Superintendent outlines 2025–26 bell‑time plan, including two‑tier busing and earlier high‑school starts

The superintendent presented a proposed bell‑time and transportation plan for the 2025–26 school year that would change start times across the district, move to a two‑tier busing model and aim to reduce student ride time.

The plan calls for a two‑tier bus system that would transport grades 5 through 12 on one set of runs and kindergarten through 4 on another. Under the proposal high school start times would move to roughly 7:20–7:30 a.m. (plus or minus a few minutes), middle/intermediate schools would be scheduled near mid‑morning arrivals (examples discussed included an intermediate start around 8:25 a.m.), and elementary schools would start later (the administration cited a sample elementary start near 8:40 a.m. with dismissal around 3:26 p.m., both with a plus/minus range for final tuning).

Administration said the plan is intended to meet newly required instructional‑time totals, reduce bus‑to‑bus transfers, and keep individual student ride times to about one hour or less where feasible. The superintendent said bus routing work will begin in February, with final, route‑level start and end times expected by May and full route finalization in August when student lists are confirmed.

District staff told the board the three main goals behind the proposal are: (1) align high school start times to reduce late bus arrivals, (2) minimize transfers between buses districtwide, and (3) reduce individual student ride time while adhering to current staffing levels and contractual obligations. The administration said the proposal is designed to meet the contractual requirement for extended instructional time for grades K–6.

Board members asked for clarification about BOCES‑bound students and the timing of buses to career/technical programs; staff responded that BOCES buses would leave the high school site around 8:45–8:50 a.m. under the proposed schedule and that some student supervision and scheduling adjustments (for example, eliminating a noncredit “bookend” class) would be required so BOCES students arrive on time. Staff also said parents and staff will receive letters and information in the weeks after the presentation and that specific start times will be posted when routes are refined.

Administration stressed that the presented times were draft estimates (often given with “plus or minus” windows) and that final scheduling will depend on route optimization, bus garage work in the spring and the July roll‑over of next‑year student lists. They said the district will convert the chosen timing into an operational route and that some options considered would require more buses and drivers; the selected option was described as the one that best met the stated goals while fitting current staffing.

Next steps listed by staff included continued refinement of the draft times in February, start of bus‑routing work, parent communications, and publication of a final start/time schedule in May with route confirmation in August.