hree things became clear during this past Monday’s Ohio County Board of Education meeting, where possible changes to school start times appeared on the agenda following a proposal from the district’s school start time committee.

First, the proposal presented to the board of education truly is not a workable solution. Simply moving all the schools back 30 minutes doesn’t benefit anyone, particularly parents of elementary school-aged children.

Asking working families — many of whom may not have family support — to figure out how to get their children to school for a 9:40 a.m. start time while holding down a job is beyond unreasonable.

Second, it is clear there is very little support for the current proposal. While that can’t be the only factor considered, the reality is that without public buy-in, it is difficult to see how any major change such as what’s proposed can work.

Third, and most important — this can’t be the end of this discussion. Instead, this needs to be the start of a more serious talk on how, within the next few years, Ohio County Schools can figure out how to make this work. If that means more buses are needed, then board members need to craft a plan today to start saving for that expense.

Let’s be clear: at the end of the day, board of education members have to put students first — and in this case, a later start time for students attending Wheeling Park High School is merited, based on clear scientific evidence on teenagers’ learning and sleep patterns. Also, one of the factors being left out of the discussion here is not just that Wheeling Park High School starts prior to 8 a.m., but more importantly that some students are getting on school buses prior to 6 a.m.

That can’t be allowed to continue.

Where do board members go from here? To start, on June 22, instead of members forcing a vote on a school start time proposal that’s simply not ready (and, if it were to pass, likely would be overturned at the first meeting in July, when member-elect Jerry Ames joins the group), the Ohio County Board of Education should direct Superintendent Kim Miller and her administration to craft a new, simplified plan that focuses on ensuring the school day at Wheeling Park High School does not begin prior to 8 a.m. That plan should be presented to the board by the end of this calendar year.

If that plan requires additional bus routes, then it’s up to board of education members to find the savings. If that plan requires rethinking start times for elementary and middle schools, leave that, again, to the board.

This would at least represent an effort to solve the actual problem rather than shifting the burden elsewhere.

Yes, it is possible the administration, if tasked in this manner, will present an unrealistic plan. But recall, the superintendent does serve at the will and pleasure of the board of education. Ohio County Schools saw its previous superintendent’s contract go unrenewed over unacceptable test scores.

So, this is where we stand: If Ohio County Schools follows the science that clearly states later high school start times are important for student success, then scrap the proposal on the table and instead task the administration with building the best possible plan around that objective. Show the costs. Show the routes. Show the trade-offs. Show the community exactly what it would take to make an 8 a.m. high school start work.

Then let the public evaluate a proposal designed around educational outcomes rather than transportation constraints.

* * *

It was great to learn that the third generation of the Henry family has entered the public servant ranks.

Bethlehem native Joey Henry this past Monday was sworn in as the newest member of the town of Dayton, Va., city council, filling an open seat on that board. Dayton is located just south of Harrisonburg, Va., in the Shenandoah Valley.

Henry, 36, follows in the footsteps of his father, Bethlehem Village Council member Robert “Bob” Henry Jr., and also his late grandfather, former Wheeling Third Ward Councilman Robert “Herk” Henry.

* * *

In the words of my good friend Doug Huff, have a great weekend.

John McCabe is editor of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register. From 9-10 a.m. each Friday, he joins Howard Monroe on AM 1600 WKKX to discuss the most pressing issues in Wheeling and the Ohio Valley. Email him at jmccabe@theintelligencer.net.