RALEIGH -- Most Wake County elementary students could start the school day later as the district alters its schedules this fall to save money.
Administrators are proposing a 9:30 a.m. start for most elementary schools. The change, to be voted on by the school board Tuesday, would allow the district to serve more students without buying buses.
"By spreading out the schedule, the district can absorb the growth and not need an additional 24 buses and 24 bus drivers," said Michael Evans, a Wake schools' spokesman, on Friday. "With budget cuts that we've got going on, we couldn't afford that cost."
Seventy-one of Wake's 103 elementary schools would operate from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Most now run from 9:05 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Some middle and high schools also could start later. A handful of middle schools that now start at 8:05 a.m. would mostly start at 8:30 a.m. A handful of high schools that now begin at 7:55 would start at 8:20 a.m.
The later starting times are not sitting well with some parents, especially those who drop off their children on the way to work and those who have other children in preschools that begin before 9:30 a.m. Several parents who have heard about the proposed changes have already complained to school board members.
"My kids are up before 7, and now they're going to be sitting around for two hours," said Tricia Ellen, who has a child attending Heritage Elementary School in Wake Forest.
She said the later time is especially a problem for Heritage Elementary, which is slated to go from its current 7:45 a.m. start time to 9:30 a.m. this fall.
Evans said the later starts would allow Wake to serve the four new schools opening this summer, as well as to absorb the estimated 2,000 additional bus riders expected next school year. Wake's 900 buses serve more than 70,000 of the district's 140,000 students.
The cost-saving measures are taking place amid directives from departing Superintendent Del Burns to cut $20 million from the current budget. The cuts include the layoffs of 83 school employees.
The school transportation department was asked to absorb a $3.8 million cut.
Multiple bus runs
To save money, Wake sends many of its buses to cover three routes in both the morning and the afternoon.
The proposed schedules also reflect the board majority's decision to end early dismissals every Wednesday. The school day now is extended 10 minutes on the other four days to build up enough time to allow students to be sent home an hour early every Wednesday. The policy was designed to give teachers planning time, but many parents hated it.
Ron Margiotta, the school board chairman, said the vote on the new starting times might be postponed Tuesday.
"We've got to have more time to look at this," Margiotta said.
Staff writer Thomas Goldsmith contributed to this report.
