The Brunswick County Board of Education is once again considering a change to school schedules.
Superintendent Dr. Edward Pruden approached school board members with a proposal to switch the existing staggered bell times–enacted this year–so that elementary students would begin and end classes earlier than their secondary counterparts, Brunswick County Schools Spokeswoman Jessica Swencki said.
This week, Pruden announced he would also like to see 10 minutes taken off the school day for all students.
Currently, elementary students head to school later than students in middle and high schools.
Board members first implemented a staggered schedule, in which elementary students started about an hour earlier than older students, in 2011-12. The move was made in an effort to save district funds by reducing the number of buses on the road.
The plan allowed bus drivers to pick up and drop off younger students first before heading to the secondary schools for their second pick-up. In its first year, the move generated an additional $800,000 in state reimbursements, Swencki said.
But after hearing some concerns from parents–namely regarding the impact later dismissal times had on high school athletics and after-school jobs–a divided board voted 3-2 to do away with staggered bell times completely.
A year later, they returned to the issue, voting to approve the schedule that is now in place.
It was a decision Pruden did not support, offering data that showed high school students performed better later in the morning and pointing to the fatigue elementary students would suffer by the end of the school day.
After Pruden made his pitch this month to go back to the first staggered schedule concept, school board chairman John Thompson suggested reducing the school day by 10 minutes. Thompson then asked district staff to investigate the implications of a slight reduction to the school day.
Results of that research, Pruden said, showed that the proposed 10-minute reduction to the school day would provide 1,050 instructional hours, still more than the state mandate of 1,025. Under the current schedule, Brunswick County students are in school 1,080 hours each academic year.
Most notable in the revised recommendation is the high school schedule, which ends the school day at 3:30 p.m., the same as New Hanover County. That, Swencki said, would alleviate some of the original concerns regarding high school sports and other extracurricular activities.
If the board accepts Pruden’s recommendation, schools would operate on the following schedule when the first bells ring Aug. 25:
- Elementary schools–7:35 a.m.-2:25 p.m.
- High schools–8:40 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
- Middle schools–8:50 a.m.-3:40 p.m.
The board of education will consider the recommendation during its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. May 14 at the David Sandifer Building in the Brunswick County Government Complex.
Related stories:
Brunswick County students start new school year with staggered schedules
Brunswick County Board of Education votes to return to staggered bell schedule
Hilary Snow is a reporter at Port City Daily. Reach her at (910) 772-6341 or hilary.s@hometownwilmington.com.
