Hamilton’s public school boards will be changing bell times to compensate for school bus shortages.
Both the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) and the Catholic board (HWCDSB) will adopt recommendations from a 2019 joint board study that suggested the changes would reduce costs and create more efficient routes.
The change will take effect in September at 37 public and 33 Catholic schools — each with varying start times.
Effective in September, daily start times at HWDSB elementary schools will be between 8:10 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. with dismissal between 2:30 p.m. and 3:50 p.m.
Secondary schools will start between 8 a.m and 9:30 a.m. and dismiss between 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
The 2019 report suggested school start times as late as 9:30 a.m. and dismissals as early as 2:30 p.m. to accommodate the operation of up to 40 fewer school buses — an issue that impacted the efficiency of 25 to 35 routes for three years, according to the school boards.
“Through this review, twenty-seven buses have been reduced,” said HWDSB chair Dawn Danko in a statement.
“Most importantly, our students will no longer be delayed in getting to school or their home. Our students deserve to arrive on time. We thank families for their understanding as we navigate through these changes in bell times and as new family routines emerge.”
Of the HWDSB bell time changes, elementary schools Bellmoore in Binbrook, Chedoke on the West Mountain and Mount Hope will see the greatest variation. All three schools will see a change of 45 minutes at the start and end of a day when the new times take effect in September.
St. Francis Xavier has the greatest variation, 40 minutes earlier, among the altered HWCDSB bell times for the 2021-2022 school year.