REGION 16 — A slight shift in the time the school day starts at Woodland Regional High School isn’t likely to happen soon, if the change is made at all.
In November, Region 16 Superintendent of Schools Michael Yamin raised the idea of starting Woodland 15 minutes earlier. The change would mean Woodland would start at 7:20 a.m. instead of 7:35 a.m. and get out 15 minutes earlier at 1:50 p.m.
Under the plan, Long River Middle School would begin and end 5 minutes earlier at 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively. The times for Prospect Elementary School and Laurel Ledge Elementary School would remain the same.
The proposal is intended to alleviate a problem with buses running late because it takes too much time to get back and forth to Beacon Falls and Prospect, the two towns that comprise the Region 16 school district.
The two towns do not border each other, and buses have to go through Naugatuck to get back and forth between the two towns. The distance causes buses to run late picking up students in the morning and afternoon, officials say.
In November, Yamin told the board he’d like to start the change in January after midterms but was going to get feedback from the community before making a decision.
After last week’s board meeting, Yamin said the change wouldn’t be made until next school year, if officials move forward with it. He said he is still working to gather input from stakeholders in the community.
“We want to know the full impact on all levels,” board Chair Robert Hiscox added.
A panel discussion is scheduled for Jan. 20 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at district office, 30 Coer Road, Prospect, to discuss the possible change and other topics.
