That was one of the options, but apparently they couldn't make it work.

This committee was set up for failure from the beginning. It was ridiculous to think that a viable solution could be formed in such a short time frame. Thats why the community only found out about this schedule change as late as possible. There could have been several years to come up with a solution! This was all of a set up so our arrogant, incompetent School Board could just end up doing what they want to do anyway.

If anyone is surprised that what the Board wanted is exactly what is going to happen, they obviously have not been following the Board or attending meetings. Their arrogance is only surpassed by their ignorance. The entire Board should be removed as they come up for re-election. They have decimated the District and do not care about the students or parents. Their priority is their false belief that they are 'important'. Shame on each and every one of them, the group of the most pompous people ever to sit on the Board. For any of them to say they care about the students is an affront to every child in the district. As for the management of the buses, he is inept and only knows how to push a computer button, no common sense.

So let's all take a guess.....Willow Dale will now start at 9am with dismissal at 3:45pm.....Who didn't see this one coming???!!!!
We were all under the impression that the committee had 100's of options...I thought there was this whole big presentation going to be presented to the parents? Is this a case of : the committee couldn't find a "viable" solution or was it that their solutions did not agree with what the members of the SB wanted? Transportation Supervisor has already acknowledged that he doesn't have time to input ALL the variables for a given product. I wonder if it was even analyzed and reviewed with common sense prior to giving the results to the parents?

I believe Mrs. Lynch said the formation of this committee would only be delaying the vote and that we would be right back where we started. The rest of the Board refused to vote the school time change down and actually do something about this transportation issue. How many times can we change our kids opening and closings before they ACTIVELY address this issue? It has been ongoing since 2009. What don't they understand? This is not going to go away just because you change the school time. Your putting a band aid on a severed artery. Spend the $1.5 million in reserve, buy the buses that are required, leave the school times as they stand, and deal with the issue. Admit you made a costly mistake, correct the problem and move on already.

I was on the Ad Hoc committee and I do have to say that members of Administration, and the School Board, went over and above to try and make the bell schedule different. They spent HOURS and hours, scenario after scenario (I have the packet with all the numbers and figures, I'll gladly show you), trying to find a better answer, there just isn't one, not without spending millions of dollars that the district just doesn't have. Believe me, I am not happy that there wasn't another solution, neither is the School Board or Administration, everyone wishes there was a better solution that worked better for so many families, but it's just not feasible. Those that know me know that I have not agreed with, nor supported, many things that the School Board has done over the last four years that I have had children in CSD, however, this time they truly listened to parents and did absolutely everything they could try to do to make this situation better. I know that will not take away anyone's angry and disappointment over the bell schedule, but I do hope it helps people understand how truly hard these people worked to change this and that they DID listen to us as parents and as a community.

No wonder our kids are turning out the way there are. Apparently if it doesn't go your way, we are teaching our children basically - it's my way or the highway. To those parents whining and complaining, I am curious how many of your actually will spend any more quailty time with your kids if they did get our earlier. We have a society of not only ill behaved and spoiled kids but parents as well. Teach your kids a lesson to accept whatever the circumstance may be and move forward.

cry babies: I was involved with the CSD for many years and during that time, they never overspent, cut programs, endangered the welfare of the students. In fact, they had many more students than the district has now and ALL the children that were bused, were bused in an orderly manner with no dismissal times changed. I guess the difference is, they thought things out more carefully before jumping into any decisions, unlike the current members. All decisions were made public in a public forum, every resident was heard, no matter how late the meetings went on. There were also Superintendants that had experience and cared to make sure the schools and the Board kept the interest of the students first and foremose. Sadly, this is lacking in the current Administration and Board. As Ms. Huf and Ms. Lynch were members of the Board back then, I'm sure they will attest to many late night meetings and listening to the concerns of parents, teachers and at times, students themselves. No one sat with a watch giving a concerned parent 2 or 3 minutes to voice their concerns. Not one Board member felt they were 'above' or more important than what a parent had to say. They cared, they bent over backward to attempt at all times to alleviate any problems between the District, Board or parents. You pat response is immature. Not everyone wishes to or are able to run for the board. Those that are voted in should represent ALL students & put their education & safety first, unlike the current Board.

