As members of the Charles Ellis Montessori Academy, we ask that prior to your June 4, 2014 meeting that you consider the many demographics and factors that create a school community and consequently impact the students and families both academically, professionally and personally within each school community.

Charles Ellis Montessori Academy is a specialty program, offering one of only two public Montessori education programs in the county. The school has a solid reputation within the community, demonstrated by the consistent waitlists each year for student to join, the public support and raising of funds to support teacher credentialing and the active PTA and independent parent efforts within the school.

As a specialty school, there is interest across the county. Certainly a majority of neighborhood children attend the school, but we also have students attending from every corner of the county, with many of those students 30 or more minutes away on a good day of traffic, if their parents drive them. A number of students catch busses as early as 6:15 a.m. and endure hour and half travel to and from school. In most cases where students are the first stop of the morning, 45 minutes to an hour of travel is common in both directions. With a current start time at 8:30 a.m., a number of our students are waking at 5:30 a.m. and not returning home until almost 5 p.m. Other students participate in after care programs until their parents finish with work and arrive home even later.

With the current start time (8:30 a.m.), this schedule provides for a couple of hours each evening (on average) for families to work with their children and support their needs. Now consider the time necessary to complete required homework and reading, dinner with family and minimally time to clean up for the next day prior to getting a recommended level of sleep (which ranges from 9 – 11 hours for our age group). Homework certainly varies by grade level, but also consider that it varies by time of year. Consider CRCT prep or other standardized testing periods. As an example, a third grader would have on average one hour of homework each day, when including required reading time, take home projects and mandatory online modules. During CRCT prep weeks, the third grader’s homework increased to two – three hours of homework each night.

Below is a comparison of the schedule for non-testing versus testing preparation, as well as with the one hour, proposed earlier start time:

Traditional, Non-Test Prep (With Family Member at Home)

5:45 a.m. Wake up and get ready

6:45 a.m. Ready at bus stop

8:05 a.m. Arrive at school

3:15 p.m. Dismissed from school

4:35 p.m. Arrive at home

5:00 p.m. Complete homework

6:00 p.m. Have dinner

7:00 p.m. Get ready for bed

Test Prep (With Family Member at Home)

5:45 a.m. Wake up and get ready

6:45 a.m. Ready at bus stop

8:05 a.m. Arrive at school

3:15 p.m. Dismissed from school

4:35 p.m. Arrive at home

5:00 p.m. Complete homework

6:00 p.m. Have dinner

6:45 p.m. Continue homework

7:45 p.m. Get ready for bed

Adjusted Bell Time – One Hour Earlier (With Family Member Working)

4:45 a.m. Wake up and get ready

5:45 a.m. Ready at bus stop

7:05 a.m. Arrive at school

2:15 p.m. Dismissed from school

2:45 p.m. Arrive at after school program

5:15 p.m. Picked up from after school program

6:00 p.m. Arrive at home and begin homework

7:00 p.m. Have dinner

7:45 p.m. Get ready for bed (what happens when you need more than an hour for homework?)

As you review bell times for impact on students, faculty and transportation, consider the times you are dismissing children from school in each plan and the corresponding impact that has on after school supervision of our children. We can all agree students are more successful when homework is supported by their families versus entrusted to after school programs with no requirement for educational instruction. Earlier start times will force earlier bed times, which will create less time with families after school and more time in after school programs. This not only impacts the ability of families to support their students, but also the costs families incur for after school care. In addition, the adjusted start time will potentially impact even more family members’ sleep and work schedules, at least for traditional work schedules.

Changing bell times is not a simple solution to create more efficient transportation, but rather the stone thrown into the lake that causes all of the unforeseen ripples. Consider the ripple effect on our students and families, as well as educators, after school programs and transportation before you make your decision.

We understand that no one system works for everyone involved and that regardless of any decision, there will be groups severely impacted by the changes. Let’s be confident the changes are for the right reasons and lead to the greatest student success.