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Early college proposes 9:30 a.m. start to expand course access, improve bus efficiency
Summary
San Jose Early College staff proposed changing the school day to 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. to expand students’ college course access and to create a third transportation tier that staff said would reduce bus runs and fuel use; staff said they will survey parents and work with college partners before finalizing the change.
A proposal to shift San Jose Early College’s school day to 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. was presented July 9, with district staff saying the later start would give students more access to college classes while making transportation routing more efficient.
Presenters said the later start aligns the early college schedule with several other North Carolina early colleges and gives students greater flexibility to enroll in afternoon college courses. Transportation staff said moving the early college start to 9:30 a.m. would create a third scheduling tier that allows buses to run elementary or high‑school routes and then serve the early college, reducing the number of separate runs.
The district’s transportation director explained the expected efficiency gain in operational terms: changing the early college start creates a three‑tier routing pattern that can reduce duplicated runs and save fuel and driver hours. Board members asked about impacts on student athletes and families’ work schedules; presenters said the change would not affect students’ ability to attend games but could shift practice times and that staff plan to survey parents and consult college partners before bringing a final recommendation.
A staff presenter said similar schedules (roughly 9:15–4:30) are used at other area early colleges and that the change would be intended to expand dual‑enrollment access while improving transportation efficiency.
"We're utilizing less to get more done, saving fuel, less drivers," the transportation director said when explaining how the revised routing would work.
Staff said they would distribute a parent survey and return to the board next month with parent feedback and any adjustments. No formal schedule change was approved July 9.
