislo PTA says that when her child started at Sanislo as a kindergartener in 2005, the start time was a full hour earlier.
ADDED: Denny and Sealth’s planned start times were revealed May 11th in a joint PTSA forum with the schools’ principals, who say Denny will start at 7:40 am and Sealth at 8:30 am.
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