The Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) will have new school schedules for the 2023-24 school year. At the February board of education meeting, GSCS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Donald Warren presented the finalized school start and end times.
See chart for the current and new 2023-24 schedule:
| Grade | Doors Open 22-23 | Doors Open 23-24 | First Bell 22-23 | First Bell 23-24 | Dismissal 22-23 | Dismissal 23-24 |
| Elementary | 7:15AM | 7 AM | 8AM | 7:45AM | 2:30PM | 2:30PM |
| High | 7 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:40AM | 8:45AM | 3PM | 3:15PM |
| Middle | 8 AM | 8:30AM | 8:30AM | 9AM | 3:40PM | 4PM |
GSCS Transportation Director Todd Harris stated, “GSCS, like much of the nation, continues to experience a bus driver shortage. We are thankful for the excellent drivers that safely transport GSCS students daily. Over the last three years, we have implemented various strategies to attract and retain bus drivers and still fall short of the drivers needed to effectively operate within the current transportation plan. We need at least 101 drivers but we currently have 81.”
“To improve efficiency for transporting students to and from school in a consistent and timely manner, GSCS has adjusted times for the opening of school and school dismissal times next school year. These adjustments will create a 45-minute window of time between each grade band allowing buses to run routes,” said GSCS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Donald Warren.
Between November and January, GSCS held five community meetings to gain feedback from parents and guardians regarding school transportation. Attendees were given options on possible adjustments to the school schedule and were able to share their thoughts and experiences. In January, a Thought Exchange was sent out to all GSCS families, staff and students resulting in 672 participants, 313 thoughts and 5,631 thought ratings.
The possible options were also shared with school administrators and discussed at three meetings. A survey was sent to all employees seeking feedback with 288 responses. Adjustments were made to the proposed school start and dismissal times for next year, and the current plan was created based on the stakeholder feedback.
The district also took into consideration that a substantial amount of research has demonstrated that delaying school start times is an effective countermeasure to chronic sleep loss in teens and has many potential benefits to students with regard to physical and mental health, safety and academic achievement.
The first day of school for students for the 2023-24 school year will be on Tuesday, August 1. Additional details and information will be released throughout the remainder of this school year as next year’s transportation plan is developed.