Parents should receive notification next week if they haven’t
already
Gilroy – Middle school students can officially hit the snooze button. Starting this fall Brownell Academy and South Valley Junior High will start 30 minutes later than in the past – and begin at 8:30am, school officials said.
Ascension Solorsano Middle School has traditionally started later and will not experience significant changes. Some elementary schools in Gilroy Unified School Districts may be begin later than 8am as well.
Parents should receive notification via mail next week if they haven’t already, said Juanita Contin who serves as the district’s coordinator for parent involvement and enrollment.
The high school start time remains the same – 8am.
Elementary drop off times should fall within five to 10 minutes of last year’s 7:50am arrival time, Contin explained.
“We were just concerned about letting parents know that the middle school times are changing,” she said.
Two community meetings and a public forum were held before the times were altered in April.
“There are some studies showing that middle school students benefit (academically) from a later start date,” Contin said. “But half an hour probably is not going to make a big difference.”
Bus routes were consolidated for efficiency, she explained.
Bright yellow school buses will disappear altogether at three elementary sites including El Roble School, Glen View School and Eliot School.
This will be Glen View’s third year operating without buses. The district’s move to neighborhood schools has allowed them to become “walking schools.”
The cutting and condensing of bus routes is expected to save the district about $300,000, Contin said.
Neither she nor GUSD’s Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Steve Brinkman felt the time changes should impact city traffic.
“In the next week most everybody will send their schedules out,” Contin assured.
