Starr to Count off New Bell Times Options
The final bell has not yet tolled on the idea to change start and end times in Montgomery County public schools.
Dr. Joshua Starr
Photo | MCPS
On Tuesday, Superintendent Joshua P. Starr will release several options for changing school starting and ending times, or bell times. The Montgomery County Board of Education will consider the options and receive public feedback on them in the coming weeks. Starr and Board of Education President Patricia O’Neill are scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday at 9:45 a.m. on the issue.
The Board had requested that Starr present options that would allow high school students to start school later and cost less than $10 million a year. The Board made the request after the district decided not to move forward with a previous bell times recommendation due to the significant costs—at least $21 million a year—and mixed community support, according to a press release from MCPS.
The Board will hear a presentation on the options at its January 13 business meeting and will provide opportunities for the public to give feedback in January. Any changes to bell times will be considered as part of Board’s Fiscal Year 2016 Operating Budget deliberations.
I hope you are going to simply swap the elementary kids with the high school kids. This should NOT bust the budget!