Teachers, parents press Horseheads district over proposed start‑time changes for next year

Representatives of the Horace’s (HTA) Teaching Association and several parents pressed the Horseheads Central School District Board of Education on Feb. 13 about proposed changes to next year’s school start and dismissal times, saying the shift will create childcare, transportation and programing problems—especially for elementary families and special‑education students.

Phil Clarity, identifying himself as “the president of the Horace's Teaching Association,” told the board that the association met with district negotiators and planned to hold back some concerns to give the district time to respond. He said the district’s announced times “range from 07:20AM to 03:26PM across all grade levels,” and warned of consequences if schedules revert toward older secondary start times while elementary days lengthen.

“Ultimately, we all want the same thing. What is best for our students and staff?” Clarity said, asking the administration to hold building‑level meetings and a stakeholder working committee to plan the transition.

Parents and other staff echoed those themes. One parent, Ashley, said the proposed elementary schedule “is not feasible for a working parent,” adding that both she and her husband will be at work and “we have nobody to put him on the bus at 08:40 in the morning.” Another speaker raised safety and comfort concerns linked to ongoing construction, saying a contractor triggered a fire alarm and left students outside in cold weather.

Speakers identified specific operational concerns the district has not yet resolved publicly: whether later elementary start times will convert routine drop‑offs into required bus transportation for some families; whether bus runs for older students will complete in time to pick up elementary students; whether food‑service schedules and building bell systems can be coordinated across intermediate and middle school facilities; and whether schedule changes will reduce opportunities for high school students to earn BOCES credits or for special‑education students to meet graduation requirements.

Superintendent Douglas (identified in the meeting as Dr. Douglas) responded that the administration has collected questions from teachers and parents and plans to publish answers. “We are willing to try to work and create the best opportunities for as many people as possible,” Douglas said, adding that the district will post a question‑and‑answer document and continue consultations at building and grade levels.

Board members and administration did not adopt a formal policy or vote on start times during the meeting. The teachers’ representatives asked the board and administration to form a working committee of stakeholders to discuss logistics and to schedule building‑level Q&A sessions; the administration said it would issue the Q&A and continue outreach but did not record a formal directive or vote to create a committee.

Why this matters: the district is consolidating elementary buildings and changing daily minutes to comply with New York State Education Department requirements. That requires coordination among transportation, food service and extracurricular schedules; parents and teachers said they fear the announced times will worsen substitute shortages, limit students’ community activities, and reduce high‑school credit opportunities tied to CTE/BOCES programs.

What happens next: district staff said they will publish the Q&A responses and meet with building staff over the next month; teachers requested a formal stakeholder working group and building Q&A sessions. No binding timetable or additional board action on start times was announced at the Feb. 13 meeting.

Ending note: public commenters repeatedly urged the board to continue outreach and to prioritize minimizing disruption for working families while complying with state hourly requirements for the school day.