The Hamilton Southeastern school board had a difficult time getting there, but finally has a decision – sort of – on school start times.
The option approved on a 4-3 vote Wednesday night sets out schedules for the 2020-21 school year. High school students will start their school day at 7:30 a.m., ending at 2:30 p.m. Grades 5 through 8 will start at 8 a.m. and leave school at 3 p.m. Elementary students will begin their classes at 9 a.m. and end the school day at 3:30 p.m.
The 4-3 vote approving this plan included support from Sylvia Shepler, Julie Chambers, Janet Pritchett and Michelle Fullhart. Voting no were Brad Boyer, Amanda Shera and Clint Wilson.
In the original Option 2 plan, Superintendent Allen Bourff suggested the “flipped” start time schedule – allowing high school students more sleep but starting elementary classes earlier – be implemented in school year 2021-22. The motion made by Board President Michelle Fullhart would create a study committee that would report back to the board in October 2020 with recommendations on how to handle the student scheduled start times for 2021-22.
Fullhart said she doesn’t know how many people will serve on the study committee or when the group will begin meeting. She does envision a wide cross-section of people with ties to the school community serving on this panel, such as parents and teachers.
The Hamilton Southeastern school board approved the 2020-21 school day schedule. The schedule provided by the school corporation includes the schedules for teachers and comparisons of the minutes in the school day. (Graphic provided)
There were three tries to find a proposal with the support of the four board members needed to enact any measure. A motion to enact Option 1, which would have implemented the “flipped” start times in the 2020-21 school year along with the redesigned “three-tier” bus scheduling system, went down in a 5-2 vote, with Amanda Shera and Brad Boyer the only two votes supporting that idea.
A vote on Option 2 as originally proposed failed in a 4-3 vote. A complex motion made by Clint Wilson died for lack of a second.
Four citizens signed up to speak before the board on the start time and bus schedule issue and had widely varying views, with roughly two speakers behind Option 1, and two supporting Option 2, but with lots of caveats and explanations.