- April 19, 2024
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The School Board voted 3-2 to reduce instructional time by 45 minutes for middle- and high-school students. Result: big savings.
It’s official: new bell schedules have been approved, and school days in Flagler County are now shorter than ever for middle- and high-school students.
With the exception of staggered start times, elementary students will see no changes.
In an effort to further cut costs, the School Board reduced academic instructional time for middle and high-school students by 45 minutes a day.
By tightening student time to just over 25 hours of instruction a week, and aligning all teacher planning periods to before and after school, Superintendent Janet Valentine noted that the board will eliminate anywhere from 12% to 14% of its yearly staff expenditures.
In transportation costs alone, she said, $300,000 to $500,000 will also be saved, by allowing single buses to make extra stops and eliminating the shuttle system. Shuttle students will now have longer days, she added, by bypassing the trips to and from their “home-zone” schools.
But not all board members were as comfortable with the motion’s implications.
“It’s a statement we’re making to our community,” Colleen Conklin said, suggesting the issue be tabled for further discussion and analysis. It wasn’t.
The motion passed by 3-2 vote; John Fischer and Colleen Conklin opposed.
Middle schools will now run 7:40 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. High schools will run 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bunnell Elementary School and Indian Trails Middle School will start and end their days slightly earlier, running from 8:50 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. Scheduling changes will take effect at the start of the 2011 fall term.
Contact Mike Cavaliere at mike@palm coastobserver.com.
