Brandon Twp.- Start and end times at Brandon Fletcher Intermediate School will stay roughly the same as they are now at least through the end of the 2009-2010 school year.
Superintendent Lorrie McMahon said Tuesday officials have decided to delay a decision on changing the start and end times for BFIS.
‘We believe this is a district-wide issue and changing one building does affect others,? she said. ‘So we want to convene a committee to look at start and end times for the school day district-wide.?
A committee that will consist of administrators, parents and transportation personnel will revisit the issue in the fall.
proposed during a study session in February. BFIS Principal Jeff Beane said he and his staff had been discussing changing to earlier start and end times for about a year. He cited studies that suggest children aged 10-12 (the average age of fifth and sixth graders) learn better in the morning. Other reasons supporting a change, he said, would be an easier transition to middle school, more student opportunities for after-school activities, and fewer discipline issues from this age group on the buses. The proposed time change would have started school at 7:15 a.m. rather than 8:40 a.m., and would have moved the end time from 3:45 p.m. to 2:20 p.m.
However, controversy ensued and at a meeting regarding the change on March 25, more than 100 residents turned out, many voicing their opposition to the proposal. Concerns ranged from having the intermediate school students riding the bus with older students to the additional cost for childcare for working parents.
Debbie Tucker is one of the working parents who is against changing the time.
‘I’m glad they’re waiting,? said Tucker, who has a daughter entering sixth grade in the fall and two more children attending Harvey Swanson Elementary. ‘They need to research it more and get opinions from other parents in the district whose children will eventually be affected by this. If they had solid concrete reasons that made sense, it would be worth looking into, but even in 2010, they shouldn’t consider it then either for just one building.?
McMahon said surveys that the district planned to mail to parents on the subject this week have also been delayed until after the committee meets in the fall and will be sent to all parents of school-aged children.
‘I think we can be very comfortable with the decisions made next year, because we’ll have looked at the entire district and will come to the best decision we can for everyone,? she said. ‘One change for the entire district makes more sense than piecemealing a decision.?

‘We’re waiting because it is the end of the year and getting started is hard at this time,? McMahon said. ‘If the committee decides a change is in order, the time wouldn’t change until fall 2010. Mainly, we want to wait because rather than change one building, then changing others, we’d like to do them all at once. It doesn’t have to change the time for the other buildings, but we’re not sure that the other buildings might not benefit from a time change also? either later or earlier.?
The time change was first publicly