Counter argument: In our district, about 3 years ago, there was a realignment of the schedule. It revolved around cost savings for transportation, but it became

Counter argument: In our district, about 3 years ago, there was a realignment of the schedule. It revolved around cost savings for transportation, but it became just as clear that there was a secondary issue: Day care. Parents need to be able to get to work early and work late, and the school district has stepped in to provide this coverage. Also, by pushing the start times earlier and changing transportation* the district saved about $400K/ year - which is a lot for our district. * What the district really did was reduce the number of bus drivers to the minimum needed, as they couldn't actually afford them or find enough people willing to take on a part-time job with weird hours. This really meant more parents providing transportation before going to work, IE: the schedule became a chicken-egg problem.