New school start times draw support
The Lee County School Board supports the proposed safe start initiative, a new busing program — and new school start times — for the 2025-2026 school year.
“One of the challenges that I have given our team is to think differently,” Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin said. “Take the challenge head on and be bold, brave, and courageous on behalf of student learning and safety. I’m really excited about this proposal.”
The proposal would take the transportation system from four-tiered to three-tiered, changing the start and end times of the school day.
The first tier would consist of approximately 466 routes. There would be 399 bus stops for all high schools with student times from 7:05 a.m. to 2:05 p.m. All K-8 schools, 49 stops, would have student times from 7:30 a.m. to 2:20 a.m. and Skyline Elementary School, 18 routes, would have student times from 7:40 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.
The second tier, comprised of approximately 411 routes, would have a student start time from 8:30 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. for elementary schools, Youth Parent Education Program and Early Childhood Learning.
The third tier, approximately 300 routes, would be for a student time of 9:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. for all middle schools, Buckingham, Royal Palm and Success Academy.
Carlin said she is very excited for a number of reasons.
One, the district continues to struggle to hire bus drivers.
“This is an opportunity to address a number of those concerns,” Carlin said.
Student achievement also will be addressed.
“When we get to add instructional minutes to a day — of all the things that we do in our instructional environment — have high-quality teachers and add more time is the only two variables that we can control to impact student achievement,” she said. “We will have a small adjustment in the start time — a little bit of pain with a tremendous amount of investment.”
Safety, Security and Fleet Operations Chief David Newlan said the proposed safety start initiative begins with implementing the proposed bus route tier system next school year.
Students arriving at school late, as well as being dropped off at the end of the day late gives rise to safety concerns, as well as hardship for parents.
“Parents have a very regiment schedule and any deviation to that creates a hardship to the family,” Newlan said.
The proposal will enhance safety and security, improve student achievement, respond to public feedback, increase operational efficiency and fiscal responsibility.
The current transportation route system has four tiers. The first tier is for the east, south and west zone and consists of five schools in each from 7:05 a.m. to 1:35 p.m.
The second tier consists of nine schools for the east zone, 12 schools for the south zone, 10 schools for the west zone and one special center from 7:55 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.
The third tier is from 8:55 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. and includes seven schools in the east zone, six schools in the south zone and west zone and six special centers.
The current fourth tier is from 9:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is for five east zone schools, six south and west zone schools and one special center.
Transportation Executive Director Jarriad McKinney said the time is so compressed it is setting drivers up for failure. There is only an hour between tier two and three.
“We have a deficit of 67 drivers every morning — why we are so late everywhere,” he said.
Newlan said the new tiered system provides a safer and more consistent route that is designed to support academic achievement.
“The proximity — that was a tremendous help to the busing transportation system,” he said.
The current transportation route system has an 82.75% average morning on time rate, while the afternoon on time rate is at 59.5%.
“We have some work to do to improve those times,” Newlan said.
The current needs of a four-tier system is budgeted for 580 bus drivers. There are 517 actual bus drivers. There are 5,721 bus routes — 1,177 bus routes daily for more than 9 million miles driven annually.
The new system will create achievable goals for employees — help in the right direction, McKinney said.
With a three-tired system, there will be a need for a budgeted 520 bus drivers with an actual 500 bus drivers and 20 unassigned drivers. The bus stops, routes and miles annually will remain the same.
The proposed system has less time for students waiting at bus stops unattended, reduces hardships on parents and staff, provides driver route efficiency and improves fleet maintenance.
Newlan said they cannot control traffic, an issue year-round now for Lee County. The tiered system gives consideration to traffic.
Chief Academic Officer Nathan Shaker said with reliable drop off and pick up, the district can start adding student instructional minutes — 49-minute periods in middle and high schools and an additional 25 minutes for elementary school. This would also include time for a 30-minute lunch.
Currently, the middle and high school periods are 47 minutes, which is the bare minimum for instructional minutes.
Shaffer said the teacher workday will remain seven and a half hours — the difference less time without students during the day.
“I am all for adding more time for elementary,” board member Vanessa Chaviano said. “Anything we can do to add more learning minutes, I am all for, and teachers have more time to have a lunch — they would appreciate that.”
The additional impacts include increased access to breakfast services, decrease in negative student behavior and disruption to the learning environment. There would also be reduced driver fatigue and bus accidents, as well as increase for on-time arrivals for routes.
The proposal to the school board was the first phase. It will now go before other groups, including the bus drivers.
“Our drivers do want to be on time. They don’t enjoy having to rush. I can absolutely see them loving this,” McKinney said.
Board member Jada Langford-Fleming said with school choice approaching, the sooner the better, so parents can start to make some decisions.