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SAISD presents 2025-26 bell schedule changes: elementary day extended 10 minutes, no change to start time
Summary
District staff outlined proposed bell-schedule changes intended to add instructional minutes and align grade-level minutes for 2025-26, including a 10-minute later elementary dismissal (3:15 p.m.), longer secondary periods and targeted intervention time; the item was informational and required no board action.
San Angelo Independent School District staff presented proposed bell-schedule adjustments for the 2025–26 school year aimed at adding instructional minutes and aligning time across grade levels.
District officials said the elementary school day would end 10 minutes later — moving from 3:05 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. — while start times would remain the same and middle- and high-school schedules would be adjusted mainly by lengthening individual periods so students gain time in class without changing start times. The board received the update as an information item; no vote was taken.
District presenter Doctor Gomez said the changes are intended to “align instructional minutes across grade levels to support equity and consistency in learning opportunities” and to “increase learning time to improve academic outcomes and better support student achievement.” He and other staff emphasized that extra minutes are a lever only when paired with high-quality instructional materials and targeted interventions.
Executive Director of Secondary School Leadership Kollenbach highlighted how small minute changes add up: “If you add just … 2 minutes to each class period in a day over the course of a year it translates to just under 6 days of instruction.” Kollenbach explained the high-school adjustments also respond to students in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs who are double-blocked or travel between sites.
At the elementary level, Executive Director of Elementary School Leadership Rayleigh Selv said the 10‑minute extension creates more time for MTSS (multi-tiered systems of supports) interventions in addition to required instructional minutes and allows campuses “a little bit of flexibility” to meet required minutes for reading, math, science and social studies. “That 10 minutes is actually allowing … an additional MTSS intervention time on top of the already required 30 minute intervention time,” she said.
During public Q&A, parents raised operational concerns, including pickup logistics and midday nutrition. Doctor Gomez confirmed the official elementary start time will remain 7:35 a.m. and said the extra minutes were intended to permit all required content minutes and intervention blocks, not to change morning routines. On nutrition, staff said there is no district plan to add a new universal snack program tied to the extended minutes; teachers and families currently provide snacks when necessary.
Board members asked staff to monitor impacts — including afternoon pick-up times, bus routing and teacher planning — and staff said transportation and child-nutrition teams participated in schedule planning. Staff also said the district exceeds TEA minimum-minute requirements and intentionally plans above the minimum so campuses do not need to add make-up days if disruptions occur.
The board did not take action on the bell schedule at the meeting. Staff said they will continue campus-level master-schedule work and monitor operational effects before returning with any required approvals.
