Bell times at 70 Hamilton schools to change in September
Bells at some Hamilton schools will ring a little earlier - or later, depending on the school - next fall, boards say.
Start and end times at 70 Hamilton schools - 37 public and 33 Catholic - will change in September to address an ongoing shortage of school bus drivers.
In a March 26 letter to families, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board announced the joint bell time study, completed in conjunction with the Catholic board through the Hamilton-Wentworth Student Transportation System (HWSTS), has been completed, resulting in changes to class start and end times.
In an email to The Spectator, Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board chair Pat Daly said the changes were necessary to ensure we are able to maintain the level of service currently provided ... and as well to mitigate against the expected increase in costs as a result of the expiration of our bus operator contracts."
Bell times at many schools will be pushed back or moved up, allowing boards to reduce the total number of school buses and increase the number of runs each bus completes.
Ultimately, it was to make sure that we can get every student to school for the full instructional day, because that hasn't been happening consistently for the past few years," said HWDSB chair Dawn Danko. We've had a chronic bus driver shortage for years ... where those bus driver shortages led to delays."
Danko said the changes - which range from five to 45 minutes - are more significant" than changes in the past, and that the board recognizes the impacts the changes will have on families.
People have very different schedules and they may have a routine that's set up that they will now need to change for the fall if their school is impacted," she said.
School start times will now fall anywhere between 8 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. Before- and after-school care programs, most of which currently operate from 7 a.m. to school start time and from dismissal to 6 p.m. at the public board, are expected to adjust to accommodate the new bell times.
HWDSB elementary schools with changing bell times:
A.A. Greenleaf
A.M. Cunningham
Ancaster Meadow
Balaclava
Bellmoore
Bennetto
Buchanan Park
Chedoke
Collegiate
Cootes Paradise
Flamborough Centre
Frank Panabaker
Gatestone
Huntington
Mary Hopkins
Mount Albion
Mount Hope
Parkdale
Ray Lewis
Ridgemount
Rockton
Rousseau
Rosedale
Sir William Osler
South Meadow
Tapleytown
Tiffany Hills
Winona
Viscount Montgomery
Yorkview
HWDSB secondary schools with changing bell times:
Ancaster High
Dundas Valley
Saltfleet
Sherwood
Sir Allan MacNab
Waterdown
Westdale
HWCDSB elementary schools with changing bell times:
Annunciation of Our Lord
Blessed Sacrament
Canadian Martyrs
Corpus Christi
Guardian Angels
Holy Name of Jesus
Holy Name of Mary
Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Heart of Mary
Our Lady of Assumption
Our Lady of Hope
St. Agnes
St. Augustine
St. Bernadette
St. Clare
St. Eugene
St. Francis of Xavier
St. Gabriel
St. James
St. John Paul II
St. Joseph
St. Marguerite D'Youville
St. Martin of Tours
St. Matthew
St. Paul
St. Teresa of Avila
St. Therese of Lisieux
St. Thomas
St. Vincent De Paul
Sts. Peter and Paul
HWCDSB secondary schools with changing bell times:
Bishop Tonnos
St. Jean de Brebeuf
St. Thomas More
Kate McCullough is a Hamilton-based reporter covering education at The Spectator. Her work is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach her via email: kmccullough@thespec.com