With the reconfiguration of elementary schools in the fall of 2019, we implemented a "double run" transportation system that required most of our buses to do a run to pick up elementary students then rerun their routes to pick up secondary students. In order to accomplish this, we changed the start and end times of schools. Elementary schools in 2019-2020 start at 7:45 am. Feedback from families is that this early start for students is difficult, and we have received requests to shift to a later start time. On January 14, 2019, the board explored different options in a workshop. The model we adopted for the current school year was determined at that time based on balancing factors such as cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and adolescent sleep research.
KWRL Director Shannon Barnett has explored options that we might consider to narrow the turn window for school buses and thus allow our elementary schools to start modestly later.
KWRL Options for Proposed Modification of Bell Schedule
Current Bell
Proposed Bell
K-4
7:45
8:00
Middle
8:45
High
9:00
9:05
When a school district operates on a bell schedule that requires double runs, meaning that the buses provide transportation for one group of school(s) and then travels back out and runs a second route to provide transportation for the second school(s), there are variable constraints of time, distance and geography that control what can and cannot be logistically achieved.
If you adjust a bell schedule, then there are options as to how you mitigate the impacts of change. You can simply adjust one variable, or you can make varied adjustments over a number of variables to share the burden of impact or change.
Option “A”
This option would be to move the elementary bell from 7:45 to 8:00. KWRL would move the start time for all elementary routes by 15 minutes, which causes a number of routes to no longer be able to arrive at the school and meet their bell schedule obligation for their second run. To mitigate this impact, KWRL would have to employ additional routes and drivers to cover that second run at a cost of about an additional $40,000 as you move two double run routes into four single run routes with no other impact mitigation. New and additional routes require labor costs for additional daily inspections that modifications of existing routes do not require.
Option “B”
This option would be to move the elementary bell by only 10 minutes and develop a number of other small changes to mitigate the impacts. An example of mitigation would include alteration of routes, allowing four routes to drop elementary school students 20 to 25 minutes before bell instead of 15 to 20 minutes, and utilize available buses from other districts that have time to assist with mitigation.
Option “B” compresses the transportation schedule by 10 minutes per route on average and produces a little over 5 hours of labor savings per day but then requires limited labor from another district to mitigate, which results in about $22,000 in savings compared to the current model.
Option “C”
This option would be a compromise of “A” and “B” that moves the elementary bell the full 15 minutes to 8:00 and includes a combination of route alterations, selective broadening of AM arrival target window, but also moves the High School bell by 5 minutes leaving the Middle School bell schedule as is. Moving the High School bell out 5 minutes helps mitigate the traffic problems we are experiencing getting from the Middle School to the High School in the afternoon, which creates supervision and safety concerns.
KWRL would make changes to routes, require limited mitigation of AM arrival target window, and could utilize existing buses from other districts to assist and thus avoid employing new and additional school buses and drivers.
Option “C” compresses the transportation schedule by 15 minutes per route on average and produces a little over 8 hours of labor savings per day but then requires limited labor from another district to mitigate, which results in about $35,000 in savings compared to the current model.
KWRL Would recommend the adoption of Option “C,” which is also the proposed bell schedule in the table above.