Solving the School Bus Puzzle: Smart Transportation Solutions for Healthier Start Times

Thursday, May 29, 2025

12:30 p.m. ET | 9:30 a.m. PT

Making school start times healthier for students doesn’t have to mean transportation chaos.

Join us for a practical, solutions-focused webinar led by Tatia Prieto, EdD, MBA, PMP, of Prismatic Services, Inc., a national expert in school transportation.

We’ll explore creative, data-driven strategies that districts across the country are using to shift school schedules without breaking budgets or bus systems. From optimizing routes to leveraging technology, we’ll tackle the key challenges and opportunities that come with making this change.

Perceived Challenges We'll Address:

• Bus driver shortages -- Can later start times work with fewer drivers?
• Tiered scheduling conflicts -- How do districts balance multiple school start times?
• Cost concerns -- Will adjusting transportation schedules increase expenses?
• Community pushback -- What strategies help schools successfully implement change?

Your questions will help guide the discussion. Feel free to send a question in advance to Phyllis@startschoollater.net.

Featured Speaker: Tatia Prieto, EdD, MBA, PMP

Dr. Tatia Prieto leads Prismatic Services, a consulting firm serving PreK-12 leaders and organizations. To date, the firm has consulted for 100s of school districts and multiple education agencies in 33 states and the District of Columbia.

Dr. Prieto has led teams in assessing options for changing school start times for districts large and small, typically beginning with transportation options then moving into other operational considerations.

Prismatic helped Anne Arundel County Public Schools (MD, 80,000 students) successfully shift all high schools to an 8:30 a.m. start and all middle schools to a 9:15 a.m. start. Prismatic investigated the root causes of the difficulties that Jefferson County Public Schools (KY, 96,000 students) and Howard County Public Schools (MD, 58,000 students) had in 2023-24 when they switched to new school start times. Prismatic is currently helping East Baton Rouge (LA, 43,000) to develop a plan to start middle and high schools later.

Who should attend: Whether you're a school leader, policymaker, or advocate, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge and tools to move forward. Change is possible—let’s make it happen!

Questions? Email Vanessa Parsons at StartSchoolLaterNY@outlook.com

Let's Sleep! provides free health science-based community resources to help teens sleep and live better. Let's Sleep! is an educational initiative of Healthy Hours, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.