Many of you may have heard already that four of our neighborhood schools will be changing their bell times next year. Sunset View Elementary, Silvergate Elementary, Dana Middle
School and Correia Middle School will be affected, with Correia ” in my opinion ” the most impacted of all.
My son currently attends Correia and our bell times are 8:35 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. Next year, it will change to 9:10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The short version for the change is to save money by reconfiguring the current bus routes.
I am very concerned by the bell time changes at Correia. I do not feel a school day that ends at 4 p.m., regardless of a late start time, is beneficial in raising a happy, healthy, productive tween/teen who is also expected to achieve and learn.
Some of you may know me and are aware that, until this last summer, our family lived in Tierra-santa, a good 15 miles away. We have been commuting by choice here since our son was in preschool, and as he got older his school day lengthened. By the time he was in Dana, we were getting home between 4:30 or 5 p.m. Life was not productive, dinner was more times than not fast food or quick fix, homework was a drama with no transition time from school to home. After-school activities “¦ what are those?
We finally caught a clue and moved to the Point. Should the new bell times prevail for next year, our family can go back to same old, same old, as our son will have only one year left at Correia.
However, I’m one of those “it takes a village” type people, so I’m more concerned about the students still in elementary school and at Dana.
On paper, a 35-minute-later bell may seem inconsequential, but the reality is, no child is on the sidewalk on their way home when the bell rings. They’re socializing, wandering about, packing up et cetera, and lets not forget what traffic is like from one end of the Point to the other at that hour, not to mention less daylight in winter. I could go on and on.
I’ve been where you are all going [and] the grass is not greener.
I’m sending this letter to urge you to write to District Superintendent Dr. [Terry] Grier at [email protected]; Area Superintendent for Area 1 Carol Barry at [email protected]; or the San Diego Unified School District board at [email protected] and voice your opinion now.

Eleanor Snyder
President, Correia Instrumental Music Association
Past President, Dana Association
Past President, Sunset View PTA