Parents and staff press Pleasantville Board over new 9 a.m. elementary start time

The Pleasantville Board of Education heard repeated concerns Aug. 12 from parents, teachers and union representatives about a proposed shift to a 9:00 a.m. elementary school start time and its effect on working families and extracurricular programs.

Superintendent Dr. Martinez described the recommended schedule as part of a reworked district timetable that would set elementary student start time at 9:00 a.m. with elementary dismissal at 3:10 p.m.; middle schools would begin at 8:30 a.m. and high school at 8:00 a.m. (high school dismissal 2:50 p.m., middle school dismissal 3:20 p.m.). "The proposed schedule for this next school year for elementary schools is that students start time begin at 09:00 and that their dismissal time is at 03:10," Dr. Martinez told the board during the superintendent's report.

Parents and staff said the change would complicate morning work schedules and after-school plans across the low-income district. "So I'm just wondering if you guys took that into account when you made a decision to change the time to 09:00," asked Mona Talley, who told the board she and other parents rely on tight morning windows to reach jobs in Atlantic City. Several speakers said available before/after-care slots are limited and some families cannot afford private care.

PEA (Pleasantville Education Association) President Kathy Watson said the union surveyed educators over the summer and received more than 400 responses expressing concern about the schedule change and how it would affect staff childcare and supervision obligations. "We surveyed them during the summer ... and we had over 400 responses of our educators expressing concern about the movement of the schedule," Watson said, noting worries about after-school supervision and the timing of extracurriculars and tutoring relative to teachers' contract times.

Parents also raised safety and logistical concerns for younger students who walk in neighborhood conditions the speakers called unsafe during later dismissal and after dark. "It's a safety concern as well knowing that when the sun sets ... it's a walking district," said parent Jeniza (Zena) Farrar.

Board members and district staff responded that the district intends to provide supervised drop-off options and partner with existing aftercare programs. Dr. Martinez said elementary staff start time would be 8:50 a.m. to allow student drop-off and that planning time for teachers will be scheduled at the start of the day. "So we'll have a program ready for students that arrive sooner," she said, adding the district will publish the final drop-off/detailed schedule to parents within seven days.

The board did not vote on a start-time ordinance at the meeting; the discussion and public comment focused on clarifying the proposal and signaling follow-up steps. Speakers repeatedly asked for clear, published schedules and commitments about who will supervise students before instruction begins and after dismissal for extracurriculars. The board and superintendent committed to share the final schedule with families before the opening of school, and to meet again Aug. 26.

The conversation also included classroom- and contract-related concerns from teachers: several staff members said changes to contract start/stop times and to the placement of teachers' planning time would create conflicts with after-school duties. Teacher Terry Alabarda urged the board to ensure employee health appointments and existing childcare arrangements are respected if contract times change. "If we're still thinking 03:55 there is going to be a lot of problems with my colleagues," she said.

The board said it will continue discussion, provide a finalized schedule to families before school begins and hold additional planning meetings, including a public district strategic planning series starting in September.