The “late-start” plan for Lawrence high schools is getting a wake-up call.

On Monday, the school board will consider whether to take time from classes once a month so that high school faculty can meet to work on activities meant to improve student academic performance.

From the students’ perspective, the immediate payoff is they would be able to sleep in 90 minutes on each late-start day.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” said Elena Delkhah, a 17-year-old senior at Lawrence High School.

Dick Patterson, principal at LHS, and Joe Snyder, principal at Free State High School, say organizing regular meetings of their entire faculties is nearly impossible during the academic year.

“There’s just no time we can get our whole staff together to do real professional development,” Patterson said.

Snyder said before- and after-school activities involved so many teachers that it wasn’t productive to call schoolwide meetings to address school improvement objectives.

“We’re doing a little of that now, but we don’t have enough time to meet,” he said.

Possible solution

The principals will present a solution Monday to the Lawrence school board. Under the late-arrival program, the high schools would set aside one morning each month so teachers could focus on instructional strategies, cross-curricular projects, technology training, special education, at-risk students or other subjects. Sessions also would include faculty at Lawrence Alternative High School.

If adopted by the school board, the late-arrival program would be implemented during the 2002-2003 school year. Tentative late-start dates: Sept. 4, Oct. 2, Nov. 6, Jan. 15, Feb. 12, April 9 and May 7.

Under the proposal, school buses would run at normal times and all three high school facilities would be open as usual. Students could be supervised by congregating in the commons area, libraries, computer labs or classrooms.

On late-start days, classes would start 90 minutes later than normal. Classes on other days would be moved up five minutes to keep the high schools in compliance with state laws on instructional time. The open bell would ring at 8:05 a.m. rather than the current 8:10 a.m.

Patterson and Snyder came to the board in October with a similar proposal, but several members requested more details. Board members also asked principals to obtain parent input on the idea.

Cal Karlin, president of Free State’s site council, said letters sent to parents outlining the late-start proposal generated about 150 responses. More than 75 percent of those people supported the plan, he said.

“There are no downsides to it,” said Karlin, a Lawrence attorney. “The buses run. Students still get breakfast. They have access to libraries and computer labs.”

Time for improvement

Phyllis Lewin, LHS site council co-chair and a Southwest Junior High School counselor, said teachers could make good use of blocks of time to concentrate on school improvement activities. State and national accreditation panels expect high schools to have each teachers involved in schoolwide improvement.

“The compelling thing is that all staff at the high schools have time together,” Lewin said.

Since 1998, elementary and junior high teachers already have time each Wednesday afternoon to meet and hone instructional strategies. Nothing like that exists at the high schools.

Lewin said late-start wouldn’t cost the district money because the staff meetings would take place during periods in which certified staff are required to be in the schools.

Site councils at both high schools endorsed the late-start proposal, Lewin said.

Patterson said a concern expressed by some was that the program would necessitate a once-a-month reduction in the amount of time students had for seminar, which are periods akin to a study hall.

“We’d be reducing by seven (periods) the number of opportunities students have to get individual attention,” he said.

However, he said, more than 40 seminar periods would remain in students’ schedule if late-start was implemented.

Patterson said other districts in Kansas, including Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley and Junction City, already adopted late-start for secondary schools.

“A lot of other high schools have gone to this method,” he said. “Lawrence really needs this time.”