Committee will discuss Dixon Public Schools start time survey results

DIXON – A survey that asked whether Dixon Public Schools should push back the start of school in 2022-23 will be discussed Tuesday afternoon during a meeting of the Community Engagement Committee.

The panel will convene at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the district office at 1335 Franklin Grove Road.

At the regular meeting of the board of education on Jan. 19, Vice President Rachael Gehlbach provided an update on the survey, saying there had been 1,200 respondents.

The survey concluded Jan. 31.

The committee’s agenda said it would review the survey results and discuss how it would be presented to the board.

The survey asked residents for input on a proposal to push back the start of school to 8:30 a.m. and dismiss at 3 p.m.

It is expected that Dixon respondents would discuss how a later start time would affect families relying on daycare services, traffic congestion and student involvement in extracurricular activities and after-school jobs.

When the survey was posted on the district website, it included links to research that showed how a later start time would improve student health, well-being and academic performance.

Based on a discussion at the January board meeting, the district will discuss the committee’s report during the meeting of Feb. 16 and plans to vote on next year’s day schedule on March 16.