The Greenwich Public Schools will host four School Start Time Community Forums in October:
Oct. 13, 7 p.m. Western Middle School
Oct. 21, 7 p.m. Eastern Middle School
Oct. 23, 9 a.m. North Street School
Oct. 28, 7 p.m. Greenwich High School, Room 900 (Spanish)
In June 2015, Superintendent of Schools Bill McKersie advised the Greenwich Board of Education that he would launch an exploration of optimal school start time options for maximizing student academic success, health and well-being in grades pre-K to 12. This decision was based on a stakeholder survey conducted in May 2015 that found strong support among parent, student and staff respondents to explore a change in school start and end times. He has comprised a Steering Committee of representatives from the schools and the community to investigate school start time options.
The School Start Time (SST) Steering Committee reviewed several options most frequently used by districts that have adjusted their school start times and identified six school start time options that are currently under consideration for our schools. The committee will highlight and analyze all the variables and budget implications that accompany each option in order for the Superintendent to make a final recommendation to the Board of Education. The recommendation may focus on one of the five options, a hybrid solution, or conclude that the current school start times are optimal, which is the sixth option.
Significant opportunities will be provided for student, staff, parent and community feedback on the options. The SST Steering Committee has planned four public forum meetings to hear the options and provide input on the SST recommendations and how they will impact our schools.
Additional information about the SST Exploration can be found at Greenwichschools.org/sst
