Cape Considers Starting School Earlier to Decrease Bus Wait Times

January 5, 2010

State budget cuts that could prohibit new bus purchases in the near future have Cape Henlopen School District officials trying to figure out how to make bus routes more efficient.

But the move could force students to start their day earlier, officials said.

According to Board of Education member Gary Wray, classes at the high school now start at 8:10 a.m. By beginning instruction 30 minutes earlier, buses would not have to contend with as much traffic and, therefore, wait times for students would decrease.

Wray said the district does not intend to change schedules for middle and elementary school students.

"We want to look at how we’re utilizing our buses," he said. "We don’t know if we are doing the best we can with what we have now."

Joanne Merlo, whose daughter attends the high school, worries an earlier start to the day could negatively impact after-school activities.

"So much goes on after school that you’d have to change," she said. "If you start school earlier, you have to end it earlier."

But Bob Kurt, a father of two high school students, thinks beginning a littler earlier could make it easier for those who play sports.

"In the fall, it gets dark pretty early and they’re out there playing," he said. "If you can get them out earlier, then you’d get more sun."

School officials said they will continue to discuss ways to make bus routes more efficient in the new year, as potential schedule changes would not be considered until the fall.