UPDATE 3/18:  Students at Blaine are going to have to get used to getting up earlier.  Despite protests from some parents, the Seattle School Board voted to change school start times to save on transportation costs.

The change means that Magnolia’s Blaine K-8 school will start at 8:15a.m. beginning next fall along with all high schools and middle schools.  Currently classes at Blaine get underway at 8:50a.m. 

The board had planned to discuss the issue tonight, but not vote until April 8.  Board President Michael DeBell said the board’s executive committee decided it wanted to make the decision before March 31, the deadline for submitting applications to enroll in Seattle schools, or requesting a school transfer.

Under the proposal, all high schools, middle schools and K-8s would go from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. That change would be most drastic for K-8 schools like Blaine, which currently start around 9:00 a.m. High schools and middle schools currently start between 7:40 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Elementary schools would go from 9:15 a.m. to 3:25 p.m., which is similar to their current schedules.

The district says the changes would save $2.2 million, by allowing for a more efficient transportation system with fewer buses and shorter routes for all students.

Some K-8 parents are concerned that the earlier start time would cause sleep deprivation among their children and increase after-school child-care costs. Some also worry that enrollment might drop at K-8 schools as a result of the time change.

The School Board is meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. tomorrow at the Stanford Center, 2445 3rd Ave. S. in Seattle. The proposal is part of a package of transportation policy changes on which the board is scheduled to vote April 8.