From our news partners at The Seattle Times: A proposal that could save $1 million by shifting bus routes and school start times has sparked outrage among parents across the city who say the plan would inconvenience families and hinder learning, among other drawbacks. The School Board will decide what to do next week. By Brian M. Rosenthal.
Keith Ledford has enough trouble getting his kids up in the morning.
Some days, Ledford and his two sons just barely make it to the bus stop in Mount Baker by 7:33 a.m., when a yellow bus takes the children, aged 6 and 9, to TOPS K-8 School in Eastlake.
Under a budget-cutting proposal being considered by the Seattle School Board, that bus might arrive up to an hour earlier in the fall. School could start an hour earlier, too.
That would mean waking the kids up before 6 a.m. and trying to put them to bed by 6:30 p.m., Ledford says.
"They'll hate me. They'll hate me forever," he said Wednesday morning, standing at the stop with the other parents, all upset with the proposal.
"Can we get the addresses of the School Board members?" Ledford asked the others. "We could show up at their houses at 5 in the morning and say, 'This is what we (will) have to deal with.' "
School-district staff members recommended the plan to the School Board last week. It would save about $1 million by reducing buses, streamlining routes and nearly doubling ride times — moves that would make several middle, high and K-8 schools start and end up to an hour earlier and several elementaries start and end up to an hour later.
The one-year plan was developed without public comment. It was announced weeks after the end of the open-enrollment period, a violation of district policy.
The move is not final, but has already sparked outrage. More than 1,500 parents have signed an online petition against the plan, citing sleep deprivation, student safety and the strain put on parents with children at schools with vastly different start times. Several board members also said they oppose the proposal.
In response to the backlash, district staffers are scrambling to come up with other options. A list of alternatives is expected Friday.
Read full story here.
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