By Rich Larson
After nearly a year of study, the Northfield School Board has hit pause on a proposal to push back start times for secondary students.
Northfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tim Anderson said the board tabled a plan for a 40-minute later start during Monday night’s meeting.
“It seems that it’s tabled at the present time, and we’re looking at some next iterations to see if we can come up with something that might work given all those complexities,” Anderson said.
The board has been looking at research showing that later start times lead to better outcomes for older students. Anderson said some studies suggest that every minute of delay gives students about half a minute of extra sleep. By that measure, an hour’s delay could mean about 30 more minutes of rest.
The district looked at the 40-minute option because it seemed to cost the least. Even so, Anderson said district estimates put the cost in the tens of thousands of dollars, which conflicts with the stewardship commitment in the district’s strategic plan. The change would also affect after-school activities and early childhood programming.
“I think the board is in a place now where they’re not sure about the return on investment for a 40-minute later start,” Anderson said.
Anderson said 20 to 25 years of route refinement with partner Benjamin Bus have made busing “an intricate, tightly connected, highly dependent system,” so any change ripples outward. Travel time in a rural district complicates activities. Educators have also asked whether younger students can handle difficult material late in the afternoon.
Anderson said that when he was a principal in Edina, middle school students started at 9:20 a.m. and got out at 4:05 p.m.
He said, the district will keep working with Benjamin Bus on smaller changes that could still help students without large costs.
Rich Larson is the owner and General manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
