St. Paul’s Proposed School Start Times Stir Controversy

The current plan has a $2.4 million price tag, which would add to an existing district deficit. The cost comes from adding buses so that elementary students aren't being transported before 7 a.m.

Opponents of the change say additional costs for families who need child care in the morning, as well as the afternoon, could become a burden.

Supporters of moving high school and middle school start times cite research that shows teenagers are biologically programmed to fall asleep and wake later than younger children.

The St. Paul school board plans to vote on the proposal Nov. 15.