Orange County school board hears options, directs staff to gather community input on start times

The Orange County Public Schools Board of Education on Tuesday reviewed state requirements and district scenarios for changing school start times and directed staff to design a stakeholder engagement plan and timeline for a report the district must submit to the Florida Department of Education by June 1, 2026.

Superintendent Maria F. Vasquez said "the plan had to be cost neutral," and staff presented transportation, operational and student-service implications of putting elementary, middle or high schools on the first bell tier.

The board heard a summary of Florida legislation driving the review: House Bill 733 and Senate Bill 1112 (2023) set later start-time goals, and the measures were later amended in House Bill 261 and Senate Bill 296 to allow districts to be deemed in compliance if they submit a department-prescribed report by June 1, 2026, documenting start times, strategies considered, public input opportunities and the anticipated impacts, including financial effects. Bill Wench, the district’s senior director of transportation services, told the board that state policy and current routing practices make a one-hour minimum window between tiers critical to avoid adding buses and cost.

Wench said transportation is required for students who…