Updated Friday, July 31, with comments from the superintendent

The Jerome School District is seeking community feedback on a proposed staggered school schedule that would separate elementary and secondary bus routes, shorten student ride times and allow later starts for older students.

The district is considering pushing high school to 9 a.m. and middle school to 9:10 a.m. start times, and making elementary start earlier. The stagger would allow buses to first drop off elementary students at the district’s four elementary sites, then run their routes a second time for the middle and high schools.

Middle school would end at 4:19 p.m., and high school at 4:30 p.m.

Last year, Jerome transitioned from using a busing contractor to in-house transportation. The proposed changes would ease strain on the new transportation department.

Jerome Superintendent Brent Johnson said concerns about bus rides and traffic during four-day school week discussions prompted him to explore changes.

The district’s 24-bus fleet would drive more miles by running separate primary and secondary school routes, but the state will reimburse the district for those miles, said Johnson.

Currently, Jerome schools start between 8 and 8:15 a.m. All grades ride buses together, crowding buses and raising concerns from parents about chaotic busing environments. Staggering the start times by about an hour and a half would create time for elementary-only and secondary-only bus rides.

The district will transition to a four-day week schedule in 2027, a change adopted early this year after years of urging from teachers and families. Staggered start times would go into effect alongside the four-day week.

“Separating age groups creates a much calmer, age-appropriate and enjoyable ride for everyone,” the district said in a Facebook post.

Staggered start times would also allow the bus drivers to complete more routes, allowing more students to ride a bus to school, the Facebook post said.

Allowing later start times for older students would support adolescent health through improved sleep, attendance, safety and mental health, the district said in its Facebook post.

Jerome closed the Facebook announcement to comments but said patrons will be able to give input at upcoming back-to-school events before the school board considers the changes in September.

Jerome is not the only district looking to push start times later in the morning. In Boise, an interest committee is gauging the possibility of later start times for teenage students.