By Adam Pagnucco.
In MCPS, high schools start at 7:45 AM and middle schools start at 8:15 AM. This has been the case since the 2015-16 school year, when the school board approved a 20-minute delay in bell times. That shift followed many years of debate and advocacy which continue to this day. And now, most current school board candidates favor making bell times even later.
Start School Later, Inc. is a non-profit devoted to later bell times for schools. The group asked this year’s MCPS school board candidates a series of questions about bell times. The first question the group asked was this: “Based on the research that later middle and high school start times increase graduation rates and decrease absenteeism, with disadvantaged students benefiting the most from age- appropriate school hours, do you agree that MCPS secondary schools should start at 8:30 am or later?”
Here are the responses from the candidates.
Rita Montoya (At-Large): I agree.
Brenda Diaz (District 2): Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that MCPS secondary schools should start at 8:30am or later. I taught HS Social Studies at Gaithersburg High School and cheered for the Start School Later movement to be successful in their efforts.
Natalie Zimmerman (District 2): I agree that the research is clear that our middle and high school students need later start times.
Shebra Evans (District 4): The community shared their thoughts and concerns with the Board and MCPS. Conversations eventually led to changing school start times with the impact mainly at the secondary level. The shift has allowed some families to see advantages for starting later and I can support efforts to continue moving in the right direction of a later start time.
Laura Stewart (District 4): Yes, I am supportive of moving start times to 8:30 or later, based on the research done which shows that this policy is best for adolescent health. I acknowledge that there are other logistical issues, which we should explore and look at possible solutions to address those concerns. For instance, younger children needing supervision from an older sibling could be addressed through after school programming that could work in conjunction with community school grants.
Note the differences in language. Harris, Montoya, Diaz and Stewart committed to the 8:30 AM bell time. Zimmerman and Evans supported later times but did not commit to a specific time.
Additionally, Zimmerman was the only candidate who did not sign the group’s petition favoring an 8:30 AM bell time.
The second question asked, “Are you willing to commit to enacting a Board of Education Resolution within your first 100 days in office to officially establish a goal to start secondary schools in Montgomery County at 8:30 a.m. or later?” Harris, Diaz, Evans and Stewart answered yes. Montoya wrote that a transportation assessment must be done first. Zimmerman committed to establishing an exploratory committee.
Harris is a one-term incumbent and Evans is in her second term. The school board has not changed bell times since February 2015. If these incumbents indeed favor later bell times, it’s worth asking what they have done to institute them.
In the 2022 election, two winning candidates – incumbent Karla Silvestre and Julie Yang – completed the group’s questionnaire.
In answer to the same first question asked this year (favoring an 8:30 bell time), Silvestre wrote: “I am willing to bring this to the Board and Superintendent for consideration. I was not on the Board when this issue was last acted upon. Therefore, I need to become familiar with the research, parent input from our diverse community/various parts of the county, why it was supported/opposed by some the last time it was discussed by the Board, what are the implications for working families/working students, and how it will impact our hiring and retention of staff affected by this change. Having said that, I am the parent of a 15-year-old in our system and see how this could be beneficial her overall wellbeing.”
Yang wrote: “The 8:30 AM (or later) starting time has merit on its own as evidenced by current research. With that said, in order for this to become a reality, it must have the full support of students, parents and staff since they will mostly be impacted by the time change. The Board must also consider changes to the budget and the logistics involved. The end goal is to ensure that the start times benefit those involved. We would need to survey the MCPS community and educate all those within the school system about the benefits of later start times.”
No matter who wins this year, it seems that half or more of the school board will be at least open to later bell times. But if I have learned anything in politics, it’s to never trust candidates to follow through on every statement they make on questionnaires. Any further change in bell times will require a similar level of parental activism to the advocacy that took place a decade ago.