Fountain Hill relocation will add buses and prompt proposed 15-minute school-day shift

District facilities staff told the Facilities Committee that Fountain Hill Elementary students will move to a new temporary building for the next two years and that the district plans to add buses and adjust the school day to maintain instruction time.

Facilities staff said the district held a groundbreaking for the permanent project, completed the last school day at the current Fountain Hill site and obtained keys to the temporary building. "We were up there this morning labeling classrooms to be ready for the move," the staff member said, and said the district planned to start moving materials Wednesday and expected the temporary office to be "stood up and operational by Monday the ninth."

To serve the new site, staff said the district will add five buses to the existing fleet serving Fountain Hill—bringing the Fountain Hill-related vehicle count from eight to 13 for the temporary relocation. Staff told the committee that with the current equipment and staffing, collecting and delivering all students to the new location by the district's current start time would likely cause daily lateness for students. To avoid lost instructional minutes and morning congestion, the staff member proposed moving the school start time from 8:55 a.m. to 9:10 a.m., and the corresponding dismissal from 3:40 p.m. to 3:55 p.m.

Committee members asked for operational details, including whether students would gather at a single Fountain Hill pick-up or at community stops. Facilities staff said the plan relies on multiple neighborhood stops (they cited Broadway and Delaware as principal pick-up corridors) and cautioned parents and drivers to expect heavy bus traffic on Delaware around the 8:40'8:50 a.m. window while routes form. A committee member also noted potential disruption if PennDOT starts work on the Hill-to-Hill Bridge, and staff said the district will need flexibility while routes are refined.

Staff said principals and year-round secretarial staff will be based at the temporary location starting the first operational day; phone numbers will remain the same. School staff availability for summer classroom setup was described as similar to other summers, with staggered access in August for teachers returning to prepare rooms.

No formal vote on the proposed time change or bus additions was recorded at the committee meeting; staff presented the plan as an operational recommendation for the upcoming school year.