Here is what I don't get. Parents are complaining that their kids are on buses too long but what do they think would happen if they did combine the public and parochial schools or have some going with Council Rock schools (which I thought I read was a possible option at one point). I personally don't like the idea of my child leaving the township and I don't see how that decreases the longer bus ride complaint. My friend lives in Monroe County and her kid spents over an hour on the bus so if this helps them get home faster then this is the way it is. I understand parents are upset but we cant control everything and some things just need to be excepted.

I, too, was on the committee and listened to the various alternatives proposed. I will say that it was misleading to have any statements put out to the public that would indicate that any of the start/end times were not part of the discussion, as well as stating that there were 100s of alternatives. The committee's purpose was to try to come up with alternatives; however, each of the alternatives would have required spending a lot of money, and having children on the buses for as long as 45-60 minutes. That is not a good alternative. By staggering the bus times, the buses will be at the schools ready to take the children at dismissal.

I will not respond directly to any one individual comment, as I do not feel it is mature to get into a "back-and-forth" argument. I choose to comment with logic and respect. I have taught my children that they should stand up for what they believe in, by representing that belief with logic, evidence, and a clear head. That does not always happen on the comments posted here, and I understand that there are strong emotions tied to this issue. Yes, my children will be affected by this bell schedule change, and not always in a positive way. There is a difference between presenting logical statements, and continuing to fight just to fight something. To those who are opposed to the staggered schedule, think about how long you would really want your 5-11 year old child sitting on a bus.

WARNING: If you are logical and realize that a staggered schedule is the best option for the district don't post on here. You will be told that you are a bad parent and because you too stand for something (i.e. Not spending money we don't have) you don't also cherish your time with your children. And also PLEASE don't call them whiners (THEY ARE MOTHERS!) cause that gets them really riled up...

Lets get the facts straight!
As a member of the ad-hoc committee I must state to you and anyone else: "The committee could not come to a viable solution" well there is more to that statement! The committee was presented by the Transportation Dept with computer generated scenarios for 7 models for our review. A majority of these scenarios contained:
1. 45/60 minute ride time established for all routes.
2. Over crowding on buses,(250 students)
3. Unsafe routes
4. There was a option #7 that contained additional buses of 16 vehicles & retaining 5 from the current fleet with a price tag of $902,000.00 plus annual operational costs for 16 vehicles of $512,000.00.
These were the options that were presented to the AD-Hoc Committee or go back to the original bell schedule of late starts.
As you can see, these options truly had the Committee's HANDS TIED. This will be discussed on Monday night at 7 PM at the Administration Building.
I might add that NO ONE ON THIS COMMITTEE wanted to accept these options, and all members really worked hard to bring about change.

The basic illogical argument that has been presented repeatedly in response to articles and blogs related to the scheduling issue can be summarized as follows: if you support the staggered schedule, you don't want to spend time with your children. That is ridiculous and an insult to the hard-working parents in this district.

"It may make your blood boil and your mind may not be changed, but the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship. It is essential for our democracy." ~Barack Obama, University of Michigan Commencement, 2010

Let's all try listening, and not attacking.

As Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee, I took the position the committee would not discuss (or recommend) a start/end time of 9am to 3:45pm, which at least one committee member held a different posture. My rationale was tied to the fact the committee was charged with finding a solution other than 9am to 3:45pm, as this is the solution already before the Board of School Directors in the motion that was tabled on May 22. I felt my position was also supported by the survey which had more than 800 unduplicated responses (from different IP addresses). The result of the survey was as follows:

I would prefer the following start end times for the three regional elementary schools in 2012-13 school year:

8:30am - 3:15pm 565/64.42%
845am - 3:30pm 92/10.49%
9:00am - 3:45pm 81/9.24%
I do not like any of these times. 109/12.43%
I would accept any of these times. 30/3.42%

