LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Jefferson County Board of Education has voted to approve a proposal to change start times for many of Louisville's public schools.

The board voted to approve the proposal 6-1, with board member Linda Duncan voting against, during a meeting Tuesday evening.

Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio has said the new start times will help the district with a bus driver shortage and chronic absenteeism.

Right now, middle and high school instruction starts at 7:40 a.m., while elementary schools start at 9:05 a.m. The plan includes nine different start times ranging from 7:40 a.m. to as late as 10:40 a.m. Most schools would start at either 7:40 a.m., 8:40 a.m. or 9:40 a.m. 

Below is the layout of the JCPS proposal:

Made with Flourish

Students arriving or staying late can put a burden on staff at schools around the district. JCPS believes that burden will be alleviated with the new start times.

Pollio said the proposal can fix the problem because staggering start and end times will decrease the number of bus routes. Under the new proposal, the district can cut down to 600 bus routes and retain its current 650 bus drivers.

Three principals spoke in favor of the plan during public comment at Tuesday's meeting: Dr. Shamika Johnson of Newburg Middle School, Tonya Arnold of Fern Creek Elementary School, and Sarah Hitchings of Waggener High School.

Pollio said administrators and principals showed nearly unanimous support of the plan.

The district said more than 21,000 students have missed classes due to a late bus, adding up to more than 3 million minutes of instruction time lost.

Arnold spoke about buses showing up to school at 10 a.m., and Hitchings said the school rearranged its master schedule to accommodate for students missing class due to late buses. 

Board Member Linda Duncan voted against the plan. While admitting something must be done to address the issues related to bus delays, her concern of elementary school students starting earlier was a priority.

Under the new plan, several elementary schools will begin their day earlier.

Duncan is concerned about younger students walking to bus stops while it is dark out in the morning, and arriving home earlier without parents or older siblings there to help them.

"They're going to be making longer trips in the dark to bus stops, and they're going to be the ones coming home on buses without the older siblings there," Duncan said.

Board Chair Diane Porter echoed a similar concern.

Pollio said he has met with Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and Louisville Metro Police Interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel to address that concern. He said the three agencies are working together to get lighting at every single bus stop. 

Under the new plan, students' walk to bus stops will increase on average to roughly a quarter of a mile.

In February, Teamsters Local 783, the union that represents bus drivers, shared their support for the proposal, calling it a step in the right direction.

Cassie Lyles, a representative for the Jefferson County Teacher's Association (JCTA), said the overall feeling on the proposal is mixed from teachers.

"We're all over the place because every situation is very different," Lyles told WDRB News in February.

The district said it hopes to work with teachers and accommodate requested transfers, allowing staff to have start times and end time that line up better with their students in the district. 

It is an option instructor assistant, Marvin Sweat is considering. Sweat is the guardian for his grandson who is mentally and physically disabled, and cannot be left alone for long periods of time. 

"Somebody has to be here to pick him up," Sweat said. "It's just me and him, it's going to have to be me to change something."

Sweat and his grandson will start and end their day by almost two hours apart.

Since the proposal has been approved by the school board, the new start times are expected to begin in August with the 2023-24 school year.

To learn more about the proposal, click here.

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