Pickerington schools seek community feedback on daily schedule

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (WCMH) – Pickerington Local School District is asking for community feedback regarding future start and end times for the school day.

In a Facebook post this month, Pickerington schools announced an update to discussions about possibly changing the school day schedule, facilitated by a third-party consulting group. Assistant Superintendent Alesia Gillison stressed there is no proposal to change the times, and no decisions have been made. 

School Board Member Mark Hensen said the discussion follows transparency concerns from early 2024 when the district first considered changes in the school day schedule. He said it appeared a decision had already been made to introduce a new schedule, making some community members feel unconsulted. 

Now, the district is implementing a review process emphasizing community feedback. Gillison said the review process will have three parts: open listening sessions for anyone who wants to voice an opinion, regular updates, and a committee made of select parents, teachers, staff, childcare providers and community leaders. 

The district has also hired an outside consulting firm, Columbus-based RAMA Consulting, to facilitate the process. Gillison did not say how much the contract will cost but said it will not exceed $39,530.

Hensen said he believes a third-party company will help ensure the process is different this time around, and Gillison said the consulting firm will allow an objective process. 

“I view this as a worthwhile cost to help improve our transparency, because that's really the primary thing this is all about,” Hensen said. 

Gillison said the district sent out a survey in February asking for parent and staff feedback on the possibility of a new start and end time. With more than 1,000 responses, opinions were decidedly split. According to the survey results, 27% of participants indicated they thought changing the times was a good idea, and 22% indicated they felt negatively about the idea. Hensen said some responses were relatively neutral.

According to survey results, parents and teachers shared concerns about logistical and safety implications of a changed start time, as well as worries about the impact on extracurriculars and student well-being.

“If we make a change, I hope the only change we make is because whatever we come up with is going to improve student learning,” Hensen said. “Everything else, to me, is secondary. It’s not that we shouldn’t pay attention to them, but those other considerations should not drive the decision.” 

According to a presentation by the Teacher Advisory Committee on March 11, the initial proposal had all students except for high schoolers starting earlier. 

Hensen said he hopes the district will consider multiple options, which will likely each require additional considerations. He said some plans to optimize start times may require more buses and drivers operating in shorter shifts to address new needs, which he estimated to cost several million dollars. 

He said busing changes were discussed previously with start time adjustments; however, the district is only gathering feedback right now, and proposals and their needs will be future endeavors if the district decides to move forward.

Gillison said there is a long way to go before any decisions are made.

“Our primary goal is to implement a schedule that supports the diverse needs of our entire community,” she said.

The first stakeholder committee meeting will take place this month, with that process continuing until late January 2025, according to Gillison. Three community listening sessions will also take place between August and December.