MADISON (WKOW) -- The interim superintendent for the Madison Metropolitan School District addressed the decision to change the start and end times for some schools during Monday night's school board meeting.
Lisa Kvistad said district leaders knew something had to change because the current bus system isn't working. She cited some buses running two hours late.
She said she and the district's transportation team considered several possible solutions, but she said they only found one that would work: adjusting some school start times to allow bus drivers to complete multiple routes.
During the meeting, several parents and MMSD employees spoke out against the changes. Some teachers said they're concerned because they feel the new start times disproportionately affect students of color and low-income students. Some parents said they're worried about their young children having to walk home from the bus stop in the dark during winter. Others complained about not having the chance to give input on the changes before MMSD announced the plan earlier this month.
Kvistad said, in her opinion, it wouldn't have made sense to ask for feedback before the announcement.
"To have asked for feedback would have assumed there was an array of viable options from which to choose, and there simply was not," she said. "It would have been disingenuous to ask for a wide range of feedback in this very logistical and complicated transportation environment."
Kvistad said the decision about which schools' start times would be affected came down to logistics. Many of the schools are on Madison's east side, where she said more schools are closer to each other geographically, which makes it easier for bus drivers to complete back-to-back routes on time.
During Monday's meeting, several board members, parents and teachers expressed frustration with First Student, the bus company providing transportation for the district this school year.
"It's not fair they put that burden on you," parent Jonathan King told the board. "And it's not fair you're putting that burden on our community."
Kvistad said First Student has guaranteed it will be able to support the new transportation plan without lengthy delays.
School board approves budget
MMSD school board members also voted Monday night to approve the district's 2023-2024 budget.
The board approved the preliminary budget in June, but the October version included changes after state aid and enrollment numbers were finalized.
Board members voted on a number of amendments Monday night that brought the total budget to $591,127,117.
The budget includes an 8% cost of living adjustment for all district employees, as well as hourly raises for custodians and trades workers.
The board also approved a tax levy of $391,672,009. That means taxpayers in Madison will pay $9.79 per $1,000 in property value. With the average home value in the city being $424,400, that means the average property tax bill will increase by nearly $400.
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