Dear Annapolis area PTA parents,
PamBukowski
Pam Bukowski
President AACCPTA
Speech-Language Pathologist
Maryland License 05768
Southern MS/Southern HS/Phoenix Center-Annapolis
home: 410-263-8081 cell: 443-995-4761
Mr. Thurman Reynolds
Chair, Countywide Citizen Advisory Committee
Dear Mr. Reynolds:
Thank you for your prior recommendation asking the Board of Education
to look at school start
times. As you know, this is a complex issue that cannot be solved
without additional research and
discussion. I am concerned that this issue has not had enough
broad-based input by stakeholders
throughout the county. That is why I am sending you the following
information.
In order to further the discussion on start times, I asked our
Superintendent, Dr. Kevin Maxwell,
to create a booklet of facts that will help us provide some understanding
of this complex issue and the
history of debate surrounding it.
Many people, for instance, are unaware that, with the exception
of special education services, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
(AACPS) contracts services
out to private bus companies. Also, it is helpful to review the
financial and logistical implications
of changing start times. I wanted these facts to be shared with your
group, so you can have further
discussion and provide more in-depth feedback to the Board. For your information I have attached
the School Hours Study, a
report that reviews the current operations with regard to scheduling, issues
involved in any adjustments, and several possible options.
We believe that it is critical that this issue and others be fully
discussed at the local level, so everyone
is aware of the facts and implications. In order for the Board of
Education to move forward on this
issue, I am requesting that the CAC provide some feedback from each
cluster, CAC representative,
and overall feedback from the CAC on the following questions.
●
How do parents feel about the options that exist (e.g., moving only high school
start times)? How about flipping the order of start times in elementary,
middle, and high school? How about shifting all school start times later?
●
Based upon the fact sheet and prior study, are parents willing to advocate for
additional funding to our funding authorities (County Executive and County
Council), if there is a shift in start times that comes with an increased cost?
If not, what service or priority should be moved or removed to help pay for later
school start times? Based upon our recent budget request we have a $1.7
maintenance backlog. What priorities should change?
●
Are students and parents prepared to have their children arrive home later than
they already do if school start times are moved? What will the impact be on
sports, after school activities, and children who are employed? What impact
will this have on students in a magnet program that already have a long bus
ride?
● Has there been a discussion about parents and guardians encouraging
their students to go to bed earlier in the evening? Should the school system work
on efforts to encourage longer sleep cycles or other healthy living choices as
an alternative to changing start times?
● Is there any other
options or feedback that will help the board with the start times issue?
Again, we would
appreciate information from each cluster, cluster representative, and the
entire CAC. We would appreciate broad based feedback to
help guide the Board of
Education. Since this will take some time to gather this
information, the Board is asking
you respond by May
1, 2013. Please feel free to set up your own process and timelines
to gather this
information. Also, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Once the Board and
the Superintendent receive this information, we will use it to consider whether
any action is appropriate on this issue. Thank you and the CAC for the time in
addressing this issue.
Sincerely,
Andrew Pruski
President
Board of Education
of Anne Arundel County
CC: Board Members
Dr. Kevin Maxwell
Teresa Tudor
CAC
Executive Committee