Sarasota superintendent outlines plan to meet new Florida start-time law while keeping three-tier schedule
Summary
Superintendent Connor told a community town hall that Florida's new school start-time law (effective Aug. 2026) requires middle schools to begin after 8:00 a.m. and high schools after 8:30 a.m.; he recommended keeping Sarasota's three-tier model (roughly 7:30/8:30/9:30) with limited shifts for about nine schools.
Superintendent Connor said at an insight community session that a recent state law on school start times will take effect in August 2026 and requires middle schools to start after 8:00 a.m. and high schools after 8:30 a.m. He told community members the district's current three-tier pattern (most high schools at about 7:30 a.m., elementary schools around 8:15'8:30 a.m., and many middle schools near 9:30 a.m.) already aligns well with the state's new rule and that the board should preserve that model with only modest adjustments.
"Middle schools would no longer... start until after 08:00," Connor said, and he noted the law includes a waiver process districts can use for financial or logistical reasons. Locally, he proposed moving about nine schools from an 8:15 a.m. start to 8:30 a.m. for consistency and to reduce transportation conflicts; one school he named would shift 30 minutes to 8:30 a.m.
The superintendent emphasized transportation logistics as a chief constraint. He said keeping consistent 7:30/8:30/9:30 tiers simplifies bus scheduling and reduces the number of separate runs the district must operate. "That hour in between is really critical for transportation," he said.
Student and parent speakers at the meeting expressed mixed views: a Booker student, Avery Cole, said "07:30 works great for many students, including myself" and that early starts allow students and teachers to hold outside jobs and activities. Some board members and audience members said they were surprised by parts of the law and asked for clarity on how the district would use any waiver authority.
Connor said the district has surveyed teachers and families and held workshops; he told the meeting the board will act soon so the community can be informed and transportation planning can proceed. He invited continued feedback and said student voices would be part of implementation conversations.
The next procedural step available to the board is formal consideration and an expected administrative recommendation to set start times for the next school year so transportation and families can prepare.
