LATE START DAYS ARE going well overall, but the confusion and the crowded Commons were problematic for both students and teachers, Principal Dr. Greg Mathison said.
Dr. Mathison said Late Start Days were not intended to be a permanent fixture in the school district, but rather a temporary fix so teachers could have more time to meet and talk about student achievement. Eventually the district realized it needed a more permanent solution. Dr. Mathison said most schools using Late Start Days said they were going pretty well, but the crowds of students and their need for supervision always causes confusion.
The Professional Learning Community (PLC) Time Committee began considering different variations on the current Late Start arrangements that would be just as effective for the teachers while remedying some of the current issues. Dr. Mathison said they came up with four different options.
The first option would consist of 16 Late Start Days and no half-days. Buses would run later, dropping students off at 9:30 a.m. and school wouldn’t start until 9:46 a.m. The second option is to have 11 Late Start Days when school would start at 8:40 a.m. and eight half-days. The third option is to have 18 Late Start Days with the 8:40 a.m. start time. The fourth option consists of eight Late Start Days starting at 9:46 with four early dismissals.
Mathison said the PLC Time Committee and parents like option one the best. Dr. Mathison himself likes it because if people are able to meet more frequently they can meet with their various departments and have more opportunities to better teach difficult subjects or chapters.
“We’ll see teachers have deeper conversations about student learning and we’ll see direct results in the classroom with better instruction,” Dr. Mathison said.
Assistant Principal Jon Schultz said the biggest pro to using the first options is the increased meeting frequency, but if the district asks the buses to run later as this option suggests, it will cost the district more than $50,000.
Dr. Mathison said all the options will go from the committee through the superintendent’s cabinet to an executive team meeting and then back to the committee so they can make the necessary changes. Finally, the proposals reach the Board of Education, which decides which option is best. Dr. Mathison hopes this decision will be made by December.
Thomas Cook, Spanish teacher and member of the PLC Time Committee, said the school is leaning toward getting rid of half-days and instead of having 16 Late Start Days, because it will get rid of the problem of having supervision for students.
Cook said students would be pleased with this idea because that’s 16 days per year they would get to sleep in and come to school late.
As a teacher, Cook said it would be nice if teachers could meet more often than once a month, as often as they’ve been able to meet the last few years.
Chris Anderson, freshman, said he likes that he gets to sleep in later on Late Start Days and he likes the classes being shorter, but he doesn’t see much of a difference between regular days and late start days.
He prefers having half-days over late start because he is able to go home earlier. On top of that, he hasn’t really noticed any change in the teaching style of his teachers since Late Start Days started.
Marisa Carbonell, junior, said Late Start Days are confusing because the buses run at the same time and leave most students with a lot of time where they are unable to get work done because teachers are meeting upstairs.
“Even if you want to do something; you can’t work on it,” Carbonell said. “I think half-days are more productive.
She also said even if school started later, as some of the options suggest, it would be a hindrance to lots of people who go to South Tech because their buses run on the normal schedules.
Schultz said he agrees that half-days are more productive. Students tend to sleep more and get less done on Late Start Days than half-days.
He also said there are definitely some concerns with the South Tech students. There are 30 students here that will be affected by the late buses, but if the Board of Education was to pick an option that would implement the 9:40 a.m. start time, they would work with the South Tech students individually to figure out the best solution for each of them.