• A continued move forward….

    Last year felt like a “normal” school year in UCS.

    After two years of modified schedules and adjustments that impacted extracurricular activities and services, we had a start to finish year of returning traditions and activities.

    As we continued this return, one area that has remained elusive to us has been school start times. At each level, we have made changes to start times to address the critical shortage of transportation drivers.

    While we are making strides in gaining additional transportation team members, we are still not at a level where we need to be to make the necessary changes based solely on the number of drivers.

    It means that we are going to have to think differently. We need to recognize that our start times and transportation program are part of an interdependent system that daily services more than 15,000 eligible daily riders and a full slate of extra-curricular programs.

    We understand that any change to start times will impact family schedules. I am sharing this information to indicate we are seriously considering what adjustments can be made to return a large majority of schools to pre-pandemic hours. Community members can expect a formal announcement over the next week.

    While we recognize that aspects of our lives have been forever changed by the pandemic, we remain committed to moving forward by providing stability and a sense of normalcy for our community. Addressing school start times would be another important step in this direction.