LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It’s just after seven and Caleb Johnson is doing what most of us do each morning—making breakfast. But next year, his mornings may look different.

“Like workout in the morning, which might be nice, but I’ve never felt like I could do that before in the morning,” Johnson, a science teacher at Louisville’s Central High School said. 

As he heads out the door, it’s around 7:15 am. But Jefferson County Public Schools is considering changing the start and end times of high school, middle school and elementary schools in the district. 

If the proposition goes through, Johnson will begin teaching at 9:05am in the coming years. Currently, middle and high school students start at 7:40 a.m. and end at 2:20 p.m. Elementary schools start at 9:05 a.m. and end at 3:45 p.m. 

The new proposal would have nine start times. The earliest start is still 7:40 a.m., with four schools starting at 10:40 a.m..  

Johnson says that the later start times might make teaching gravity and other scientific principles easier. 

“I can’t get them to talk. I can’t get them to do anything. I’m like, who wants to come play in the lab? Let’s go to the lab and they’re all like ‘Ugh!’, and they’re just like laying down,” Johnson said. 

The change would allow for more sleep and fewer bus routes. 

“A lot of the kids run [to] the depot so run over to the depot and they come over here and they got to make bus changes and all that stuff.” 

JCPS says the goal is to cut down to 600 bus routes. They currently have over 900 buses, with many doing multiple runs a day. But for now, while school gets out at 2:20 p.m., Johnson heads to the climbing gym, a place he practically has to himself, for now. 

“The elementary school across the street gets out at like 4:00, 4:20, so if I get here any later, it means there’s just like a 100 kids here.”

Next year, Johnson may have to find something else to do after the final bell rings.

You can learn more details about the proposal on the JCPS website.