Later school start time won’t cost much

Kirsten Searer

Tuesday, May 10, 2005 | 9:29 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A bill to require high schools to start most classes at 7:35 a.m. or later would cost the state's school districts almost nothing, representatives said Monday.

Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, wants the later start for schools because, he said, many teens don't start functioning until 9 a.m. or later simply because of the biology of their adolescent bodies.

Clark County School District lobbyist Craig Kadlub said the district would rather have its local board make decisions on school start times.

But he said the district could shuffle bus schedules to ensure that Senate Bill 212 would cost little more to taxpayers.

Beers said that all schools in Clark County could push back their start times by one hour. Or, he said, elementary schools could start around 7 a.m., high schools could start around 8 a.m. and middle schools could start around 9 a.m.

"Any fiscal impact I think is almost by choice," he said.

It's useless to start school at 7 a.m., as many high schools do in Clark County, and let students "spend that first hour sleeping with their eyes open through some important class," Beers, a father of teens, said.

Elective and optional classes could start earlier, he said.

Retired high school government teacher and Assemblyman Harvey Munford, D-Las Vegas, agreed with Beers. Munford said he saw the problem while teaching early bird classes during his tenure.

"That first period and even part of the second period there is a lack of performance level there and even awareness," he said. "You have to really pull the students through that period of time."