Schedule changes for five schools
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 14, 2016 1:46 PM
Start and release times will change at five schools in the fall, dictated by the school regrouping plan and efforts at Goldsboro High School.
The Board of Education approved the schedule, which has two elementary schools in the central attendance area starting earlier, while Dillard Middle School and two high schools will move to a later schedule.
Dr. David Lewis, assistant superintendent for Wayne County Public Schools, presented the proposal to the board Monday night, explaining that four of the five time changes occur in the Goldsboro High School zone.
"All of them have to do with school improvement efforts under way there," he said.
The school day at Carver Heights and North Drive elementary schools had previously run from 8 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. New hours will be 7:30 until 2:45 at Carver Heights and 7:45 until 3 at North Drive.
Dillard Middle School, formerly starting at 8:30 a.m. and dismissing at 2:45 p.m., will go to a 9 a.m. start time until 3:45 p.m.
Goldsboro High, previously on an 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. schedule, will shift to start at 9:05 a.m. and dismiss at 3:50 p.m.
"The recommendation at GHS is based on their desire to have a daily common planning time first thing in the morning for professional development, similar to what was approved for Dillard Middle last year and similar to what has been in place for several years at Wayne School of Engineering and Wayne Early/Middle College High," Lewis explained.
It will also allow GHS to better align its schedule with Wayne Community College, a move the board approved earlier in the summer. Classes at GHS will start Aug. 8 and run through May 23, giving students opportunities to take college classes in the afternoon.
The remaining school, Eastern Wayne High, will start at 8:25 a.m. and dismiss at 3:05 p.m. Its previous schedule was from 8 until 3.
"The leadership team there and the principal there are advocating for a little bit later start time in the morning so that they, too, can have planned professional development every morning before the students arrive," Lewis said.
He added that his initial concern with the Eastern Wayne request was students meeting instructional time requirements dictated by the state. Having "done the math," though, he said that requirement will be met.
He also explained the reasoning behind the 15-minute difference in start times at the two elementary schools.
"We heard from parents who said that they would have students at both schools and would need time to make it to drop off and pick up," he said. "So we checked with transportation, we did a little riding around and we felt like that 15 minutes would be enough time to safely make it from one place to the other if you had students at both schools.
"All of the principals involved in this are on board with these requests and they have taken it before their schools as best they can, with the exception of Carver Heights and North Drive, whose staffs were not in session when the times had to be set for them. But both principals have agreed that this is the best way to approach that."
Board Chairman Chris West raised concerns about later dismissal times at high schools, when it comes to athletic events.
He said with teams having to travel to compete in sports, academics are impacted when students must be pulled out of class 20 to 30 minutes early from the last period of the day.
Lewis called the issue a "valid concern," but suggested that coaches and athletes respond to it by working harder to keep up grades to maintain sports eligibility status.