Special meeting planned for this Wednesday.
By: Lea Kahn
The Lawrence Township Board of Education plans to meet Wednesday, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. to decide whether to change the starting time for the schools. The meeting will be held at the Lawrence High School Library.
Seeking more information on the impact of a change in the school day on school busing, the school board decided at its May 14 meeting to put off its decision until another day. It asked the administration to research the impact of earlier starting times on transportation costs.
The possibility of starting school earlier in the day was first brought up at the school board’s April 9 meeting by a parent who said she had heard rumors of an earlier starting time at Lawrence High School.
Schools Superintendent Max Riley suggested beginning the school day earlier, partly to accommodate the extra 20 minutes of instruction for grades K-3 that teachers had agreed to provide in their contract. The teachers provided 10 more minutes in 2002-03, and must provide another 10 minutes in 2003-04.
Dr. Riley has recommended starting Lawrence High School and Lawrence Middle School at 7:45 a.m. The four grades K-3 schools would start at 8:30 a.m. and Lawrence Intermediate School, which handles grades 4-6, would start at 8:40 a.m under the proposal.
The high school and middle school start at 8:30 a.m. now. The elementary schools start at 8 a.m. and the intermediate school starts at 8:30 a.m.
Dr. Riley told the school board that compared to other high schools in Mercer County, LHS starts later than the others. Those high schools start the day as early as 7:40 a.m. LHS also ends later than the others, which means student-athletes must leave class early to be on time for their athletic competitions, he said.
The four grade K-3 schools and LIS also start earlier than most of their counterparts in Mercer County, Dr. Riley said. But the 8 a.m. starting time for the Lawrence Middle School is about in the middle of the pack.
Regardless of the final decision, school bus routes will need to be "tiered," Dr. Riley said. This means the same school bus that drops off high school students must turn around and go back to pick up the K-3 students, he said.
Some parents told the school board that they oppose an earlier starting time, especially for the high school, because the children would be too tired to learn, and thus not benefit from the extra instructional time.
Every dollar that is spent on education would "go down the drain" if the children are tired, said parent Naurene Antoniotti. If the children get up too early, they won’t be able to function in school or sports, she said.
Richard Lino, a former school board member, pointed out that the school day in Lawrence lags behind other Mercer County districts by about 3 minutes. If the school day is extended, the students would receive about 7 more minutes of instructional time, he said.
Mr. Lino questioned whether the extra instructional time was being added because test scores are too low, or because teachers cannot address the curriculum in the time that they have available to them.
School board President Mary DiMartino said that anytime children can receive more instructional time, it is a "positive thing" for them. She said she could not comment on whether test scores have improved in relation to the length of the school day.
Parent Mary Hargraves said school is for academics, not sports. She said the district should be more concerned with academics and not with adjusting the school day for athletic contests. If children are too tired, what impact would that have on their test scores, she asked.
JoAnn Lupo, president of the Lawrence Township Education Association, said the teachers’ contract includes the provision for more instructional time but the teachers are not getting more pay.
The Lawrence Township Board of Education plans to meet Wednesday, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. to decide whether to change the starting time for the schools. The meeting will be held at the Lawrence High School Library.
Seeking more information on the impact of a change in the school day on school busing, the school board decided at its May 14 meeting to put off its decision until another day. It asked the administration to research the impact of earlier starting times on transportation costs.
The possibility of starting school earlier in the day was first brought up at the school board’s April 9 meeting by a parent who said she had heard rumors of an earlier starting time at Lawrence High School.
Schools Superintendent Max Riley suggested beginning the school day earlier, partly to accommodate the extra 20 minutes of instruction for grades K-3 that teachers had agreed to provide in their contract. The teachers provided 10 more minutes in 2002-03, and must provide another 10 minutes in 2003-04.
Dr. Riley has recommended starting Lawrence High School and Lawrence Middle School at 7:45 a.m. The four grades K-3 schools would start at 8:30 a.m. and Lawrence Intermediate School, which handles grades 4-6, would start at 8:40 a.m under the proposal.
The high school and middle school start at 8:30 a.m. now. The elementary schools start at 8 a.m. and the intermediate school starts at 8:30 a.m.
Dr. Riley told the school board that compared to other high schools in Mercer County, LHS starts later than the others. Those high schools start the day as early as 7:40 a.m. LHS also ends later than the others, which means student-athletes must leave class early to be on time for their athletic competitions, he said.
The four grade K-3 schools and LIS also start earlier than most of their counterparts in Mercer County, Dr. Riley said. But the 8 a.m. starting time for the Lawrence Middle School is about in the middle of the pack.
Regardless of the final decision, school bus routes will need to be "tiered," Dr. Riley said. This means the same school bus that drops off high school students must turn around and go back to pick up the K-3 students, he said.
Some parents told the school board that they oppose an earlier starting time, especially for the high school, because the children would be too tired to learn, and thus not benefit from the extra instructional time.
Every dollar that is spent on education would "go down the drain" if the children are tired, said parent Naurene Antoniotti. If the children get up too early, they won’t be able to function in school or sports, she said.
Richard Lino, a former school board member, pointed out that the school day in Lawrence lags behind other Mercer County districts by about 3 minutes. If the school day is extended, the students would receive about 7 more minutes of instructional time, he said.
Mr. Lino questioned whether the extra instructional time was being added because test scores are too low, or because teachers cannot address the curriculum in the time that they have available to them.
School board President Mary DiMartino said that anytime children can receive more instructional time, it is a "positive thing" for them. She said she could not comment on whether test scores have improved in relation to the length of the school day.
Parent Mary Hargraves said school is for academics, not sports. She said the district should be more concerned with academics and not with adjusting the school day for athletic contests. If children are too tired, what impact would that have on their test scores, she asked.
JoAnn Lupo, president of the Lawrence Township Education Association, said the teachers’ contract includes the provision for more instructional time but the teachers are not getting more pay.

