School schedule change rings bells with opponents

A proposal to change the daily schedules at secondary schools in the Prior Lake-Savage School District would save money but has drawn some criticism.

Students in grades 6-12 will switch from seven daily class periods to six in the fall of 2011 if the school board approves a plan recommended this month by district administrators. The move would save up to $1.45 million per year, and school leaders say it's necessary in light of dour prospects for state education funding.

Some metro-area high schools already have six-period days. The district's plan comes as others, such as Bloomington, are planning similar changes to cut costs.

In Prior Lake-Savage, the switch would mean the loss of about 23 teachers, less time for electives and the elimination of high school study halls.

Even so, Superintendent Sue Ann Gruver said, she's excited about the proposal, pointing out that it would increase instructional time in the class periods that remain. In a recent column, she wrote that the change "has merit as a model that is simply efficient and beneficial for students."

That's the kind of talk that Carol Ottoson, a teacher at Prior Lake High School, doesn't want to hear. Teachers understand the pressures of the statewide school funding climate, "but let's not fool ourselves into thinking that we are doing this because it will be better for kids. It will not be," said Ottoson, who spoke at a school board meeting on Monday. "Classes will be larger, choices will be fewer, teachers and students will be more stressed, and there will be virtually no breaks during the school day except for a half-hour lunch."

The board, which could have decided Monday whether to make the change, instead delayed a vote to gather more feedback from families and staff. The district will hold a forum on Tuesday evening, with a board vote slated for June 7.

Many teachers are concerned but hesitant to speak up, said Ottoson, who added that she has "nothing to gain and nothing to lose" because she's retiring this spring. "I think there's always the fear that the only reason we would speak is to protect our jobs, and that's not true," she said. "We really do care about how this is going to impact our kids."

The length of the school day would not change if the proposal is approved. Instead, the time now devoted to a seventh period would be divided among other classes, with the result that students would spend an extra five weeks of instruction in any given class over the course of a year.

That will increase time in subjects such as math and English, as well as science labs, swimming lessons and other classes with prep or clean-up activities.

"They won't feel as rushed to complete their projects," said Sasha Kuznetsov, principal of Hidden Oaks Middle School.

The plan would split the year into quarters instead of trimesters, he said. "It breaks the year into smaller portions, and for middle school kids, we believe it's very important to have the smaller grading periods so they can get the fresh start."

Still, administrators said money is the driving force behind the move away from a seven-period schedule. "It's a great model, and if we could afford to keep it, we would," Gruver said.

If the board approves the switch, a transition committee of teachers, principals, board members and parents will work out the logistics.

Those could include adding a zero hour in the morning, changing graduation requirements beyond those set by the state, and taking other measures to help students fit in all the classes they want to take, said Dave Lund, principal of Prior Lake High School.

For example, shifting some freshmen requirements to later years could help students who want to take band and a world language at the same time. And while study halls would go, the school has no plans to get rid of the open period that many seniors enjoy, he said.

It's too early to say which teachers or classes would be cut, he said.