Half of families at a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools magnet program say they may have to leave if the district pushes the school day back by an hour.

Parents at the South Academy of International Languages, known as SAIL, met with CMS transportation officials Tuesday, Oct. 20, to push back against a proposed bell schedule change, Queen City News reported. The K-8 school on Nations Ford Road draws students from across Mecklenburg County for its language immersion programs, including Japanese, and serves families from north Mecklenburg who commute to the south Charlotte campus.

Under the CMS proposal for the 2027-28 school year, SAIL's school day would shift from 8:15 a.m.–3:15 p.m. to 9:15 a.m.–4:15 p.m. The change is part of a district response to an ongoing bus driver shortage. CMS is currently short about 100 drivers, according to Queen City News.

SAIL PTSO President Linda Schaffluetzel told Queen City News the one-hour shift creates a logistical crunch for families juggling multiple school schedules. Her own daughter attends South Mecklenburg High, which starts at 7:15 a.m.

"That's a two-hour window for drop-off and pickup in the afternoon," Schaffluetzel said.

She suggested a smaller adjustment to 8:00 or 8:30 a.m. would be far easier for families to absorb.

A CMS survey found that half of SAIL families would consider leaving the school if the schedule change takes effect. Parent Karly Wood told Queen City News that families have proposed creating their own consolidated bus stops within neighborhoods so buses would not have to stop door-to-door. The idea would reduce route times and could ease the driver shortage's impact on SAIL's schedule.

CMS spokesman Tom Miner told the Charlotte Observer the district recognizes bell times affect family routines and said officials are engaging with families to understand the impacts. He added that bell schedules across the district are interconnected, and maintaining a specific time at one school can affect bus availability and routing at others.

SAIL is not the only campus affected. CMS has also proposed schedule changes at Nations Ford Elementary, Sedgefield Middle and Mint Hill Middle for the 2027-28 year, according to the Observer.

CMS board member Shamaiye Haynes plans to add the SAIL bell schedule to the board's next meeting agenda so the issue can be discussed publicly, Queen City News reported. The specific date of that meeting has not been confirmed.

Samantha Lee-Daigle, a mother of two SAIL students, told the Observer she fears her family will have to leave the program. Other parents said an enrollment drop could also drive away teachers with specialized language training who are difficult to replace.

The board meeting will be the first opportunity for public discussion of the proposed change at the district level.