What do you think of the new school schedules?

In my case, the new schedule will actually benefit our family. First of all, my eight year old won't have to get up at 6:20 am any more. Getting enough sleep has been an issue in our home, specially when it is still nice and sunny outside at 8:00 pm!! Secondly, the later release time will save us $$$$. No more after-school for us!

But, probably, the most significant positive effect of this change, is that it might help deter the spot-zoning and re-zoning of our children from school to school, year after year. Zoning children to schools nearby, not only benefits the children by making them feel part of their community, it also reduces the cost of transportation, and minimizes environmental effects.

The negative side of this change is that the late arrival to school will make it harder on some families due to work schedules. Also, the afternoons will be shorter, so we might have to cut back on extra-curricular activities.

Overall, I think it will be a good change. I certainly welcome it.

Not all who wonder are lost.

Thanks for your comments.

Your comment about the rezoning is interesting. Do you feel like the district has been making zoning decisions based on transportation?

For my family the new school hours work great.  We are very happy.  I will have two kids at Liberty Pines next year, 8:30 start time is perfect.  I did not like the 7:50 start at TCE.  My younger child would have to catch the bus at 7:08.  I would think the bus ride next year will be short and we will not have to catch the bus 50 minutes before school starts.  I'm sure it's not good for some families, it's hard to make everyone happy.  If it saves money for the school district it's good to make the changes.

I believe that after the last community outburst during the zoning for World Golf Village and the 210 corridor last year, the school board finally understood that the families in the Northwest had enough.

The current zoning is a lot more efficient than the previous zoning, and hopefully it will remain that way due to the continued increase cost of fossil fuels. Let me give you an example of transportation inefficiency that was used during past zonings: my kid during first and second grade attended attended Hickory Creek. The bus would pick her up at 6:15 am. She was the only child in our neighborhood that attended elementary school for an entire year, and she was transported 18 miles each way, yet we live 300 yards from Mill Creek. If I were to do the math, I believe the district wasted a lot of money on my child's transportation for that entire year, and the year after. She finally attends Mill Creek. Now we can do spaghetti nights, and book fairs. We feel like we are part of a community again. Hopefully the current zonings will remain untouched for at least a while!

To answer your question I would have to say that right now I believe the current zoning is more transportation oriented,  not because it was the school board's intention to take transportation into consideration, but largely because of all those parents who wore red shirts and stood in front of the school board to plea the board to shorten their kids commute to school during zoning hearings last year.  The school board did listen to the plea, and now we can see more community oriented zonings rather than number oriented zonings.  Will the board consider transportation in future zonings?  I don't think they can afford not to.  With today's gas prices and their budget cuts, transportation should be a big part of the zoning equation.

Not all who wonder are lost.

I am concerned because I am a working parent who is moving my kids from a private school in Jacksonville to the St. Johns county system in the fall and thought we had the timing worked out because my soon to be middle schooler (6th grade in the fall) was getting out later and I could accomodate my work schedule and also be home in time for him to get home.  I am not ready for him to stay at home alone yet at 11 years old and since there is not extended day for Middle Schools in St. Johns County, I am afraid I will have to go part time until he gets a bit older.  Does anyone have any ideas what we could do here ?  I know he will want to participate in intermurals which may help a bit but not every day.....

Thanks.

 gator2pat,

I would start by checking the school's website your children will attend next year to see what is available after school hours.  Also, if you move to a friendly neighborhood  (yes, they do exist) you might find a network of parents who take turns watching each other's kids as needed.  I wouldn't leave an 11 year old alone either, so research the area, befriend your neighbor, and who knows, you might be able to still work full time...

Good luck!

Not all who wonder are lost.

On one hand, I'm very happy that my 9 year old no longer will have to rise at 6 am to catch the bus at 7 to start school so early.  He also spent a long time in aftercare, until we can pickup after 4:00.  However, I still don't agree with the high school students starting the latest.  I have an older child that will be in high school next year and feel they need to start earlier.  He has lots of after school sports activities and needs the the additional time to do the large amount of homework (not rushing) before he can participate.

We moved to St. John's from the northeast over 2 years ago.  There, start and end times of schools were much closer together (15 minutes appart, versus the 1/2 hour here).  I do feel the school schedules are driven by the bus schedules (no pun intended), not around what is best for the children.  The school board update states as much (Therefore, the District needs to shift the school start order to maintain an efficient transportation schedule.)