When the new school year begins, students will have to adjust to a new bell schedule. They will no longer get out early every Tuesday. And the school day will be 14 minutes shorter.

There will be 156 school days where students will be dismissed at 3:02 p.m.. There will be 14 professional

development (PD) days where dismissal will be at 1:32 p.m. and a few extra minimum days,where students will get out early at 12:27 pm.

The school managed to maintain shortened Tuesdays previously because the school shared buses with Mulholland Middle School. In order for days to be shortened, Principal Deb Smith had to vouch that students would be secure in their academics even if they are kept in longer.

“In the past, we have had a bell schedule that’s connected to the magnet buses and our magnet buses are shared with Mulholland,” Smith said. “Because of our partnership with Mulholland’s magnet buses, we have been on a shortened day Tuesday ever since.”

But starting in the fall, the school will not share buses on Tuesdays. The small amount of PD days gives both students and teachers more time in the classroom, which is important for some students and serves as a benefit for the change.

“It’s going to offer students and teachers more instructional time because you won’t be losing all of those Tuesdays. You actually will be getting more instructional minutes, which contributes to the success of the students who really need that extra time to know what’s going on,” Smith said.