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Superintendent says bus delays force reconsideration of school start times; two options proposed
Summary
Superintendent Murphy presented bus-arrival data showing chronic late arrivals for late-tier schools and proposed either moving 8:15 starts earlier or collapsing tiers to create larger buffers; he said implementing changes will require coordination with DPW, expanded building hours and communication with families.
Superintendent Murphy told the Cambridge School Committee Dec. 2 that persistent bus delays mean the district must consider modest start-time changes for the 2026-27 school year to ensure students arrive and have adequate pre-class time.
"We spend over $13,000,000 a year on transportation," Murphy said while describing a system of multi-tier bus runs. He reported that roughly 30% of buses servicing the 8:45 start schools are averaging arrival times within 10 minutes of the bell, compressing school-entry routines and shortening students'opportunities for breakfast and social time.
Murphy outlined two options for next year: move the 8:15 tier back to 7:45 to create a full hour between runs, or collapse the early tiers around an 8:00 start to achieve a 45-minute buffer. He emphasized the district would not implement changes immediately and would "open buildings earlier" so students could be supervised and take advantage of expanded before-school programming.
Committee members raised concerns about family schedules, after-school impacts, childcare, coordination with city construction and traffic patterns, and whether the change would require additional buses or staffing. Mr. Smith, who the superintendent credited with troubleshooting routes, said the district has deepened coordination with the city's DPW and attends weekly construction meetings to anticipate disruptions from adjacent municipalities.
Murphy said no vote was requested that night; rather, the presentation was intended to inform a public process and give families as much runway as possible for a decision about next school year start times.
