School Board mulls later start times after survey nets 48K responses

The Clark County School Board mulled potential changes to school start times at its Thursday meeting after a September survey on the topic generated over 48,000 responses, with many showing interest in exploring later start times.

Jesse Welsh, the Clark County School District’s deputy superintendent of teaching and learning, presented the results of the survey to the School Board along with five potential options to modify the bell schedule.

The last change to the bell schedule was 2022 when the school district standardized its start times. Generally, high schools begin at 7 a.m., middle schools at 8 a.m. and elementary schools at 9 a.m.

Superintendent Jhone Ebert said she liked the idea of shifting school start times to later in the day at Thursday’s meeting, a position she has previously supported.

Any changes to the bell schedule would not happen until the 2026-2027 school year and would be a “managerial decision,” Welsh said, meaning it would likely not come before the School Board for a vote.

Welsh: Research should ground decision

Ahead of Thursday’s School Board meeting, Welsh spoke with media members about the results of the September survey.

Welsh showed support for the initiative to push school start times later in the day, citing research that correlated later start times with improved attendance, better mental and physical health outcomes and stronger academic performance.

“Based upon what we know works for kids and based on the research, I think that should be how we ground our decisions,” he said.

The current bell schedule is “maximized” for transportation efficiency, Welsh said. School district buses currently transport approximately 120,000 students over more than 1,500 routes every day. Changes to the bell schedule could raise costs for the school district, Welsh said, likening the system to a game of Jenga.

“You pull out one of those pegs and you put it somewhere else, it’s going to create some instability elsewhere in the system that’s going to result in need for additional routes and drivers, and that’s what’s driving the cost for that,” he said.

Four of the five options presented to the school board Thursday would require additional funding to pay for more bus drivers, more buses and additional fuel and maintenance costs for an expanded bus fleet. Welsh said the school district is not yet leaning toward any particular option. He noted there isn’t yet a plan for how to secure additional funding if one of the four options that necessitates more money is selected.

While most survey respondents liked a delayed school start time because it could improve student health, nearly half of all respondents expressed concern over potential conflicts in parents’ schedules and less time for after school activities, according to results released by the school district.

Welsh said he understands the disruptions that changing school start times can create, but said he has been in contact with the school district’s before and after school programs to find ways to minimize disruptions.

“Regardless of where things hash out with that, I think we’re pretty confident that we’re able to help meet the needs, along with everyone in our community to be able to help us out,” Welsh said.

Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.