School start times will shift in Edina

Middle school students in the Edina district will start school later next school year and some elementary students will move to an earlier start under a plan approved Monday.

The Edina school board voted 5-2 in favor of the proposal. Edina's South View and Valley View middle schools will start at 9:20 a.m. beginning in the fall of 2018. Five Edina elementary schools will move to an earlier start of 7:50 a.m. Edina High School, Normandale elementary and Our Lady of Grace will remain at their current start times.

Edina Superintendent John Schultz said in a news release that the change will benefit "the overall health, academic and developmental needs" of the majority of Edina students. "We are also aware that no transportation schedule will meet the needs of every family but strongly believe the one proposed is the best option for our school district," Schultz said.

The move comes after nearly a year and a half of study around changing start times in Edina.

It also comes as other districts make adjustments. The St. Paul school board approved a plan in October that will move secondary schools to a later start and move some elementary schools earlier beginning in the fall of 2019.