News Summary
The Lee County School District has announced new school start times for the upcoming fall as part of the Safe Start Initiative. Elementary schools will commence at 8:40 a.m., nearly an hour later than before, while high schools and middle schools will have minor adjustments. This change aims to alleviate problems caused by bus delays and enhance student achievement. Although parents express concerns about increased childcare costs and reliability of transportation, the district plans to simplify transportation and continue recruitment efforts for bus drivers.
Lee County, Florida — The Lee County School District has announced a significant change in school start times as part of the Safe Start Initiative, aimed at addressing ongoing school bus delays and enhancing student achievement. Starting this fall, elementary schools will adjust their start time to 8:40 a.m., nearly an hour later than the previous schedule. Meanwhile, high schools and middle schools will see minimal change to their start times.
This shift is a response to troubling statistics from last year, where 8,000 students regularly missed their first period due to late buses, and 18,000 students were dropped off at home well after the school day ended. The reliability of the transportation system has raised concerns among parents, prompting the district to implement these changes.
Parents have expressed their challenges with the new schedule. For example, Carole Dean, who has three children in different schools, is facing potential additional childcare costs of approximately $125 a week due to the change in start times. Another parent, Cary Colon, has voiced problems with her older children not being picked up by the bus, which has raised doubts about the trustworthiness of the Lee County Transportation system.
The district is aiming to simplify its start times to reduce transportation issues. The ongoing bus driver shortage is a critical factor contributing to disruptions in bus routes and delayed arrivals. To counter this, the district has organized a bus driver job fair and is adjusting school start times to streamline transportation routes.
Additionally, the district is providing free training for potential drivers who do not possess a commercial license. Full-time positions will come with benefits and flexible schedules to attract more candidates. However, it is important for families to note that delays in transportation may persist until more drivers are recruited, even after the new start times take effect.
The Safe Start Initiative, which is designed to transition the district from a four-tier to a three-tier bus system, aims to improve efficiency and safety. Under this initiative, high school classes will be extended to 49 minutes, with all schools adopting a standardized 30-minute lunch period. High school students will also experience a slight change in their dismissal time, which has been set to 2:00 p.m., resulting in an approximate addition of 42 hours of instructional time each year.
The changes have been formulated based on feedback received from school principals, staff, and community meetings. David Newlan, the Chief of Safety, emphasized the necessity to align pick-up and drop-off times with the new schedules, particularly considering the bus driver shortage still affecting the district.
As the school district implements these new start times, officials expect this initiative to significantly reduce wait times at bus stops and enhance the overall learning conditions for students. Although the initiative is not anticipated to have an immediate financial impact, it may affect the transportation budget in the fiscal year 2026.
To facilitate a smooth transition for families adjusting to the new schedule, the district has committed to providing regular updates. School leaders will closely monitor the implementation and make necessary adjustments to the new system once it becomes operational.
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Additional Resources
- Wink News: Lee County School District Offers Free Training to Tackle Ongoing Bus Driver Shortage
- Fox 4 Now: Lee County School Might Start/End at Different Time Next Year
- Gulfshore Business: Lee County School District to Host Transportation Job Fair
- News Press: New Bus Route Bell Schedules Passed for Lee County Schools
- Captiva Sanibel: School Board Approves New Bell Times
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