What to know
WISD Chief Academic Officer John Vaglienty presented the adjusted times to the board for the high school, middle school and elementary schools, which differ from the current start and end times by 30 minutes.
The new school hours are:
- Willis High School: 7:15 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.
- Elementary schools: 7:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
- Middle schools: 8:15 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.
- Roark Early Education Center early bird: 6:30-7:30 a.m.
- Roark Early Education Center late bird: 4-5:30 p.m.
- Elementary early bird: 6:15-7:15 a.m.
- Elementary late bird: 3:45-5:30 p.m.
Vaglienty said the changes will help the school's transportation services.
“Some of the key benefits are more efficient bus routes to reduce wait times and improve transportation reliability," Vaglienty said. "High school students will have an eight-hour schedule with 46-minute class periods, allowing for flexible academic opportunities after school programs align better with parent schedules."
In January, the district increased its pay for all bus drivers as the district was losing drivers due to better pay at other area districts, as previously reported by Community Impact.
“Based on the current employees, this [pay raise] is projected to cost the district approximately $44,000 just for the remainder of ... this budget year, so from the budgetary perspective, I feel confident that we can accommodate this within the current budget, within this program,” Chief Financial Officer Garett Matej said at the December meeting.
Stay tuned
The next board meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. June 9 at Sharon Hill Jennette Administration Building at 612 N. Campbell St. in Willis.
