Dear North Colonie Families,
I am writing to share some important information about scheduling changes regarding transportation which will begin in fall 2022.
North Colonie prides itself on offering a top-notch education that offers opportunities for all of our students. We know that as students move up in grade level, extracurricular activities such as clubs and sports, access to extra help and access to advanced classes play a key role in keeping children interested and invested in school.
In addition, the district aims to be a good neighbor, both locally and globally. This means we take matters such as traffic volume, gas usage, and other environmental impacts seriously.
In 2021 when we officially opened the middle school, we added an additional middle school bus run to stagger school openings after a traffic impact study and the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) conducted as part of the building project recommended that the middle school be on a different transportation schedule from the high school. SEQR requires all state and local agencies to consider environmental impacts equally with social and economic factors during discretionary decision-making. In order to satisfy the SEQR requirement so the Shaker Middle School building project could commence, the North Colonie Board of Education adopted a resolution committing to separating the main middle school and high school bus runs.
While this new middle school bus run has helped ease traffic flow on Route 155 at the time of high school arrival, it has complicated traffic at middle school dismissal time and created some unintended consequences for middle school students and their families. Given the fact that the school buses have to return from elementary runs all over the district to the central location of Route 155 and then go back out all over the district at 4 p.m. as rush hour begins, the afternoon ride times have gotten significantly longer than they should have to be. Similarly, in the morning, despite multiple tweaks and re-routing by our transportation department, several middle school buses are consistently arriving after the start of the instructional day. This pattern is not sustainable.
Additionally, as we considered transportation options, we had to recognize that North Colonie, like districts nationwide, has grappled with a shortage of bus drivers, so it was necessary for us to examine transportation options that will work within our existing fleet of buses and drivers. Our Transportation Department is always recruiting and has worked very hard to keep all routes running safely and efficiently.
Thus, after much careful consideration and planning, we are shifting the start of the school day for Shaker Middle School an hour earlier next year. In order to accomplish this, the district will also align our elementary start and dismissal times in the fall to operate on a schedule similar to our “late day” elementary schedule. The schedule for Shaker High School will remain virtually the same.
SCHOOL SCHEDULES FOR THE 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR:
|
School |
Buses Arrive by |
First Instructional Period Begins |
Last Period Ends/ Dismissal Begins |
Buses Depart |
Late Buses |
|
Shaker High School |
7:10 a.m. |
7:34 a.m. |
2:06 p.m. |
2:12 p.m. |
3:07 p.m. – MS buses |
|
Shaker Middle School |
8 a.m. |
8:07 a.m. |
3 p.m. |
3:07 p.m. |
4 – 4:15 p.m. |
|
All elementary schools |
9 a.m. |
9:20 a.m. |
3:30 p.m. |
4 p.m. |
4:40 p.m. – 2 days per week |
Please note:
- Elementary schools will open their doors at 9 a.m.
- Each elementary school may conduct arrival and departure slightly differently due to the traffic patterns at each of the buildings.
PLANNING / COLONIE YOUTH CENTER:
As with any scheduling change, I realize that this could potentially cause disruption for some families. We wanted to inform families as early as possible to allow ample time for planning.
We have been in contact with the Colonie Youth Center (CYC) and they will continue to accommodate before and after-care programs. Please direct CYC questions to info@colonieyouthcenter.org.
The deadline to submit a transportation request for before/after school childcare will be extended this year to May 15. Click here for the Transportation Form.
NEXT STEPS:
We held a Parents’ Advisory Council meeting on April 13 to review this matter. Watch the PAC meeting recording here.
As this new plan is implemented, we will keep families informed of updates in our weekly e-newsletter, The North Colonie News, as well as our website. As in past years, bus schedules will be available for families the last week in August.
In the meantime, please submit questions here.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
D. Joseph Corr
Superintendent