The school division in Winnipeg that's changing school hours

One school division in Winnipeg is changing start and end times at some of its schools amid constraints on its bus fleet and infrastructure; however, not everyone is pleased with these adjustments.

Last month, the Pembina Trails School Division superintendent of education Lisa Boles sent out a letter to inform families that beginning in the 2023/2024 school year there will be changes to school hours of operation.

The letter said that these changes are coming due to the growth in south Winnipeg, the development plans of new neighbourhoods, constraints on the bus fleet and infrastructure, and driver shortages. It notes that Pembina Trails implemented changes to bus stop locations to deal with these issues, but this was only meant as a short-term solution for this year.

“The change to bus stops has helped to reduce student ride time and has allowed us to double route at some of our schools,” Boles said in the letter.

“The consolidated stops on these routes have enabled one bus to complete the route in about 40 minutes whereas it formerly took two buses 35 minutes to complete.”

Now, the school division is planning to implement the second phase of its transportation plan, which will involve bell time changes at the following schools: Arthur A. Leach, Bonnycastle, Acadia Junior High, Chancellor, Dalhousie, Crane, Viscount Alexander, St-Avila, General Byng, Oakenwald, Ralph Maybank and Prairie Sunrise. These schools will change to the hours of 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Bairdmore, Linden Meadows, Van Walleghem, Henry G. Izatt Middle School, and Whyte Ridge will change to the hours of 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

“We wanted to share the broad strokes of this information as early as possible with families, care providers and Winnipeg Transit so that schools, families, staff, and daycares can plan for these changes,” the letter said.

CONCERNS OVER CHANGES

Not everyone is pleased with the school division’s decision to change school hours.

One group called Pembina Trails Parents is concerned about the health and financial impacts these changes may have on students and their families.

To express these worries, the group will be speaking on Thursday night at the Pembina Trails board meeting. They are asking for a pause to this change, and for the school division to do consultations with key stakeholders.

Pembina Trails said instructional hours, lunch and recess breaks, and the ability to route the existing bus fleet were considered when creating the bell time changes.

At a divisional meeting Thursday night, Tara Liu, mother of two Pembina Trails students, says a small portion of students take the bus, but the change would affect everyone.

“Many families, regardless of if they bus or not, design their schedules around the school’s start times and end times for their kids,” Liu said.

She said it’ll affect sleep schedules, after-school activities, child care, and more.

A daycare centre, Lindon Meadows Child Care, submitted a letter echoing Liu’s concerns, adding the change will create issues for its staff.

“We are open at 7:30 A.M. As I’m sure you can appreciate it’ll be very difficult to bring staff in for a 35-minute shift,” the letter said.

Liu is asking the division to speak with daycares, parents, and teachers to find other solutions. She said if the two different start times are swicthed, she hopes the first bell won’t ring before 8:30 a.m.

The division’s superintendent said it would need 12 more buses to keep up with anticipated enrolment next year.

“As is currently the case across Manitoba and indeed the country, school bus drivers are in drastically short supply and an increase to Pembina Trails fleet of this magnitude is not currently possible,” a statement from Boles said.

She said the change to start and end times would increase its bus capacity to match the anticipated growth, without adding buses to its fleet.

At this point, the division does not know when the bell time changes will be finalized.

- With files from CTV's Taylor Brock.