(2) OK, so you believe that extra time used engaging the populous is taking up time that could be used to more intensely analyze potential options. I guess I can’t really argue with that, since I don’t know if that’s true or not.

(3) As one of the micromanagers who participated in the sub-committees to address issues, I believe the universal reaction among admin, board and resident participants was that it was a worthwhile process and that there are a number of residents out there who are willing to dedicate their expertise to help a cash-strapped school district. I don’t believe that a “just get over it” approach will work, because there are bitter feelings on both sides based on past events and these sessions are helpful and necessary, not just to solve thorny issues, but also begin to bridge the trust divide that has existed for far too long.

Short history as I remember it:

– For many years, start time at DHS was around 8:30 AM with the rationale that there’s some evidence-based recommendations for later starts for teens because of their biologically unique sleep patterns. (See recent Natl. Georgraphic article on the teen brain for a lay person-friendly version of why you wish your children never had to age past 10 years old.)

– Last year, various options on the table had a start time of before 8:00 AM for one school or another. K-3 families objected because of how hard it is to walk and roll their kids that early to school. High school parents objected because their children are biologically wired to be comatose early in the morning.

– In the end, there was a Board consensus that schools should generally not start before 8:00 AM.

– Superintendent called a Committee meeting to advise (NOT decide for!) CSD and Board

IMHO, given our ok but not great academic performance at the high school, achievement gap, the high stakes for high schoolers, and other reasons that we need to improve DHS student academic performance overall, I would prefer a later start for the high school if everything else were equal and not at the expense of FAVE or any other age group. To me, the drivers for the decision should be how the teen brain learns and performs, not starting any school before 8 AM, logistics (which changed when FAVE opened), and cost of transportation (which changed when FAVE opened even though DeKalb didn’t change the mileage rate). Teaching a life lesson about getting up early, while important, should not carry more weight in the decision than the quality of learning for DHS students. If our students don’t learn and perform well, they are not going to get the higher education and jobs that require them to get up early.

Why is 8:00 considered early for high school. The high school I attended started before 7:30–I would have loved an 8:00 start!