A change is being proposed that will shift starting and ending times for school days — to address a bus driver shortage in Pasco County Schools.
The proposal, if approved, would take effect on Jan. 4.
All schools would have some adjustment to their start and end times, with most shifts being 30 minutes or less, according to school district officials.
District staff addressed the issues and presented a proposed solution during a workshop with the Pasco County School Board on Oct. 19.
Superintendent Kurt Browning also outlined the issues in two videos on YouTube. One video is addressed to families and the other to district staff.
In essence, Browning noted that the district struggles every year to hire and retain all of the bus drivers that it needs, but this year, the shortage is worse than ever.
He noted that the district has tried different strategies to solve that, he said, including financial incentives, job fairs, waiving background check fees and using an all-hands-on-deck approach.
Those efforts have helped, but have not solved the problem, the superintendent said.
“The result of this acute shortage is that many of our students are late arriving at school in the morning, which results in loss of instructional time, and they are late arriving at home in the afternoon and early evening, which puts a strain on families.
“Our bus drivers and our transportation department are doing a remarkable job under very difficult circumstances.
“Still, chronically late buses remain the norm.
“This is unacceptable.
“We have now devised a strategy that we believe will solve the problem,” he continued.
“In short, by having some schools start earlier and some start later, we can widen the window of opportunity for us to transport students on time,” he explained.
“This proposed solution was not our first choice. It will have a district-wide impact on families, including those who do not rely on school buses for transportation,” he acknowledged.
“For some, the impact will be a minor tweak to some morning and afternoon routines. For others, the impact will be significant and will require some planning,” he said.
However, the superintendent said: “We cannot continue to have a large group of students who are chronically late, arriving at school, through no fault of their own.
“This challenge is not unique to Pasco, but it is up to us to solve it.
“We have a responsibility as a school community to do everything we can to provide all students with an opportunity to learn.
“And that includes having a consistent and predictable start and end to their school day.”
During the school’s evening Oct. 19 meeting, Don Peace, the president of United School Employees of Pasco (USEP), said, “it is clear that making the proposed changes will be a monumental undertaking with numerous issues that must be worked out, not only for transportation employees, but worksite employees, students, parents and community partners, as well.
“I think we can safely say that every issue or concern will not be able to be worked out to everyone’s benefit, therefore communication and collaboration between district staff and USEP are key to reducing those problematic concerns to a minimum.
“We, as a district, have never attempted an undertaking this large in mid-year. Clearly, thinking outside the box to create solutions for all should be employed.
“It is in everyone’s best interest to minimize as much transitional stress as possible, and new and untried methods of operations may be necessary,” Peace said.
Even before the school year began, district staff had been raising the warning flag about the bus driver shortage.
The inability to attract drivers is not unique to Pasco, as school districts across the nation are facing the same problem.
The impacts from the lack of drivers are numerous: including the loss of instructional time; unpredictability for students, families, schools and employees; and the stress and turnover in the transportation department, exacerbating the problem — according to a presentation created by district staff for the school board.
The vast majority of schools would begin their day at 7:10 a.m., 8:10 a.m., 9:10 a.m., or 10:10 a.m., under the proposed bell times.
The school board is expected to consider and vote on the issue at its 9:30 a.m. meeting on Nov. 2.
The board meets in the board room, in Building 3, at the school district’s headquarters at 7227 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.
PROPOSED BELL TIMES
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
School Start End
Bexley 10:10 a.m. 4:20 p.m.
Centennial 9:10 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
Chester Taylor 10:10 a.m. 4:20 p.m.
Connerton 10:10 a.m. 4:20 p.m.
Denham Oaks 10:10 a.m. 4:20 p.m.
Double Branch 9:10 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
Lacoochee 8:10 a.m. 2:20 p.m.
Lake Myrtle 9:10 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
New River 10:10 a.m. 4:20 p.m.
Oakstead 10:10 a.m. 4:20 p.m.
Odessa 10:10 a.m. 4:20 p.m.
Pasco 8:10 a.m. 2:20 p.m.
Pine View 10:10 a.m. 4:20 p.m.
Qual Hollow 10:10 a.m. 4:20 p.m.
Rodney B. Cox 8:10 a.m. 2:20 p.m.
San Antonio 9:10 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
Sand Pine 9:10 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
Sanders 9:10 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
Seven Oaks 9:10 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
Starkey Ranch K-8 9:10 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
Veterans 9:10 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
Watergrass 9:10 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
Wesley Chapel 9:10 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
West Zephyrhills 10:10 a.m. 4:20 p.m.
Wiregrass 9:10 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
Woodland 10:10 a.m. 4:20 p.m.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
School Start End
Centennial 8:10 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
Rushe 7:15 a.m. 1:42 p.m.
Cypress Creek 8:10 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
John Long 9 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
Pasco 7:10 a.m. 1:30 p.m.
Pine View 9 a.m. 3:20 p.m.
Stewart 9 a.m. 3:25 p.m.
Starkey Ranch K-8 9:10 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
Weightman 8:10 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
HIGH SCHOOLS
School Start End
Cypress Creek 7:10 a.m. 1:37 p.m.
East Pasco Education Academy 7:10 a.m. 1:35 p.m.
East Pasco Education Academy 8:10 a.m. 2:35 p.m.
Land O’ Lakes 7:10 a.m. 1:35 p.m.
Pasco 7:15 a.m. 1:45 p.m.
Sunlake 7:10 a.m. 1:44 p.m.
Wesley Chapel 7:10 a.m. 1:34 p.m.
Wendell Krinn 8:10 a.m. 3:05 p.m.
Wiregrass Ranch 8:10 a.m. 2:36 p.m.
Zephyrhills 7:10 a.m. 1:36 p.m.
Note: These schools are located in or near The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. For a complete list of schools and proposed bell times, visit the Pasco County Schools’ website at Pasco.k12.fl.us.
Published October 27, 2021
