The Fairport Central School District Board of Education voted Oct. 20 to adopt new start and end times that will accompany the district’s planned consolidation of ninth grade into Fairport High School, and it approved a three-year facilities-use agreement with the YMCA of Greater Rochester to provide before- and after-school wrap care.

Under the schedule adopted by district leaders and presented to the board, all elementary schools will be on a single tier with a 7:45 a.m. start and approximately 2:05 p.m. dismissal. Middle- and high-school tiers will have a 8:40 a.m. start and a 3:25 p.m. dismissal, with bus departures 10–15 minutes afterward, district staff said. District transportation staff credited John Kidd and his team for designing the runs and said they completed the routing a year in advance of implementation.

"All elementary schools are on the same tier ... School will start at 07:45 and run till 02:05," a district staff member explained during the presentation of the transportation plan. The board and administrators repeatedly framed the change as part of a broader consolidation plan that moves ninth grade into Fairport High School as the district reorganizes K–12 grade patterns.

The board also approved a formal facilities-use agreement with the YMCA of Greater Rochester, effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. The district said the Y can run AM sessions starting as early as 6:45 a.m. and PM sessions until 6 p.m. in all four elementary buildings, can scale to meet demand and is licensed to provide wrap care for universal prekindergarten (UPK) students. Terrence from the YMCA said the organization has long collaborated with the district and can assist families with Department of Social Services (DSS) subsidies and scholarship options.

"The biggest reason for us is that they're a trusted partner and they have been for many, many years," a district staff member said regarding the YMCA. "They also have the ability to run both AM and PM sessions ... and the Y is going to recognize the member rate so you do not have to be a member of the Y next year to get the YMCA member rate." The board voted to approve the agreement later in the meeting.

Field lighting and capital-project scope: The board discussed a separate step to amend the 2023 capital improvement project to allow using unallocated contingency dollars to install lights on the multiuse fields at Fairport High School. Board members said the work would be pursued only if it met the original proposition's limits and state aid requirements; staff said they will consult bond counsel, financial advisors and the State Education Department about aidability.

Board President Bridal Pacer characterized a proposed public forum on lights as an early step in a community conversation. "I would anticipate us doing a community forum between now and Nov. 16 so more people can weigh in on it," she said. Student representative Mallory Foote also told the board that later sunset and shorter daylight hours make field time scarce for practices.

Why it matters: The start-time change affects daily schedules for students, families and employees, and the YMCA agreement is intended to provide an affordable wrap-care option tied to the time change. The potential field-lighting conversation arises because the district has unallocated capital funds and is exploring ways to use them without additional local tax impact.

Vote and next steps: The board unanimously approved the YMCA facilities-use agreement (vote recorded as Aye, 7–0). District staff said they will schedule community engagement on the proposed field lighting and continue to work with bond counsel and SED regarding project scope and aidability. Transportation routing and course-scheduling steps tied to consolidation were described as ongoing work that will generate further reports to the board.

Ending: District leaders said parents and students will be invited to focus groups and further communications as the consolidation timeline and wrap-care plans continue to develop.