RALEIGH -- Budget cuts could force most Wake County elementary school students to start school later at 9:30 a.m. this fall.
The Wake County school board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a proposal to shift starting times later for a majority of elementary schools and several middle and high schools. The changes are being made at the same time the school transportation department is facing a $3.8 million cut for the 2010-11 school year.
The school transportation cuts are part of $20 million in proposed budget cuts requested by outgoing Superintendent Del Burns because of the poor economy.
Later start times will allow the district to handle 2,000 additional bus riders and serve four new schools without purchasing any additional buses , according to Michael Evans, a Wake schools' spokesman. Wake already transports more than 70,000 students a day.
Under the proposed 2010-11 schedule, 71 of Wake’s 103 elementary schools would now operate from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those schools currently are running from 9:05 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
The new schedule also reflects the school board’s decision in December to scrap the weekly early Wednesday dismissals at the end of this school year. Schools now dismiss early every Wednesday so teachers can use it for planning time.
Wake operates what it calls a “three-tier” bus system to save money. This allows many buses to run up to three routes in the morning and in the afternoon.
But because of the budget cuts, the new bell schedule calls for shifting start times later for schools that now begin after 8:00 a.m. The later start times would give buses more time to catch the many elementary schools on the later tiers.
Under school board policy, the bell schedules for each upcoming school year must be adopted by March 31.
Staff writer Thomas Goldsmith contributed to this report.
