MMSD parents concerned over ripple effects to schedule changes at nearly 30 schools

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - While the Madison Metropolitan School District sought to fix one problem through schedule changes, some parents worry those changes will lead to other problems.

Start and end times are shifting at nearly 30 schools, the district announced this week. Some are shifting by five minutes, others by 20 minutes. Then there’s the two elementary schools getting pushed back by 50 minutes.

District officials, who did not want to go on-camera with NBC15 Tuesday, say the schedule change is a direct response to the issue of bus delays, one that’s stretched throughout the first couple months of school.

The scheduling change is set to take effect on Nov. 6, the first day of the second quarter. This change will last the rest of the school year.

“Ideally, yes,” a district spokesperson wrote to NBC15, saying the schedule change is expected to solve bus lateness. With affected schools dividing into three “tiers,” and enough drivers from bus company First Student to support a three-tier system, the spokesperson said drivers will have enough time to circle back and run more routes.

“It’s just incredibly frustrating for working moms to try to accommodate this type of last-minute scheduling and time changes,” said Kayla Ramon, whose sixth grader will be starting school 20 minutes later than usual.

Ramon worries her son will have to wait longer before entering school because she will still have to drop him off around the same time due to her work schedule.

“He’s going to have to sit outside for 40-45 minutes in a Wisconsin winter,” she said. “That’s just not even feasible.”

A school board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 30.

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