Howard schools start times will stay the same in the fall, Board of Education decides

Thomas Goodwin Smith, Howard County Times, Columbia, Md.
·2 min read

Apr. 26—Current Howard County public school start times will remain in place when students return to classes in the fall, the school board decided Thursday, meaning high schools and some middle schools will continue to begin at 7:50 a.m. The board's goal is to have no schools starting earlier than 8 a.m., and no later than 9:25 a.m., and members tasked Acting Superintendent Bill Barnes with figuring out a timeline for when that can happen.

High schools had begun at 7:25 a.m., until the Howard County Board of Education voted in February 2023 to push the start time forward by 35 minutes, to 8 a.m., hoping to make a positive impact on students' health. Though high schools started the year in August with 8 a.m. start times, on Sept. 20 then-Superintendent Michael Martirano changed start times again, in an attempt to remedy bus delays affecting thousands of students.

High schools and some middle schools now begin at 7:50 a.m. Tier 2 middle schools start at 8:30 a.m. Tier 2 elementary schools begin at 8:35 a.m.; and Tier 3 elementary schools begin at 9:25 a.m.

The motion to continue current school start times next school year passed Thursday 6-1-1, with board member Antonia Watts opposing the motion. Board member Jolene Mosley abstained. The motion directing Barnes to provide the board with a timeline for no school starting before 8 a.m. passed 7-1, with board member Jackie McCoy opposing.

One path to attaining 8 a.m. start times would be to shift the entire schedule back by 10 minutes, but Chief Administrative Officer Jahantab Siddiqui, who has served as the system's head of student transportation since January, said on April 11 that would result in a 9:35 a.m. start time for Tier 3 elementary schools, which would be detrimental to families.

The superintendent is traditionally responsible for setting school start times, and the board's decision to discontinue its 8 a.m. mandate will allow the Office of Transportation to begin thoroughly planning routes to maximize efficiencies and explore options for future school years, Siddiqui said on April 11.