LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two options for start time changes are on the table for the JCPS Board of Education, served by the district's transportation team.
Option one changes times for nearly 50 schools; option two nearly doubles that, with a majority of schools changing by an hour or more.
"I feel like we're rolling with the punches constantly and I'm tired," Melissa Brewer said.
For her, it's a one-two punch kind of school year. With bus transportation ending for her two students at the traditional Schaffner Elementary school, the district's also eyeing a later start-time in both plans.
"I don't know how to stomach that," she said, "I don't know how to plan around that. I don't know if I switch careers, and then I'm not here when they get home in the afternoons. I've been the daycare all this time. Now do I have to find childcare for them? They've never been anywhere."
At Hite Elementary, Principal Sheridan Barnett hears similar concerns from families. She's been principal there for nine years.
For seven of those, start time was 9:00 a.m. It changed for the current school year to 7:40 a.m., as the district pushed for early start times for younger students and late start times for middle and high schoolers.
Under option one, Hite's start time would move up 10 minutes to 7:30 a.m. Scenario two changes start time to 9:40 a.m., about two hours later than it is now.
While Dr. Barnett understands the district's urgency for a new bus plan, she feels option two undermines a district initiative to put younger students in classrooms earlier.
"If the clear time is gonna be 10, even 15 minutes earlier, is it worth disrupting an entire enrollment of 71 schools to accomplish that?" Barnett asked openly.
She wants the questions to continue, prompting the board to "ask for an option three," from the district. "And ask for an option three that honors your commitment to getting elementary age students to school at what research says is the most appropriate time for them," she said.
In a statement, the district tells us option two is more efficient. "The goal of the three start times is to improve efficiency," a district spokesperson wrote, "Our transportation team has determined the option with more start time changes will provide more on-time service than the option with fewer changes."
The board will consider options Tuesday, May 7, at 6:00 p.m. at the VanHoose Education Center. Public comment is allowed.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
RELATED VIDEO