The Seattle School District's transportation department has proposed that
Salmon Bay's start
time changes beginning with the 2010-11 school year. Our new bell time would become 8:20am, with classes ending at approximately 2:30pm. District Transportation Manager Tom Bishop visited
Salmon Bay last week to explain how the proposal came about and answered questions.
To summarize, the district is proposing to offer grandfathered transportation for existing students who live outside of the newly designated attendance areas. Mr. Bishop is planning for a 5-year grandfathering scenario, though the school board may request the timeline be shortened to fewer years. The district is facing a $45 million budget gap for next year, and at this time it is unknown what scenarios will make it out of the budgeting process.
Changing the start time for Salmon Bay (and TOPS K-8) to 8:20 is designed to even out the total number of buses needed to transport everyone. There currently are far more buses used districtwide to accommodate the later start time. The district ends up paying a 4 hour minimum for those buses even though they are only used for 2 hours, whereas with some shifting 25 buses could be reassigned to new routes, serve more schools per shift and save the district from having to pay for unused transporting hours. The proposal also allows for bus routes to be shortened, thereby ensuring that kids' days aren't beginning too early since they aren't spending as much time on the bus.
The projected savings for the coming year with the change in start time at the two schools is $1.3 million. The Board is scheduled to vote on the transportation proposal on January 20th. Board members welcome your comments and feedback on this proposal. You can find their contact information at http://www.seattleschools.org/area/board/contact.xml Also, please contact FOSB Chairs Jane Davies at cj_davies@msn.com , Lance Adams at lanceadams@hotmail.com , or SB Legislative Liaison Kelly Bryant at kbryant96@yahoo.com if you have any questions about the proposal.
