New Start and End Times Beginning in the 2024-25 School Year

Olathe Public Schools wants to thank its students, staff and families for their engagement in the last two school years as we have worked to allow access to educational opportunities for all students while also addressing our transportation challenges head-on with a three-tier bus schedule. This webpage contains all the information from the last two years including the start and end time committee meeting presentations, feedback from the surveys and input at all levels and answers to frequently asked questions. At the regular December Board of Education meeting, the board voted to change the start and end time schedule beginning in the 2024-25 school year after much discussion and evaluation of feedback from parents, students and staff.

• High schools and Prairie Learning Center: 7:40 a.m. - 2:40 p.m.
• Middle schools and Heartland Early Childhood Center: 8:20 a.m. - 3:20 p.m.
• Elementary schools and Harmony Early Childhood Center: 8:55 a.m. - 3:55 p.m.

This recommendation is the least disruptive to the overall system, both survey data from families and staff and input from secondary students supported this schedule, and it is a long-term solution to address the labor market with annual financial savings.

The district understands this change will impact every family differently, and the magnitude of this decision has not been lost. Please be on the lookout for more information on solutions impacting each level and the transportation restrictions in place for this year that will be removed. Approving this new schedule now gives our district, families and staff a full semester and summer to make necessary plans and adjustments before school starts in August 2024. Thank you for your partnership throughout this process.

At the November 2023 Board of Education meeting, Deputy Superintendent of Organizational Operations, Dr. Jim McMullen, presented the district administration’s recommended bell schedule beginning in the 2024-25 school year. First, he updated the board on the process used to recommend new start and end times for the 2024-25 school year. After much discussion and evaluation of feedback from parents, students, and staff, the recommended bell schedule for 2024-25 is what was referred to as Option A during presentations.

• • High schools and Prairie Learning Center, 7:40 a.m.-2:40 p.m.
  • Middle schools and Heartland Early Childhood Center, 8:20 a.m.-3:20 p.m.
  • Elementary schools and Harmony Early Childhood Center, 8:55 a.m.-3:55 p.m.

This option is the least disruptive to the overall system, a good long-term solution to address the labor market with financial savings, and our overall survey data from secondary students, staff and parents supported Option A as the most viable solution at this time.

Last year, Olathe Public Schools embarked on a multilayered process to study a shift in school start and end times to help provide equal access to educational opportunities for all and address the local and national bus driver shortage. View a comprehensive overview of the work and feedback from the 2022-23 school year. 

The district is re-engaging the conversation around a change to school start and end times during fall 2023 as we work together to find a long-term solution for equal access to educational opportunities for all students. A change in school schedules would also allow the district to remove several of the interventions put in place for the current school year, including reinstatement of the payride program, expanded field trip availability, access to free transportation for 21st Century Academies, and more. 

Our goal is to recommend a new 2024-25 start/end time schedule for Board of Education approval by the end of the semester. This would provide the district, our families and our staff with a full semester and summer to make necessary plans and adjustments for the new schedule to roll out in the 2024-25 school year. 

The Process

Community engagement and feedback continues to be a key priority throughout this process. All staff and families have the opportunity to provide feedback on schedule options through an online survey sent at the end of September.  

Additionally, the district has engaged more than 150 parents, teachers, administrators, and certified and classified staff to participate in Start/End Time Committees that will meet three times throughout the semester. These committees are divided by grade level (early childhood/elementary, middle and high school) and have been tasked with reviewing the schedule options, assessing survey feedback and diving into the challenges and opportunities each schedule presents to help identify a schedule recommendation and implementation plan. Committees will meet on:  

• View the Sept. 12 presentation and feedback
• View the Sept. 26 presentation and feedback
• Oct. 10 

Our goal is to recommend a new 2024-25 start/end time schedule for board approval by the end of the semester.  

• September: Level Study Group 1/3, staff and parent survey, Level Study Group 2/3
• October: Level Study Group 3/3
• November: Recommendation presented at Board of Education meeting, possible board action
• December: Possible Board of Education action (if no action taken in November)

Based on the collaborative efforts of our district staff and advisory groups, the Olathe Public Schools has refined the start and end time alternatives to "Option A" and "Option B," as illustrated in the accompanying graphic. These options have been designed with a focus on efficient student transportation, logistics and the broadest possible service offerings. We value your input on these options, and you can contribute your thoughts through the district survey that was sent to all staff and families via email on Monday, Sept. 18. The survey will be open until Friday, Sept. 22 at 5 p.m.

Option A

High School/PLC, 7:40 a.m.-2:40 p.m.; Middle School/HMC, 8:20 a.m.-3:20 p.m.; Elementary School/HLC, 8:55 a.m.-3:55 p.m.

Option B

High School/PLC, 7:40 a.m.-2:40 p.m.; Elementary School/HMC, 8:20 a.m.-3:20 p.m.; Middle School/HLC, 8:55 a.m.-3:55 p.m.