BEDFORD, N.Y. – The Bedford Central School Board on March 11 heard from Superintendent Dr. Robert J. Glass on recommendations from the Later School Start Times Feasibility Workgroup and a presentation from the 2026-27 budget workshop focused on curriculum and instruction, special education and pupil personnel services (PPS).
Glass emphasized no decision has been made, but the group, which met four times, is evaluating feasibility. He outlined different late-start scenarios being considered, highlighting transportation approaches needed to achieve a later secondary school start time, the group’s objective with a focus on logistical and financial impacts and recommending mitigation strategies.
Scheduling details for schools and after-school buses are outlined in board documents associated with the March 11 meeting. Glass said there has been significant research on the topic within the workgroup and encouraged viewers to review the information and follow hyperlinks to the research.
The workgroup looked at three different later start-time schedules and how they would affect the school day, transportation costs, athletics and BOCES, among other impacts.
Glass discussed potential benefits and logistical challenges of implementing later school start times for adolescents. The approaches were informed by input from community members in 2024-25, which highlighted research showing improved adolescent performance and well-being with later start times.
The workgroup of 36 members included administrators and a transportation expert. They looked at three options: a tier swap, a 15-, 30- or 45-minute delay, and a three-tier system, but rejected the third due to complexity.
The current system involves 74 buses and significant transportation responsibilities for nonpublic schools.
Board documents include transportation slides and reports outlining model transportation schedule options for a tier swap or uniform push by 15, 30 and 45 minutes, with detailed cost, route and operational impacts to inform start-time decisions.
The analysis looks at athletics and after-school activity alignment with proposed later secondary start times and presents survey results and alignment recommendations.
Referencing the slides, Glass said, “You can see the slides we used there in the hyperlink, the athletics deep dive. Adam Ludwig, our director of PE and Health, came in and really shared some survey results.” In addition, he said the group polled some area districts to find out how Bedford Central would align with after-school sports and how transportation would work.
Glass said one challenge is the district transports students to two in-district nonpublic schools, whose start times the district cannot control. “We could make requests, but the chances of these schools changing their schedules for a nearby public school are, in my opinion, very slim,” he said.
District officials said a 15-minute later start time would present transportation challenges, including conflicts with existing nonpublic school bus routes, the need for separate buses for out-of-district program transfers and the possibility Fox Lane High School students could no longer attend the morning session of the PNWB Tech program. The change could also require additional buses, though the exact number remains uncertain due to variables such as nonpublic school transportation requests and special education placements.
Delayed start scenarios include 15, 30 or 45 minutes. A more costly option is a 30-minute later start time, which would require 12 buses vs. 10 buses for the 15-minute option, at about $1 million vs. $1.2 million. A schedule at the high school would be 8:15 a.m. to 2:44 p.m., and 8:20 a.m. to 2:49 p.m. at the middle school, with activity buses for the high school at 4:15 and 5:30 p.m., and an elementary school day of 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
This would make current bus route combinations unworkable, require separate buses for 7:30 a.m. transfers from Fox Lane Middle School to six out-of-district programs and prevent Fox Lane High School students from attending the morning session of the PNWB Tech program. The change could also require additional buses, though the number remains uncertain due to variables such as nonpublic school transportation requests and special education placements.
The group also looked at a 45-minute later schedule at a cost of $1.1 million.
The committee recommends pushing the schedule 30 to 45 minutes, with an annual cost impact of $1.1 million to $1.2 million. These scenarios offer an easier transition that aligns closely with research, targeting an 8:30 a.m. start, minimal disruption for elementary families, faculty and student after-school activities, and allow for seamless faculty sharing.
Challenges include significant scheduling difficulties for athletics, which may require additional solutions or costs. Officials also noted conflicts with BOCES programs that begin at 8 a.m., potential child care impacts for elementary families and complications for out-of-district transportation.
Curriculum, instruction, special education budgets
Salaries were not included as the district recently finalized a zero-based review of staffing and scheduling, which will be detailed at the March 25 board meeting.
Presenters Amy Fishkin, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and Dr. Tony Carey, interim assistant superintendent for special education and PPS, emphasized a collaborative approach to align curriculum, instructional strategies and specialized supports to meet student needs academically, socially and emotionally in their presentation on the 2026-27 curriculum, instruction and special education budgets.
Key priorities include sustaining strong literacy and math instruction, implementing Universal Design for Learning, expanding tiered academic and behavioral supports through the MTSS framework, maintaining a five-year curriculum review cycle and investing in professional development to enhance staff expertise.
Special education services remain a major focus, providing a continuum of supports for students with IEPs, 504 plans and diverse behavioral or social-emotional needs. Programs such as specialized reading instruction and summer reading boot camps, as well as therapeutic interventions, are highlighted as unique to Bedford.
The proposed budget reflects a slight overall decrease from the prior year but maintains investments in core instruction, professional development and high-impact student services while aligning resources with district priorities and student needs. Adjustments in BOCES and curriculum expenditures reflect one-time past investments and projected actual costs moving forward.
A detailed analysis is available in board documents at on the district website.
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