Mashpee Schools Superintendent Patricia DeBoer (left), School Commmittee Chair Don Myers and Vice Chair George Schmidt discuss the proposed later start times.
MASHPEE – The Mashpee School Committee wants some more time before deciding whether or not to invoke later start times in the fall.
School Committee members voted unanimously to postpone their decision until their February 1 meeting, citing the lack of research and information on which families the start times will affect.
The proposed start times would be 8:25 a.m. for Mashpee Middle-High School, 9:05 a.m. for Kenneth C. Coombs Elementary School and 9:10 a.m. for Quashnet Elementary School.
Some committee members took issue with the timing and personnel issues that come with having an early-morning care program for younger students, prior to the start of school.
The cost for the program, which would begin at 7 a.m., would be around $20,000 per year.
Mashpee Schools Superintendent Patricia DeBoer said that the school district supports all of the students’ families.
“No family or student is going to be left out there alone, we are problem solvers, we will work together, we will try to figure it out together,” said DeBoer. “It’s not just, that’s it this is set in stone and we turn our backs on everyone.”
Committee member Chris Santos said that no matter what the decision, not everyone will be happy.
“No matter which way we go there’s going to be people where it’s not going to accommodate them,” said Santos. “If we stay the same there will be some people who it doesn’t work for, if we change, there’s going to be people who it doesn’t work for.”
DeBoer said that an electronic survey could be sent out to parents soon that will ask how the proposed start times would affect them and their families.
The committee members hope that the answers to the survey could help in their decision on whether or not to go forward with plans for later start times in September.
By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter
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