DeKALB – DeKalb School District 428 has announced new starting and ending times for classes for the 2012-2013 school year.
The district's schools are reverting to the hours they had two years ago, said Andrea Gorla, District 428's assistant superintendent for business services. All elementary schools will have students arrive at 8:15 a.m., with classes starting at 8:45 a.m. and ending at 3:30 p.m.
Students at DeKalb High School, Huntley Middle School and Clinton Rosette Middle School will arrive at their schools at 7:15 a.m. Classes will start at 7:45 a.m. and end at 2:45 p.m. DHS students will be dismissed at 1:35 p.m. Wednesdays.
The district, which is expecting to lose at least $300,000 in transportation reimbursements from the state, has consolidated school bus routes to reduce costs. Gorla could not say how much the new routes would save the district.
"We looked at what other districts were doing in order to find a more efficient way of transporting students," Gorla said. "At the end of the day, those efficiencies should garner you some savings."
But those savings will not equal $300,000, Gorla said. Rising gas prices also can cut into any potential savings, she added.
Superintendent Jim Briscoe said the state often will say one thing but do another in regards to funding. The state often prorates its payments, Briscoe said, meaning it will not pay the last couple of payments that are owed to school districts for transportation and general state aid. And the $300,000 shortfall remains an estimate.
"We're trying to guess how much the state is going to give us," Briscoe said.
Gorla said the district's transportation provider, First Student, is mapping out the new route locations. She added that district parents will receive an automated phone call within the next week or so with information about the new routes.
Ideally, there would be bus stops at entry and exit points of subdivisions, Gorla said, adding that students in the area would walk to those spots to be picked up for school.
Gorla said start times last year were staggered so that students could take shuttle buses to Founders, Lincoln and Jefferson Elementary. But the program had problems, she said.
"The shuttles became a challenge for us, time-wise, to get that second tier to school on time to have breakfast," Gorla said.
With all schools now starting at the same time, the shuttles will be discontinued.
Bus routes for students in special education or that cross hazardous areas will not be changed, Gorla said. The school district cannot require students to cross railroad tracks or a busy highway to get to a bus stop.
"Even if they're close to a building, but it would require them when they walk across to cross that, we would have to pick that student up," Gorla said.
The district also is asking parents to inform it if they do not plan to have their student take the bus, Gorla said, as this could help the district save money.
New schedule
School Est. Arrival Time Start Time End Time
DeKalb High School 7:15 a.m. 7:45 a.m. 2:45 p.m.*
Clinton Rosette Middle School 7:15 a.m. 7:45 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
Huntley Middle School 7:15 a.m. 7:45 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
Brooks Elementary School 8:15 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
Cortland Elementary School 8:15 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
Founders Elementary School 8:15 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
Jefferson Elementary School 8:15 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
Lincoln Elementary School 8:15 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
Littlejohn Elementary School 8:15 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
Malta Elementary School 8:15 a.m. 8:45 a.m 3:30 p.m.
Tyler Elementary School 8:15 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
* DHS students are dismissed at 1:35 p.m. on Wednesdays.
For information, parents can visit the school district's website, www.dist428.org, or contact the district's transportation coordinator, Brenda Jergens, at brenda.jergens@dist428.org or 815-754-2199.