Here's what proposed start times could look like for JCPS students next year

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio revealed plans on Wednesday for proposed school start times for the upcoming school year.

WHAS11 News has obtained information shared by staff members on Tuesday which lays out how the district plans to make their system more efficient amid a driver shortage.

The plan also reveals more routes are needed to support the phase in of their student choice plan, which is also set to begin next year.

Pollio said the plan would reduce the number of bus routes from 732 to 600 and no longer require bus drivers to make double or triple runs to get all students to school. A press release from JCPS states the school district currently has around 660 school bus drivers and plans to keep the same amount next year.

The district also believes later start times for students may better align with their natural sleep schedule which improves attendance.

JCPS currently has about 100 elementary schools that start about 9:05 a.m., while all middle and high schools start at 7:40 a.m.

The press release states that the new proposal, called Smart Start, would create eight start times from 7:40 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. for students in K-12, and an additional start time of 10:40 a.m. for early childhood center students. The dismissal times would range from 2:20 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. for grades K-12. Early childhood center students would leave school at 5:20 p.m.

“I realize change is hard and some will be inconvenienced, but this is something we probably should have done decades ago," Pollio said.

When it comes to those middle and high school resides, about 50% were chronically absent in the 2021-22 school year compared to 45% so far this year.

“Hundreds of JCPS students are missing instruction time every day because their bus is arriving 10 minutes to two-and-a-half hours late to school,” Pollio said. “That’s not fair to our students, their families, our teachers, or our bus drivers. This plan is the only way to ensure student learning time is no longer a victim to our bus driver shortage.”

Many students in the middle and high schools who have chronic absenteeism are students of color. 

JCPS is hoping this new system will better serve students.

Pollio said he plans to present Smart Start to the Jefferson County Board of Education at a meeting in March. 

If these plans are accepted, the new school start times schedule would take effect in August.

Here's what the new start times would look like:

• 7:40 a.m. – 2:20 p.m. (6 high, 9 middle, 20 elementary and 2 special) 
  • Elementary Schools: Blake, Bloom, Cane Run, Chancey, Cochrane, Crums Lane, Dixie, Gutermuth, Hite, Layne, Lowe, Mill Creek, Schaffner, St. Matthews, Stonestreet, Tully, Watterson, Wheller, Wilt and ZT
  • Middle Schools: Barrett, Conway, DuBois, Echo Trail, Grace James, JCTMS, Johnson, Lassiter and Stuart
  • High Schools: Atherton, Butler, Central, Male, Manual and Moore 
  • Special Schools: Binet and Waller 
• 8 a.m. – 2:40 p.m. (4 elementary and 2 special)
  • Elementary Schools: Auburndale, Camp Taylor, Trunnell and Wilder
  • Special Schools: Brown and Pathfinder 
• 8:10 a.m. – 2:50 p.m. (1 middle, 4 elementary and 2 special)  
  • Elementary Schools: Luhr, Sanders, Smyrna and Wilkerson
  • Middle School: Knight
  • Special Schools: Liberty and M. Daniels 
• 8:40 a.m. – 3:20 p.m. (14 high, 15 middle, 4 elementary and 5 special) 
  • Elementary Schools: Chenoweth, Field, Portland and Norton Comm.
  • Middle Schools: Carrithers, Crosby, Farnsley, Highland, Kammerer, Meyseek, Newburg, Noe, Olmsted N, Olmsted S, Ramsey, TJ, West End MS, Western MS and Westport
  • High Schools: Ballard, Doss, Eastern, Fairdale HS, Fern Creek HS, Iroquois, JTown HS, PRP, Seneca, Shawnee, Southern, Valley, Waggener and Western HS
  • Special Schools: Brock Metro, Newcomer, Mary Ryan, Phoenix and TAPP 
• 9 a.m. – 3:40 p.m. (4 elementary) 
  • Elementary Schools: Blue Lick, Kerrick, Laukhuf and Stopher
• 9:10 a.m. – 3:50 p.m. (4 elementary) 
  • Elementary Schools: Bates, Coral Ridge, Kenwood and Shacklette
• 9:30 a.m. – 4:10 p.m. (7 elementary)
  • Elementary Schools: Dunn, Eisenhower, Greenwood and Hartstern, Johnsontown Road, Middletown and Rangeland
• 9:40 a.m. – 4:20 p.m. (41 elementary, 1 special)
  • Elementary Schools: A. Kennedy, Atkinson, Audubon, Bowen, Brandeis, Breck-Frank, Byck, Carter, Cochran, Coleridge-T, Engelhard, Fairdale ES, Farmer, Fern Cr ES, Foster, Frayser, Goldsmith, Greathouse, Hawthorne, Hazelwood, Indian Trail, Jacob, JTown ES, JFK, King, Klondike, Lincoln, Maupin, McFarran, Medora, Minors Lane, Norton, Okolona, Price, Rutherford, Semple, Shelby, Slaughter, Wellington, Wheatley and Young 
  • Special Schools: Churchill Park
• 10:40 a.m. – 5:20 p.m. (4 early childhood centers) 
  • Early Childhood Centers: Dawson Orman, DuValle, Unseld, Westport ECH

    
    

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