Bus changes may include revamping breakfast

It may take an “out of the box” approach for the Jackson County School System to solve some of its transportation issues.

The school district is eyeing solutions to revamp its bus transportation system, which hasn’t changed since 1990. One of the possibilities that an advisory committee of school principals is considering is a longer school day for elementary students, starting next school year.

The latest proposal calls for the district’s eight elementary schools to start class at 7:40 a.m. and end at 2:40 p.m. Currently, elementary classes start between 7:50-8:00 a.m. in the county school system.

“None of the elementary schools are exactly the same,” said Vicky Evans, transportation coordinator for the county school system. “They all have their own times.”

But with a possible start time of 7:40 a.m., elementary bus riders would have to arrive early enough to eat breakfast. It is estimated that up to two-thirds of the district’s 7,100 students eat breakfast at school.

“If you drop off at 7:30, which is what’s dropping now, but school starts at 7:40, you can’t get kids through breakfast to start in time,” said Diane Carr, principal of West Jackson Intermediate School.

South Jackson Elementary School principal Pam Johns estimated that students may wait up to 10 minutes in the cafeteria to be served breakfast, when multiple busses arrive at once.

But if school busses drop off elementary school students earlier — it would mean that drivers would pick-up middle and high school students earlier, too. And that would leave the possibility of students arriving much earlier before classes start. The school system is not considering changing its starting and ending times for middle and high schools.

“It’s going to take an outside the box answer and it may be with breakfast,” said superintendent Shannon Adams.

Revamping how students eat breakfast could give more time for classroom instruction in elementary schools.

The committee discussed a range of possibilities in how the district serves student breakfasts — including from carts in hallways and eating in classrooms.

But without district nutrition director Wanda Oliver available for questions at last week’s meeting, the committee opted to hear from her in January.

That’s also when school council presidents from the district are welcomed to join in the transportation discussion. Adams said the school system wants parent input in how the district busses students.

Evans said one of the major complaints among parents is that student bus riders get home too late in the afternoon. Some students get home around 5 p.m., she said.

The proposals being considered by the committee are based on the current number of buses and drivers, Evans said. The county school system will not add new buses next school year.

“We’re trying to stay in what we have now to make it work,” she said.

The committee will meet again on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 1 p.m., at the central office in Jefferson.