Boston considering changes to school start times to help with bus issues
BOSTON – School officials in Boston are considering changing some start times as part of a plan to get buses running on time.
The city is trying to fix two problems with its transportation system – late buses and rising costs.
An outside consultant performed a review as part of the state mandated improvement plan, which requires Boston Public Schools to get at least 95% of students to school on time each month. That is a benchmark that hasn't been met yet according to the Boston Globe.
The city has 19 different start times and 25 different dismissals. That, combined with traffic in the city, contributes to late buses.
Boston Public Schools also have one of highest transportation costs in country, spending over $140 million this school year.
The consultant made three suggestions:
- Changing school start times to create universal 3-tier bell systems
- Identify stops and routes that can be consolidated or eliminated
- Holding the transportation vendor accountable
"This is an area we are looking at," Superintendent Mary Skipper said regarding changing start times. "There has been over the course of time some alignment to the tiering. I think we're at a point now where we want to look at a deeper alignment. But again, this needs to be a process that's laid out. We know that just even a 10-minute change in start time drastically impacts families. We're very conscious of that and we're going to make sure the families are going to be part of the equation in seeking their feedback and what we are ultimately a part of the equation."
School officials said part of the conversation is improving technology and doing a better job keeping track of how many children are taking part in the bus program.