In fall 2026, the Fayetteville-Manlius School District will be making slight adjustments to its schools’ dismissal and arrival schedules.
“We have been discussing school start times for a long time and feel we are ready to move forward with some incremental adjustments that will position us well in the future if the state mandates sweeping changes to start times,” Superintendent Craig Tice said.
The district has been considering changes to school start times and bell schedules since 2019. It worked with a consultant from the National Children’s Medical Center to evaluate challenges, opportunities and benefits of changing school start times so that high school would start later. The district also solicited feedback through surveys, focus groups, individual interviews, and established a School Start Time Committee, comprised of district administrators, faculty and staff, to examine the topic.
“We want to make sure the needs of our students, their families and our staff are taken into account and best met with any changes that we make or the state requires,” Tice said.
Tice and Director of Counseling Heidi Green presented findings from the School Start Time Committee during the board’s regular meeting on Nov. 17. They discussed the potential for the state to propose legislation mandating changed start times and the committee’s recommendation to implement the “slide” option during the 2026-27 school year, which would position the district well if further change is recommended at the district level or mandated by the state.
The recommendation includes:
- Maintaining the current arrival and dismissal order for all building levels (high, middle, and elementary)
- Adding a 30-minute lunch period at F-M High School to support student well-being and provide a midday break
- Slightly shifting arrival/dismissal times at the middle and elementary schools by no more than 15 minutes
- Utilizing triple (in the morning) and double bus trips (in the afternoon), easing turnaround time pressure between runs
- Complying with state-mandated instructional time requirements
- Aligning with most neighboring districts and the BOCES program schedule so as not to disenfranchise students who attend BOCES programs
The district will conduct a transportation efficiency study, which is expected to be completed this winter, that will assist in finalizing the actual start and dismissal times. It will also take into consideration potential future impacts from the state’s electric school bus mandate.