- April 20, 2024
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The middle school day will be starting five minutes earlier next school year after the School Board approved new bell schedules that will affect most of the schools in the county.
The board approved the changes, 4-1, at its monthly meeting Feb. 15 with Colleen Conklin voting against the proposal.
The changes were necessary to accommodate a proposed seven-period day at the high schools. Currently the high schools operate under a modified block schedule. The bell schedules had to be changed at the other schools to accommodate bus schedules.
The high school day will start 10 minutes later at 8:10 a.m. and end 25 minutes later at 2:40 p.m. Middle schools, which already have the earliest start time at 7:25 a.m., will start five minutes earlier at 7:20 a.m. The middle school day will be five minutes longer as students will continue to be dismissed at 1:40 p.m.
Conklin said the middle school day already begins too early.
“I’m voting this down,” she said. “Middle school start times, we're just moving in the wrong direction. I know there are multiple levels to this issue.”
Elementary schools will no longer have a staggered start. All five elementary schools will start their day at 9:10 a.m. and end at 3:40 p.m.
The board approved the wording of a referendum to renew the half-cent sales tax for another 10 years.
The district used the 2012 referendum as a starting point and updated it to comply with changes to the state statutes and to add a focus on school safety.
The referendum states the tax will fund capital outlay, technology, improving school safety, land acquisition and bond debt. The referendum will be submitted to the County Commission for placement on the ballot in the Nov. 8 general election.
