Wichita Falls ISD will change the school’s start and finish times for the next academic year to allow for bad weather like this week’s, but officials are backing away from the plan to switch to a system with three different start times.
WFISD Superintendent Dr. Donny Lee said the district is pausing the implementation of three-level start and end times for the 2023-2024 school year after hearing from the community and having further discussions with WFISD leadership. WFISD extension.
“Many valid concerns have been raised, and we believe it is in the best interest of students and staff to do more research and obtain additional data before moving forward,” Lee said by email.
For the 23-24 school year, the district will continue with bi-level start and finish times, but those start and finish times will be adjusted to allow for an extra 10 minutes of instruction per day, Lee said.
He said the school board approved the extra minutes for more flexibility in bad weather.
Here are the changes:
Current start/end times
- Secondary schools: 7.45am – 3.05pm
- Primary Schools: 8.15am – 3.35pm
- 440 minutes a day
School year 2023-2024
- Secondary schools: 7:30 – 15:00
- Primary Schools: 8.15am – 3.45pm
- 450 minutes a day
“While we will not be implementing tri-level start and end times next school year, we will continue to explore the possibility of moving to three-level once the new high schools open in 24-25,” said Lee.
But no changes will be made until Lee has had a chance to visit staff and community members to make sure the district has reviewed all options and is making the best decision for the students, he said.
WFISD has begun looking into moving to a three-tier system with three bus waves as the district faces a nationwide driver shortage and financial concerns.
An option for bus “hubs” or bus stops has been proposed, Lee said.
“We are still exploring this option to reduce the additional expenses associated with new buses, additional drivers and fuel,” he said. “This idea is in the development stages and no decisions have been made.”
Trish Choate, a corporate surveillance reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, the courts, breaking news and more. Contact her with news recommendations at [email protected]. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.
