At the Board of Education work session on Tuesday, staff presented proposed bell schedule changes for the 2015-2016 school year.
Bell schedules were proposed for the three new schools. Abbotts Creek Elementary and Scotts Ridge Elementary will both operate on the third tier schedule, with start and end times of 9:15 AM and 3:45 PM. Apex Friendship High will operate on the first tier schedule, with start and end times of 7:25 AM and 2:18 PM.
Changes to bell schedules were proposed for nine schools: Baucom, Fuller, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Washington, Willow Springs, and Yates Mill Elementaries, along with Wake Forest Middle and Wake Forest High.
These changes were proposed to improve on-time morning delivery and allow for sharing of buses. Sharing of buses may include shared ridership between neighboring middle and high schools, like Wake Forest Middle and High. There, a five-minute ride can transport students between schools. This eliminates the need for more bus routes. In this case, seven fewer buses will be needed.
In other cases, sharing of buses can fill buses more quickly, reduce ride times, and provide greater flexibility when bus drivers are in short supply. (And for the record, bus drivers are always in short supply.) This is the case for many of the elementary schools listed.
