The Waterloo Region District School Board is undertaking a system fiscal review to identify opportunities to reduce costs, implement operational efficiencies and optimize the allocation of resources to address the board’s budget pressures and support the Board’s long-term strategic plan.

In order to avoid a budget deficit in 2014-2015 and return the board to a sustainable fiscal position, the board must identify a minimum of $4.6M in operational savings. A thorough review of all areas is being undertaken and in order to preserve direct classroom programs and services which support student achievement, a number of non-classroom expense areas have been identified for review.

The board currently spends approximately $1M more on student transportation than it receives in grant revenue from the Province of Ontario. In order to address this shortfall, the board is looking at ways to reduce its transportation costs. One possibility is to increase walking distances so fewer students will be transported, thereby reducing costs.

Another potential cost saving measure is to increase the use of existing buses—using the same bus 2 or 3 times to pick students up in the morning and afternoon reduces overall costs. In order to do this, school bell times, or start and finish times, need to be spread out within the current guidelines which stipulate a start time window of 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. and an end time window of 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

The board has analysed the savings potential of altering school bell times in order to make our transportation system more efficient. The following options were investigated for moving existing individual school bell times.

  • Plus or minus 10 minutes, estimated savings $430,000.
  • Plus or minus 20 minutes, estimated savings $930,000.
  • Plus or minus 30 minutes, estimated savings $1,050,000.

In addition, an analysis was conducted on switching secondary students to later start times and elementary students to earlier start times. There has been research on the advantages of this arrangement for student learning. This was examined two years ago.

  • Savings potential, $980,000.

At this point, the board is investigating changing bell times plus or minus 20 minutes. The advantages include the fact that all existing riders will continue to be transported and the board will save an estimated $930,000, toward its goal of $4.6M.

Some school communities will need to adjust their routines and schedules by up to 20 minutes. Other schools, particularly those without bused students, will not have their bell times changed unless they request a change (please refer to administrative procedure 4260).

How many schools will change?

The WRDSB has 118 schools

  • 92 schools will change by 10 minutes or less (45 schools will have no change at all)
  • 12 schools will change by +/- 15 minutes
  • 14 schools will change by +/- 20 minutes

 We are asking our families and community partners to provide feedback via an online survey.

Any additional questions or comments can be sent to belltimes@wrdsb.on.ca