Starting November 6 – Updated School Start & Dismissal Times

We have made the decision to change certain middle and elementary school start and end times to allow for more consistent transportation service. Staggering the bell schedule and implementing a modified three-tier system will allow bus drivers to run multiple routes in the morning, thereby introducing more reliability for students, staff, and families alike.

Tier 1 schools (21 total) will see their start and end times moved up by five minutes. The majority (7 of 9 total) of Tier 2 schools will see no change; the exceptions are Anana & Henderson, which are moving from Tier 1 to Tier 2, and will see their start and end times moved back by 50 minutes. Tier 3 schools (5 total) will see start and end times moved back by 20 minutes. Detailed information is available above.

This strategy was developed over the course of weeks, and is the product of discussions with numerous internal stakeholders and external partners, all engaged in finding the most equitable, reliable way of ensuring that our students get to and from school on time, and maximize their classroom learning time.

Ideally, yes. This change is a direct response to the issue of bus delays and inconsistent transportation service. We expect this system to alleviate much of the disruption that families have experienced so far this year.

The primary factor in determining the start and end times outlined in this plan was logistics—specifically, the time it would take drivers to accommodate multiple routes. Madison’s East Side is denser than the West, in terms of school clusters, making it easier for drivers on that side of the city to service additional pick-ups and drop-offs.

No. Breakfast will be available to all students as usual. 

The decision to push times most significantly for these schools was entirely a logistical one, factoring in the number of buses servicing each, route pairings, and other considerations. We needed to move some schools from the first tier to the second. This shift ensures an even distribution of students and buses among each tier, and affords our new, modified system the best chance for success.

Though it seems like a minor change, it will have a compounding effect that is designed to increase flexibility for bus drivers, in terms of their ability to efficiently finish one route and begin another. It will also allow for drivers to drop students off and reach their paired school on time (between each tier, there is a 50 to 55-minute window).

We discussed this with the City of Madison, but ultimately determined that shifting middle school students back to Metro Transit would only create more challenges and inequities for both the City and MMSD families, with students having to make multiple transfers, school start and end times not aligning with bus drop-off times, and students needing to walk up to a half-mile to main line stops. The former dodger/special school routes no longer exist for middle schools.

No, this change should not impact their ability to get the late bus after MSCR activities.

Bus routes are in the process of being finalized.

Wednesday, November 1. Parents and students are encouraged to check Infinite Campus starting that day, for the most current route information.

The possibility of moving to a modified three-tier system has been discussed publicly during Board meetings and privately during briefings.  With colder weather fast approaching, senior leadership determined the need to act to be too great to conduct a survey or put a proposal to a vote, either of which would have suggested that there were multiple viable options to consider when there simply were not.

A lack of retired drivers returning to the job following Covid, challenges in obtaining a commercial driver license, and stringent training requirements are among the factors that have contributed to the driver shortage, both nationwide and here in Madison.

First Student has enough drivers to support the move to a modified three-tier system. Unforeseen events (like flat tires and other vehicle malfunctions, driver call-outs, etc.) may still occur and result in one-off disruptions, but the mass delays that our students and families have been dealing with on a near-daily basis should subside.

This change will be in effect for the rest of the year. There will be no further changes to start and end times in the 2023–24 academic calendar.