MCPS to study later start times

[Anonymous]

Looks like the earliest the change would take place would be just after my DD graduates. Both she and I are sleep deprived at this point!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am NOT on board with a longer day for elementary school kids. Their day is long enough as it is and my kids are exhausted. I can see this being beneficial for high schoolers and likely middle schoolers. But I think its crazy to add that time on to elementary schools UNLESS is for recess and active playtime.

I think that would be the point. They get too little of that because of all the other that needs to be in the curriculum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am NOT on board with a longer day for elementary school kids. Their day is long enough as it is and my kids are exhausted. I can see this being beneficial for high schoolers and likely middle schoolers. But I think its crazy to add that time on to elementary schools UNLESS is for recess and active playtime.

I think that would be the point. They get too little of that because of all the other that needs to be in the curriculum

I can pretty much promise that is not the point from the school system's perspective. The point from their perspective is that in order for it to make sense financially (without having to buy more buses/hire more drivers as the PP mentioned), elementary schools would have to end later if middle and high schools ended later so that the buses were available to do the elementary routes at the end of the day. Each bus currently does 4 routes: 1 high school, 1 middle school, 1 early start elementary and 1 late start elementary. The system would want to keep it like that because of the absolutely ridiculous amount of money the buses, fuel, and salaries for all the drivers costs.

[Anonymous]

why? b/c high schoolers can sleep in?

What is most appealing about this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Starr is recommending the following changes be studied:

- Move high school start times 50 minutes later, from 7:25 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. (school ending at 3 p.m.)
- Move middle school start times 10 minutes earlier, from 7:55 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. (school ending at 2:30 p.m.)
- Keep elementary school start times as they currently are (8:50 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.), but extend the school day by 30 minutes (school ending at 3:35 p.m. and 4 p.m.)

Would not be implemented until 2015-2016 school year.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?page=showrelease&id=3407

If this happens I would be ecstatic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why? b/c high schoolers can sleep in?

What is most appealing about this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Starr is recommending the following changes be studied:

- Move high school start times 50 minutes later, from 7:25 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. (school ending at 3 p.m.)
- Move middle school start times 10 minutes earlier, from 7:55 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. (school ending at 2:30 p.m.)
- Keep elementary school start times as they currently are (8:50 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.), but extend the school day by 30 minutes (school ending at 3:35 p.m. and 4 p.m.)

Would not be implemented until 2015-2016 school year.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?page=showrelease&id=3407

If this happens I would be ecstatic.

I guess you don't have a teenager, huh?

[Anonymous]

If smartphones were turned off at 6pm they would not even be talking about changing start times.

I have interviewed hundreds of kids about how much they use their Iphones in the evening and nearly everyone admits to using it about every five minutes while studying or doing homework.

I also asked them if the phone was put on a table across the room how long would it be before they started to feel anxious. The usual answer is about ten minutes.

If they would turn off their damn phones they would be in bed at a decent hour.

Don't believe me? Find a couple of tweeter accounts belonging to teens that you know (including your own kids). Check out how late at night they are still exchanging tweets. Midnight, one, two AM is not unusual.

[Anonymous]

The bus issue is resolved by extending the elementary school day.

The ISSUE will be negotiating this with the Teachers Union.

No way they can extend the elem school day without paying the teachers more. As such, this will never pass.

[Anonymous]

Well allocating the extra time to recess should help some with teacher expenses since it can be used as planning time then.

[Anonymous]

But then they would need to pay extra for recess monitors.

[Anonymous]

Extra recess will not impact teacher salaries. If the day is extended, then their contracts will need to be extended. Period. The teachers union will not let this pass. Plus, the county doesn't have money for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If smartphones were turned off at 6pm they would not even be talking about changing start times.

I have interviewed hundreds of kids about how much they use their Iphones in the evening and nearly everyone admits to using it about every five minutes while studying or doing homework.

I also asked them if the phone was put on a table across the room how long would it be before they started to feel anxious. The usual answer is about ten minutes.

If they would turn off their damn phones they would be in bed at a decent hour.

Don't believe me? Find a couple of tweeter accounts belonging to teens that you know (including your own kids). Check out how late at night they are still exchanging tweets. Midnight, one, two AM is not unusual.

I don't buy this at all. It wouldve been too early to me 20 years ago. No Internet then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If smartphones were turned off at 6pm they would not even be talking about changing start times.

If teenagers need ten hours of sleep a night, then my kids (if they were teenagers) would have to go to bed at 8 pm, because the school bus comes at 6:30 am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If smartphones were turned off at 6pm they would not even be talking about changing start times.

I have interviewed hundreds of kids about how much they use their Iphones in the evening and nearly everyone admits to using it about every five minutes while studying or doing homework.

I also asked them if the phone was put on a table across the room how long would it be before they started to feel anxious. The usual answer is about ten minutes.

If they would turn off their damn phones they would be in bed at a decent hour.

Don't believe me? Find a couple of tweeter accounts belonging to teens that you know (including your own kids). Check out how late at night they are still exchanging tweets. Midnight, one, two AM is not unusual.

I don't buy this at all. It wouldve been too early to me 20 years ago. No Internet then.

Agree. It would have been way to early for me too. This is nothing to do with iphones, it is just ridiculous to expect teenagers to go to bed at 8.45 pm.

[Anonymous]

No - But I do teach high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why? b/c high schoolers can sleep in?

What is most appealing about this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Starr is recommending the following changes be studied:

- Move high school start times 50 minutes later, from 7:25 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. (school ending at 3 p.m.)
- Move middle school start times 10 minutes earlier, from 7:55 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. (school ending at 2:30 p.m.)
- Keep elementary school start times as they currently are (8:50 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.), but extend the school day by 30 minutes (school ending at 3:35 p.m. and 4 p.m.)

Would not be implemented until 2015-2016 school year.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?page=showrelease&id=3407

If this happens I would be ecstatic.

I guess you don't have a teenager, huh?

[Anonymous]

I think it sounds good. Do the teachers not have any required planning time outside the start and end times of the school day currently? I guess I thought that they likely needed to do some degree of plannign pre or post bell (my mom did when she was a teacher) so that that time could just be shifted to the middle of the day instead to allow for the recess time. And sure PT recess monitors would cost something but would cost a lot less than teacher time does.