I will continue to moderate the Community Comment section of the Ad Hoc Committee’s Blog and periodically respond to relevant questions from parents and/or taxpayers. The link to the blog is http://www.centennialsd.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=5736

The spending has been cut by Federal Government and the districts have to make changes. IT IS NOT BY CHOICE. By streamlining the buses and not cutting programs by too much of a margin, the board is doing the best for the students. I, meaning my child, too will be affected by the time change in a negative way. Sometimes the greater good needs help from those who look out for themselves.
You must realize that this is not the same group of people on the board who opted to reduce the number of schools down to three. THIS IS THE HAND WE ARE DEALT, we can fold or we can move on and keep playing. YOUR CHOICE.

That's funny because 6 of the 9 board members were there in 2009/2010 when the consolidation of the schools were decided.

@Michelle - Frist, the kids are not standing up for themselves the parents are involved in this battle. Secondly, my son went through the system and is a successful 21 year old, but growing up in this area my whole life I have seen a shift in the way things have been handled on the District side and the way some parents deem it necessary to handle issues that arise. I am glad you enjoy hearing about your children's day as I also did being a stay-at-home mom. I have also stated in past posts that I don't necessarily think a fancy degree of some of our board members leads to any common sense whatsoever, however, parents should be fortunate, myself having been acquainted with Dr. Foight-Cressman over the many years, that we finally have a superintendent that has integrity and also is open to listening to the parents.That was not always the case in years past. When it was necessary, I always took the position of questioning a situation if I was not pleased with what was going on so I wish all you parents success in coming to a positive resolution in this matter. Sidenote - Unfortunately Michelle those ill behaved and spoiled children surround us all and the parents who have raised kids who are respectful and know their boundaires can be proud of that fact. As I see some of these ill behaved kids, I wonder what happened to parenting your children.

Michelle, you asked if the kids have been asked what they want. I can tell you that as a responsible member of the committee, I spoke with parents and students who would be affected by the staggered schedule. Almost all supported it, fiscally and emotionally. The point I made in the last meeting is that while we as a community may be focused on the end time, we have not thought about the impact on the start time and related bus schedules. Due to the consolidation, there would be more students in need of the bus due to distance from the school. An 8:30 start time (as part of the staggered schedule) would necessitate some children (as young as 6) getting on a bus at 7:35. My middle-school child gets on the bus at 7:28. I would never support such an early start time for the younger children in this district. Remember that the bus scheduled drop-off time in the morning must allow enough time for getting settled into the school day (unpacking, actually getting to the classroom, etc.), as well as breakfast for those who opt to have it. It is unreasonable to expect that all the elementary schools would be able to start at 8:30. It directly conflicts with some of the middle-school bus times. As far as your work schedule, as you stated you work evenings, wouldn't you in theory gain more time in the morning with your youngest? I feel that if members of the community realized how early the children could be on the bus, they might show more consistent support for the staggered schedule.

Emily, the drop-off in some instances now doesn't allow much time for getting settled into the school day & this is before the move for more bus riders. My children don't get picked up until 8:27 & they are lucky to be at school by 8:55, with a 9:00 start time. Everyday at Klinger there are buses getting there at 7:55 or later. Klinger starts at 8 am. There is no way that next year, even with this disgraceful staggered schedule & late dismissal, will all the children be at school at a reasonable time. The bus schedule is a mess already, even with the consolidated bus stops. Who's doing this schedule? Something is wrong here. That's telling me they don't have enough buses. This board has no choice but to purchase buses either way. Children wait around after school now, why would it be any different next year with staggered times? There would still be 2 huge schools with a lot more children needing a bus. Are you going to tell me that the wait & ride time is going to be a considerably shorter period of time? I don't think so. With or without the staggered times & the very late dismissal of 3:45, there would be no huge differences in the long bus rides and the waiting for a bus at dismissal. I can tell you that as a parent, I spoke with many parents and students who would be affected by this schedule and they were certainly not supporting this. I have children in 3 schools in this district and all the parents I talked to did NOT support a 3:45 end time.

