Parents frustrated over proposed schedule changes for Seattle Public School students

Some parents are frustrated by proposed schedule changes for Seattle Public School students.

“I find this really heartbreaking,” Corinne Crabs said.

Crabs is already dreading the start of the next school year.

The district wants to add 20 minutes to the school day by starting school 10 minutes earlier and ending 10 minutes later. On top of that, it’s proposing a change from a three tier to a two tier system, which means her kids, in high school and middle school, wouldn't get out until almost four in the afternoon.

“Everything is getting pushed back and at the end of the day, making the child tired,” Crabs said.

Because high schoolers don't take buses, she also believes getting out of school later will add to already congested roads during rush hour.

“This does not allow them to participate in sports, community work,” Crabs added.

“I really believe passionately that this is an equity issue,” countered Alexandra Olins.

Olins is a proponent of the two-tier change because it would help push back bell times for elementary school kids to 8 a.m. She's a mother of a second grader and a former teacher.

“The early start times are just really hard on families and low income families at Title 1 schools,” Olins explained.

Officials are also proposing a weekly early release day. It would put all kids out 75 minutes earlier on Wednesdays to give teachers more time to plan. That means elementary school kids could get out as early as 1 p.m.

“It's really tough if you don’t have the flexibility in your schedule,” Behnosh Najafi said.

These proposed changes come just a year after the district already changed bell times.

“I'm frustrated with the constant changes,” Crabs said.

SPS needs $2.3 million in funding to shift to a two-tier system. It's hoping the city will come through with that money,  which will go to busing.

The school board will vote June 7.

Final schedules are expected to be released June 16.

The following information is from a letter sent to parents about the tentative school schedule for the 2017-2018 school year. See all start times here.

We heard from many of you regarding the calendar for next year and a request for key dates. While the School Board will vote on the school calendar on June 7, we have published key dates including the first day of school, last day of school, and school breaks on the SPS website.

Longer School Day and School Schedules:

For many years, the length of the student school day in Seattle has been shorter than our neighboring districts. Starting next year, the school day will be 20 minutes longer, which will support more time for student learning and teacher collaboration. This change will result in the equivalent of two additional days of instruction for students.

Three-Tier School Schedule

With the addition of 20 minutes, school start and end times will change. Family feedback on preferred start and end times for 2017-18 was mixed. In general, families with students attending early start schools wanted 20 minutes added to the end of the day.  Families with students enrolled in schools with later start times (i.e. Tier 2 and 3) wanted the additional time added to the start of the day. Because our transportation department needs a minimum of 50 minutes between start times to serve nearly 100 schools, accommodate for traffic congestion and the limited number of buses available, the 20 minutes has to be added consistently across all schools. The School Board adopted a schedule that attempts to balance multiple needs, starting 10 minutes earlier and ending 10 minutes later.

If the district continues with three-tiers, this is the 2017-18 Arrival and Departure Schedule approved by the School Board in January.

Two-Tier School Schedule

We have heard that many families in Tier 3, schools with the latest current start time (9:35 a.m.) want the district to move to a two-tier schedule. Although our $50 million funding shortfall did not permit the district to make the requested change, the Mayor and City of Seattle heard our families’ request. The city is currently considering whether they may be able to help with the required $2.3 million in funding.

We are extremely grateful to the City of Seattle for their consideration. City support would allow us to eliminate Tier 3, which has been a significant hardship on some students and families, and better aligns school start and end times with the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association recommendations. You can view the two-tier start and end times approved by the School Board on page 2 of the 2017-18 Arrival and Departure Schedule (linked above).

Next Steps

In the next couple weeks we will be taking a number of school schedule actions to the School Board. If the city funds a two-tier school schedule, the School Board will need to accept the grant and the district may make some slight adjustments to the two-tier start and end times to help maximize high school instructional time.

We know that families and care providers need school schedule information as soon as possible in order to plan for the coming school year. We are committed to notifying families and providers about the final schedule by June 16.

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