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La Crosse teachers’ union leader weighs in on later school starting times, plus school board campaign issues

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Plenty of students in the School District of La Crosse will be able to start classes later in the morning, beginning next fall.

The school district recently approved schedule changes, allowing middle and high school students to take their first classes later in the morning, beginning at 8:25 a.m.

Jesse Martinez, co-president of the teachers’ union, the La Crosse Education Association (LEA), joined WIZM’s La Crosse Talk this week. Martinez teaches at Logan Middle School, and he sees many students not quite fully awake during the first hour of class.

“I’m hopeful that it will be better next year, and that there will be lots of opportunities for kids to sleep in, and get a little extra rest,” Martinez said. “I guess we will just have to wait and see.”


La Crosse Talk airs weekdays at 6-8 a.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk wherever you get your podcasts.


Under current schedules, La Crosse students generally have their first classes of the day before 8 a.m. The district says research shows that older students are helped by later starting times.

Martinez added that the LEA is also studying the campaigns of seven candidates running in the school board primary in February. Only two candidates qualified for the La Crosse school board ballot a year ago. Martinez noted the teachers’ union wants to learn what the board candidates know about how the public schools operate.

SCHOOL START TIMES:
Elementary:
7:45 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Middle & High:
8:25 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

He said questions to candidates include “Do you understand how school funding works? Do you understand how the budget works? Do you understand what your responsibilities are as a school board member?”

Just one board candidate will be eliminated in the primary. The other six will advance to the April contest, where three La Crosse board members will be elected to three-year terms.

You can read more about the candidates on the WIZM election page. Primary voting happens Feb. 4-18.

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Sam

    February 4, 2025 at 6:54 pm

    It might also help if the schools sold coffee and tea again to the teenage students. They stopped selling it last school year.

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