Seattle schools get more buses to support new start times

Kids in Seattle Public Schools can expect different start times when they return in the fall. But that kind of change takes money.

How much? $2.3 million.

At least that’s how much the Seattle City Council approved to go toward this effort in a unanimous vote Wednesday. The Department of Transportation will provide the money to pay for school buses, drivers and fuel.

Parents testified earlier this week on why they support the change. They said the current schedule makes it harder for some working parents to get their kids to school on time.

“Kids miss out on learning when they’re late for school,” Alexandra Olins said. “If we don’t fix this this year, it will get worse. We have to fix it. I know you guys didn’t make the problem but neither did we.”

“The children who have the least learning resources outside of school are the ones who are going to suffer the most from not being in school when they need to be in school,” Justin Kalm said. “Also, the parents who are least able to have flexible work schedules, they’re the ones who are going to have the hardest time finding before and after school care for their children.”

There are currently three scheduled start times across these K-12 schools.

The switch to two will go into effect next school year.