School start and end times change for every Coventry school next year

What happened

The School Committee voted 6 to 1 to approve new bell times for 2026-2027. A transportation study the committee ordered at the start of the school year found that Coventry's start times overlapped too closely, so buses ran half empty and more of them were needed. The new schedule creates three tiers of start times. The superintendent told the meeting that 38 buses are on the road now and the new schedule could bring that down to about 30 or 31.

Why it matters to families

New bell times move the whole family's day: when children wake up, when they get home, and what childcare a working parent has to arrange either side of school.

The evidence

The May 14, 2026 approved minutes record the superintendent explaining the transportation efficiency analysis, that bell times were identified as a challenge, that the proposed change creates three tiers, and that the current 38 buses could be reduced to approximately 30 to 31, followed by a 6-1 vote approving the 2026-2027 School Start and End Times Proposal. One member said she would support it if the times could stay the same and raised concern that the schedule may not work well for working parents. The April 30, 2026 minutes record the earlier presentation of the same analysis. The actual start times are not listed in the minutes.

The source