There have been rumblings and grumblings throughout the Morgan
Hill School District about the new bell schedules
– especially concerning the wide range of starting times in the
school district.
There have been rumblings and grumblings throughout the Morgan Hill School District about the new bell schedules – especially concerning the wide range of starting times in the school district.
Some elementary schools will start as early as 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 24, meaning that many young children will be waiting for at a school bus stop in the wee hours of the morning. Meanwhile, some of their parents are scratching their head about why their older siblings at the district’s two middle school’s don’t start school until 9 a.m.
The situation is exacerbated by tight school finances and a large school district that covers approximately 300 square miles. School district officials say the bell schedules this year – as in every other year – are not a school board decision, but one that is made by transportation and administration officials.
It seems to us that two important constituencies have been left out of the decision-making process: students and parents. Parents have no way to let the district know their opinions of schedule proposals. In what is often the standard operating procedure for the school district, parental input is not sought, and if it is received, it’s frequently ignored.
The district needs to break out of its insular, paternalistic mindset and actively solicit parental input. Why not present transportation and bell schedule proposals to parents and see what concerns they raise among the people who pay for the services, not only with their tax dollars, but also frequently with bus pass fees?
Then, once parental input is received, the bell schedule should be built around what’s best for students. We understand that finances are tight and the district is large, but creative thinking to make sure we’re scheduling learning time when it’s best for kids (as opposed to when it’s best for working parents, or stay-at-home moms or school bus drivers) should be the district’s number one priority.
It seems doubtful that first-graders waiting for a school bus on a cold, dark corner is ideal.
It’s just another example of the paradigm shift that’s needed in district operations. Welcoming parental input and making decisions in the best interest of the students, sadly, are two hallmarks of that sorely needed new mindset.
