|Photo by Joselyn King| Ohio County Schools Superintendent Kim Miller provides an update on proposals to school start times during Monday night's board of education meeting.

WHEELING – Ohio County Schools won’t be changing any school start times in time for the 2024-25 school year.

Superintendent Kim Miller told board of education members Monday night she met with the school district’s advisory committee earlier in the day, and it was decided much work still would have to happen before any decisions were made about amending school start times to provide for a later start to the day at Wheeling Park High School.

The committee is made up of parents who sit on local school advisory councils.

“Start times is a topic that has blown up a little bit because it is touchy to many people,” Miller said. “We want to make sure our public knows we are in no position to make that decision (in time for) the upcoming school year.”

For now, the school district is collecting information and looking at actual bus runs to see how runs might be modified to give WPHS a later start time.

Bus drivers were asked last week to run their routes in an opposite direction to see how a changed route might evolve.

Miller added the school district is “certainly not in a position to make any change for the upcoming school year” as any change would need to come forth in the next few weeks as school officials work on the calendar for the 2024-25 school year.

“We know our school system has 4-year-olds to 18-year-olds, so we want to make good decisions that have a positive impact on everyone,” she continued. “As a general statement, everybody wants the same thing. We want the best for our kids.

“Sometimes that is not always portrayed to the public that way, but we want to make solid decisions that have a positive impact. So that is why we haven’t made a quick decision. We’re making our way through, making our runs and talking to people. We’ll listen to ideas, and then we’ll continue to dive into that.”

Four members of the public spoke before the board on the issue of start times during Monday night’s meeting.

Jerry Ames, president of the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association, has been retired from Ohio County Schools for two years. But he told board members he still is called upon to ride the buses when he subs as an aide for special needs students, and he was involved with the running of the reverse route last week.

The reverse route has buses picking up and dropping off younger children first, with the high school students now at the end of the daily route.

“I”m not sure that it is a good idea to have young children in our kindergarten and pre-Ks out at 6:15 a.m. … to catch a bus,” he said. “The other thing, those (elementary) children are going to get done at 1:30 in the afternoon. I still don’t think that’s good because most parents don’t get off work that early.”

Ames said they discovered another issue with buses and when they would arrive at the high school in the afternoon for pickup.

While they tend to arrive at about the same time now, on the schedule being tried out, some would get there at 3:30 p.m., while others wouldn’t get there until 4 p.m.

“I’m not sure that is going to be a good idea,” Ames continued. “I don’t think the kids are going to like staying there that long, and I know the staff is not happy about it.

“And I think the kids would rather keep it the way it is, too.”

Beth Cox, a mother of children at Woodsdale Elementary School, expressed concern about another proposal that would have all schools starting at least a half-hour later.

She cited studies stating that elementary children function better and have more retention in the morning, especially in the areas of reading and math.

“My concerns with Woodsdale moving any later is that it wouldn’t allow for any more prime time learning,” Cox said.

Patty Palmer suggested the youths she has talked to are “just bored” with school and that start times aren’t the reason they are lethargic in class.

“Whatever they’re bored from, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the education process and something they are not getting,” she said. “I hear a lot of talk that high school kids are falling asleep (in class), and that they need more sleep.

“This is our next generation of workers, and you’re telling them that’s OK, you can come in later. It’s not going to happen in the job system. You have to teach them responsibility.”

Kim Rasmussen, the parent of a special needs student, told board members how any change in his routine upsets him. She asked on behalf of other parents of special needs children that they keep this in mind as they made their decision.

The board will convene twice in March to consider the 2024-25 school calendar.

The first calendar hearing is set for 5:30 p.m. on March 11 just prior to the start of the regular 6 p.m. board of education meeting at the board office, 2203 National Road, Elm Grove.

The second required hearing has been scheduled for 5:45 p.m. on March 25 at the board office.

While one of the agenda items for Monday was discussion of renewing Miller’s contract, the school board tabled that talk until a future meeting.