Melrose School Start Times Set for Change

MELROSE, MA—The Melrose School Committee voted students will start their day at different times starting in the fall of 2017 during their March 22 meeting.

The school committee voted 6-1in favor of bumping up start times at Melrose High School and Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School up from 7:40 and 7:45 a.m. respectively to 8:15. Classes will now end at 2:40 p.m. instead of 2:05 p.m.

School Committee member Jessica Dugan, who served on Late Start Task Force, said that a decision from the committee was necessary despite unanswered questions still remaining.

"There are a lot of questions that this still leaves for this community to struggle through," said Dugan."Until this committee makes a decision, it's really hard for those questions to begin to be answered in a way that's grounded in reality."

Lizbeth DeSelm, who was the lone dissenting vote, expressed feelings of a lack of information to the Melrose Free Press.

“I voted ‘No’ on Tuesday on the Late Start motion because I felt I did not have sufficient information to make a decision,” DeSelm told the Free Press. “While the memorandum from Supt. Taymore and other MIAA superintendents was in the agenda packet, I did not expect there to be a vote. I expect this topic will be on the agenda at a future meeting.”

Superintendent Cyndy Taymore addressed that as a result of meetings with other superintendents across the Middlesex League, all 12 superintendents agreed to pursue a change in High School start times by the fall of 2018. 

Praising Taymore's effort, Christine Castelli was excited that Melrose was going to be on the forefront of a movement across the state.

"To hear that we may starting a little rumble in the state makes me proud," Castelli said.