A push to raise student achievement and cut costs at middle schools in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District has led administrators to recommend switching from eight to six class periods a day.
The proposal would save nearly $1.8 million a year, according to a committee that studied the issue. District leaders also hope it will address concerns about the performance of middle school students on state science tests, as well as a dip in math scores among students of that age.
The plan goes to the school board Dec. 13 and could get final approval in January. If adopted, the changes would take effect next fall, said Steve Troen, the district's director of teaching and learning.
The proposal would save money largely by allowing the district to run its six middle schools with the equivalent of 26 fewer teachers, Troen said. Under the new plan, teachers would teach during five out of six class periods. Now, they teach six out of eight periods.
Students would spend more time in core courses such as math under the new plan, but many would get less time in subjects such as art and physical education. School start and end times would not change.
"I think, given the budget constraints, it's probably reasonable," said Wanda Borman, one of more than 150 people who went to a meeting Thursday at which the district presented the plan to parents. Borman, a mother of four, said she prefers the current schedule because she believes it gives students more choice.
The committee, made up of middle school principals, district administrators and school board members, got feedback from teachers and parents, studied several possible schedules and visited a dozen metro-area schools, Troen said.
Several other metro-area districts have recently changed middle school schedules to save money or boost student performance, including Anoka-Hennepin and Prior Lake-Savage.
