The Hamilton City School District plans to change the hours of its 12 schools next school year to add more instructional time to younger classes and to allow older students to begin class at a later time, according to the district.
Beginning in the 2015-16 school year, the school district’s eight elementary schools will have 20 more minutes of instructional time per day.
Middle school and high school students will begin at a later time, as research shows that middle and high school students function better with a later start time, according to the school district.
District spokesperson Joni Copas said the different schedules also accommodate the new eight-hour school day that the district negotiated with the Hamilton Classroom Teachers’ Association. Under the new schedule, teachers will have more time during their regular daily schedules for meetings and professional development, which eliminates the need for early release days that currently occur twice a month for teachers’ professional development.
These new times will also eliminate double bus routes to and from school so that students can get to school on time and have less waiting after school, according to Copas.
School hours for the 2015-16 school year are:
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Hamilton High School: 7:55 a.m. to 2:55 p.m.
Hamilton Freshman School: 7:40 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
Garfield and Wilson Middle Schools: 8:20 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Crawford Woods and Highland: 8:45 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.
Brookwood and Fairwood: 9 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.
Linden and Ridgeway: 9:15 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.
Bridgeport and Riverview: 9:30 a.m. to 4:05 p.m.