St. Paul school board votes to change start times

In a close vote, the St. Paul school board took a step toward changing school start times on Tuesday, but details are still scarce.

Education reporter Solvejg Wastvedt joined MPR News host Tom Weber with the latest. She said the board passed a motion that directs the district to come up with a plan for new start times, but it doesn't say what the plan will be.

The effort is grounded in research showing teens are programmed to sleep and wake up later.

The district's draft proposal has most middle and high schools moving to an 8:30 a.m. start, with elementary schools split between 7:45 and 9:30 a.m. Some parents say those elementary times would require expensive extra childcare and disrupt schedules. The district says the draft plan would cost $2 million to $4 million.

Start times changes would take effect in the 2018-19 school year.

To hear the entire conversation, please use the audio player above.