As a working mother, my children have either been in daycare or in school by 7:00am. It is not an issue for the children, as long as their parents have them on a bed time schedule. I would love to know how the majority of those effected by staggered schedule "Almost all supported it, fiscally and emotionally" when the results of the poll reflected that only 9% supported it? I believe 64% preferred the curent time. As fas fiscally supported it. Let's remember that staggered dismissal times DOES NOT solve the transportation problem. It is only a band aid for next year. It has already been stated that the non-public schools are going to require additional buses. Therefore the district is going to have to buy buses. There is no way out of buying buses, whether they do it this year or next year or they wait another 4 years. I simply want to know:
What is their long term strategy to solve the problem?"
They can not continue to put off today what they can do tomorrow and then forget about the issue as they have done since 2009.

It really doesn't matter what the committee did or did not do. It was set up to fail from the beginning given the narrows confines of its direction. The Board will vote to stagger the schedule. There will still be overcrowding, late buses, and students waiting. More parents with the ability to pick up their children will choose to do so, adding to the traffic congestion. Come next year taxes will go up again because Admin and transportation will say "The staggered bell schedule is not working and we now have more riders than anticipated. The best possible solution is to buy more buses". It's like watching a horrible train wreck about to happen and not being able to do anything or even look away...

EVERYONE WANTS TO JUST BUY MORE BUSES. Have we stopped to think about what else will be cut as a result of more buses. We lost 20 teachers so far and the next thing to go will be Art, Music, Sports and For. Language. THESE ARE WHAT THE KIDS NEED FOR COLLEGE. Things will be cut if you just throw more money at the problem and not work for a solution within the confines of what we are presented. The extra time is not board mandated but Federally Mandated, otherwise the board could play with the times differently. Stop thinking just about the child in your house only, but the children of the district as a whole. Think about what they will need for the future. You are thinking and basing your decisions on elementary school child who will not get to run and play for an extra 15 minutes when we should be thinking about what programs will be cut and not be available for the child in the future. LOOK DOWN THE ROAD, NOT AT YOUR FEET.

Pamela, How can anyone vote for this motion:
45-60 minutes of children riding on a bus in CSD?
250 Students on over crowded buses?
Routes that at not safe?
Tell me how anyone could vote for this and be on the School Board??

If you think that this is over 30 mins of extra time, you are seriously not understanding the transportation crisis. Do you really not understand that even with the staggered bell schedule, OLGC is still going to require additional buses from the district that we DO NOT HAVE? If the District's only option in order to accomandate our current student rolls is to stagger the bell schedule, what option will they have when OLGC increases their student population? This is not even taking into account the population increase that Admin and Transportation is anticipating in our own public schools(hence the uneven distribution among Region 1 and Region 2 schools). The district has three options:
1) cut services and buy buses or
2) raise taxes and buy buses, or
3) deplete the reserve, and buy buses.
It is not what the community wants to do, It is what the district MUST do in order to alleviate the transportation problem. There is no easy way of this mess, and cuts will be have to be made, just as buses will have to bought eventually. Why disrupt everyone's lives when this solution will not solve the problem in the long run?

Warminster Dad,
My post is in reference to what that AD HOC COMIITTEE received as a MEMO from the Transportation Dept dated June 13th and was distributed to the committee.at the meeting on Wednesday night to review the options.

Michelle,
Yes there is money in reserve to buy buses. The School District determines how monies are spent. There are some regulations for some spending from the state only on certain items. If you check the budget the sale of the schools is in and roofs for middle schools are subtracted out for that item.

The only way this will be resolved is by spending the pension fund backup reserve AKA the "General Fund". I know it’s hard to spend the public’s money on public buses when you want it there to back up a possible failed pension fund. However we are shining a flashlight on your integrity and you will have to give up money that doesn’t belong to you. Spend the public money on the public!!! You have $10 million in the fund; the buses will cost $1 million. The fact you can even vote on bailing out your own pension fund is a conflict of interest.