LASA is different from other Austin Independent School District (AISD) high schools in many ways, including its starting time. Every other AISD high school starts at 9 a.m., while LASA and LBJ share the start time of 8:15 a.m. Recently, a schedule change for the 2019-2020 school year was proposed: LASA and LBJ would start at 9 a.m. as well. The only issue? The budget.

In looking for ways to manage district spending, a proposal claimed that changing the LASA/LBJ schedule to start at 9 a.m. would save over $750,000 by using more efficient routes and coordinated buses with other high schools. However, after a mathematical error was discovered, it was shown that the district would in fact only save between $60,000 and $100,000. Therefore, the proposal was not implemented, and the LASA/LBJ bell schedule will still start at 8:15 a.m. and end at 3:45 p.m. for the 2019-2020 school year, and will most likely remain that way for the 2020-2021 school year as well.

Some students said they were excited for the proposed later time because they could sleep in later. Others weren’t so happy, because it could have made after-school activities shorter or make them run later. Freshman Lily Hook said that although it would have been nice to wake up later, there would be more traffic later in the morning.

“I think there’s more traffic later in the morning and later in the day, so it would have made more traffic,” Hook said.

Junior Carly Atwell was excited for the later start time but understood the complexities of the issue.
“I was really looking forward to getting up later,” Atwell said. “I guess there is a plus side; it would have been bad to get home so late.”

This starting time change would have affected the bus routes from Kealing to LASA. If the start time had been moved to 9 a.m., buses would have gone straight to LASA after picking up students, instead of stopping at Kealing first and dropping off the middle schoolers. Atwell said it would have been better if the bus did not stop at Kealing.

“It was going to be so great because right now we have to ride a bus with Kealing,” Atwell said. “That would reduce the time traveling because of traffic but we wouldn’t have to go on a bus with Kealing and just go straight to LASA.”

Freshman AJ Leigh did not like the proposed schedule change. He said that there would not be enough time to do things after school.

“It would be harder for after-school activities to practice, it would be shorter,” Leigh said. “People would get home really late because the traffic would be worse and it would be later, so they’d have less time to do their homework and especially for LASA that wouldn’t be good.”

There are many differing opinions and feelings on the time change. Principal Stacia Crescenzi said she is working on a bell schedule that is best for everyone.

“I feel like my ‘job’ over the next couple of years before we move campuses is to find a bell schedule that works for everyone or at least nearly everyone,” Crescenzi said in an email.

LASA is different from other Austin Independent School District (AISD) high schools in many ways, including its starting time. Every other AISD high school starts at 9 a.m., while LASA and LBJ share the start time of 8:15 a.m. Recently, a schedule change for the 2019-2020 school year was proposed: LASA and LBJ would start at 9 a.m. as well. The only issue? The budget.

In looking for ways to manage district spending, a proposal claimed that changing the LASA/LBJ schedule to start at 9 a.m. would save over $750,000 by using more efficient routes and coordinated buses with other high schools. However, after a mathematical error was discovered, it was shown that the district would in fact only save between $60,000 and $100,000. Therefore, the proposal was not implemented, and the LASA/LBJ bell schedule will still start at 8:15 a.m. and end at 3:45 p.m. for the 2019-2020 school year, and will most likely remain that way for the 2020-2021 school year as well.

Some students said they were excited for the proposed later time because they could sleep in later. Others weren’t so happy, because it could have made after-school activities shorter or make them run later. Freshman Lily Hook said that although it would have been nice to wake up later, there would be more traffic later in the morning.

“I think there’s more traffic later in the morning and later in the day, so it would have made more traffic,” Hook said.

Junior Carly Atwell was excited for the later start time but understood the complexities of the issue.
“I was really looking forward to getting up later,” Atwell said. “I guess there is a plus side; it would have been bad to get home so late.”

This starting time change would have affected the bus routes from Kealing to LASA. If the start time had been moved to 9 a.m., buses would have gone straight to LASA after picking up students, instead of stopping at Kealing first and dropping off the middle schoolers. Atwell said it would have been better if the bus did not stop at Kealing.

“It was going to be so great because right now we have to ride a bus with Kealing,” Atwell said. “That would reduce the time traveling because of traffic but we wouldn’t have to go on a bus with Kealing and just go straight to LASA.”

Freshman AJ Leigh did not like the proposed schedule change. He said that there would not be enough time to do things after school.

“It would be harder for after-school activities to practice, it would be shorter,” Leigh said. “People would get home really late because the traffic would be worse and it would be later, so they’d have less time to do their homework and especially for LASA that wouldn’t be good.”

There are many differing opinions and feelings on the time change. Principal Stacia Crescenzi said she is working on a bell schedule that is best for everyone.

“I feel like my ‘job’ over the next couple of years before we move campuses is to find a bell schedule that works for everyone or at least nearly everyone,” Crescenzi said in an email.