IPS announces new start times for students next school year
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Some Indianapolis Public Schools will begin having tiered start times for students next school year. The school board approved the new system at Thursday’s meeting.
Some students will have to be at school a little earlier, some a little later, but one group will have to be at school about an hour earlier.Here’s how the three-tier system will work:
- Tier one will start 10 minutes earlier.
- These students will now attend class from 7:20 a.m. – 2:20 p.m.
In tier one there are six high schools, three middle schools, three elementary schools, Step Ahead/Graduation Academy, Newcomer Academy, and OCI.Here’s how tier two will start:
- These 13 elementary schools that right now start at 9:05 a.m. or 9:15 a.m. will all start at the same time.
- These students will now attend class from 8:15 a.m. – 2:05 p.m.
Here’s how tier three will start:
- Tier three will start five to 15 minutes later depending on the school.
- One high school and 37 elementary schools in this group will have class from 9:20 a.m. – 3:55 p.m.
The district said the restructuring is in an effort to save money by reducing the number of buses needed at one time, leading to a possible $2 million in savings. It also could mean shorter bus routes for some students.
The district also said it could increase extra-curricular transportation opportunities and bring in safer, more efficient buses. Additionally, there will be a task force that will meet with many groups including students, parents and public safety officials to study and provide solutions to any potential issues during the transition.
There have been several public input meetings throughout the past year leading up to this decision.
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