School District 23 has adjusted the start and end times of the school day for secondary students, which is expected to save about $500,000 in transportation costs.
The change will see school days start and end 15 minutes later to allow for a more efficient transportation system by increasing capacity on existing bus routes that the district says will improve service for students across the district.
SD23 Board Chair Valene Johnson said the decision was made after careful consideration and feedback from families.
“We heard thoughtful feedback from all sides of this discussion. Participants told us that student well-being, transportation reliability, extracurricular opportunities, and family schedules all matter. Trustees carefully considered those priorities before reaching this decision.”
Johnson added that there were some concerns and that the matter was thoroughly deliberated by the board.
“While this is a relatively small adjustment to the school day, we understand that even a 15-minute shift can affect students and families in different ways. We do not dismiss those impacts. At the same time, the board believes the overall benefits to student well-being and sustainable transportation services support moving forward.”
