BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Public School District will likely take its transportation problems into the new year.
The district, its teacher's union, and parents are failing to agree on a "three-bell start system" which advocates say could solve the problem.
The district currently runs on a "two-bell system." Students either start at around 8 a.m. or 9 a.m.
A three-bell system would see classes start at 7:30, 8:30, or 9:30.
This could help stagger pick-ups for the limited number of bus drivers with the goal of getting more students to school on time. The change does not have widespread support from parents or the teacher's union.
Buffalo lawmakers are now backing up the district to support the three-bell system.
Doctor Monica Stephens with the Buffalo Parent Teacher organization says they are in the process of surveying parents within the school district to get their opinion on the proposed 3 bell system, "and very quickly within 48 hours, nearly 280 parents have responded to this survey and the parents have been overwhelmingly against this," she said.
Monica says they don't want kids to have to start earlier because, "research often attributes earlier start times to behavioral problems in school which Buffalo schools are currently facing, lower test scores, trouble paying attention."
But Duncan Kirkwood, co-chair of "We the Parents" and father of three, says he's all for the 3-bell system. He says his family has been directly impacted by the bus driver shortage and his 12-year-old's bus was recently 40 minutes late.
He explains, "If the question is potentially my child would have to go to school 30 minutes earlier, but you could guarantee that the bus would come every day, you could guarantee the bus would bring her home on time every day, that's not even a conversation."
Sam Radford, also co-chair of "We the Parents" says he has been advocating for this change since the Superintendent recommended it back in September and he says, "The only reason we haven't done that is because the Buffalo Teacher's Federation has voted no, they don't want to do it."
He says the 3-bell system would help ensure every child has reliable transportation, access to a full day of instruction, and decrease the number of kids on the bus and the time they spend on the bus. Radford says, "at this point, the school board is saying that their hands are tied because they have a contract, a union contract that says the school has to start at 7:55 for the teachers and be done by 4:05 for the teachers."
If you have kids in the Buffalo City School District you can fill out the survey and voice your opinion at
http://tiny.cc/belltime
