Littleton School Committee Unanimously Backs Two-Tier School Start Time Plan

LITTLETON — December 1, 2022 — Littleton School Committee votes unanimously to pursue two-tier school start time system. The committee voted December 1 to formally support Option Two from its second community survey, which drew over 1,200 responses, placing the middle school and high school on one bus tier starting around 7:55 to 8 a.m. and both elementary schools on a second tier starting around 8:45 to 8:50 a.m. The vote came after a subcommittee co-led by committee members identified as Jen and Penal presented data showing 61 percent of survey respondents preferred the two-tier option over the current schedule, with parent support consistent across all four schools. Implementation depends on securing an estimated $280,000 in additional annual transportation funding — a figure the committee acknowledged may require negotiation with the Finance Committee and Select Board at a joint meeting scheduled for the following Monday. The committee also received a special education operational review from consultants Sally Smith and Patrick Barbieri, who recommended creating a student services liaison position, moving team chairs to administrative contracts at an estimated cost of $30,000, and making IEP training mandatory; CPAC representative Scott Roland followed with data showing only 18.5 percent of students with disabilities met or exceeded MCAS expectations in 2022 and called for a separate full evaluation of the district's substantially separate programs as soon as possible.