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School to start earlier

By Kelsey Durham

The city Department of Education is expected to move up the start time for hundreds of schools starting this fall.

About 450 public schools across the city will start classes at 8:05 a.m. beginning in September, 45 minutes earlier than the 8:50 a.m. start time schools had been using up until now.

The decision came as part of the teachers union contract the city agreed to earlier this year.

Marge Feinberg, a DOE spokeswoman, said some schools also decided to push their start time back slightly and keep students later, but she said the total amount of instructional time students receive will remain the same in all schools that have changed their schedules.

“We encourage principals to work closely with their entire school community, including teachers, parents and administrators, to establish the parameters for how to best structure the school day to provide high-quality learning for all students,” Feinberg said.

Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.