New schedule has been a ‘bone of contention’ for Teacher’s
Association
San Benito High School Principal Debbie Padilla hosted the
second of two public meetings with parents and interested residents
last week to get their advice on how the new school schedule is
working.
About 25 members of the high school’s community attended each
meeting, and the results were mixed – about the same number of
participants supported the new class schedule as criticized it and
hoped the district would change it.
New schedule has been a ‘bone of contention’ for Teacher’s Association
San Benito High School Principal Debbie Padilla hosted the second of two public meetings with parents and interested residents last week to get their advice on how the new school schedule is working.
About 25 members of the high school’s community attended each meeting, and the results were mixed – about the same number of participants supported the new class schedule as criticized it and hoped the district would change it.
As parents of San Benito High School students know, new this school year is a first period class that begins at 7:45 a.m., making what had been optional, flexible time before class into regularly scheduled class time, which extended overall classroom time for some teachers by as much as 50 minutes per day.
“There is no perfect schedule,” Padilla said, “especially for a school as diverse as ours. It’s very important for us to hear from as many stakeholders as possible as we evaluate how the schedule is working.”
The “alternating seven block schedule,” with students required to carry six classes that meet on alternating days, in either three or four class periods per day, allows some flexibility for students to arrive early and leave early on alternating days.
Depending on the subject and the class schedule, it also means longer days and more class time for teachers. Many teachers have not been happy about the new schedule this year, according to Chuck Schallhorn, president of the San Benito High School Teacher’s Association, especially in light of the protracted negotiations over a new teacher’s union contract.
Schallhorn said the new schedule has been an irritation because teachers were not afforded the opportunity to agree to it, and it was implemented after their previous labor contract had expired. The teacher’s association claims the change in schedule was implemented illegally – without the proper ratifications by either the school board of trustees or the teacher’s association, resulting in a complaint to the Public Employees Relation Board.
“Several have said this schedule is essentially the same as the old schedule,” Schallhorn said, “I guess you could say it’s the same – only longer and more difficult.” San Benito High School teachers have been working without an updated contract since June 2004, and have not received scheduled pay raises for the last two and half years. Offers and counteroffers have been under negotiation throughout the school year, and the hoped for agreement on the contract by Thanksgiving was not forthcoming.
“The schedule has been a bone of contention with the Teacher’s Association, no doubt about that,” Padilla said, “but we need to hear from parents. It’s important to learn what other stakeholders think about it as well.”
Parents at the meetings had differing opinions about the new schedule. Many supported it for a variety of reasons including convenience for parents who have to be at work early, and because it offers more opportunities for students to take elective classes if they wish to enroll in seven, rather than six classes. Concern was expressed, however, about some kids getting out early on alternating days, who are seen “hanging out” around town in the early afternoon.
“There has been an increase in truancy,” Padilla told the parents at the meeting last week, “attendance is down slightly, which means we have more students not in class when they should be. We know it’s an issue and were looking into it.”
Participants were also divided over the pros and cons of the length of the class periods. A few parents criticized the three, 100 minute class periods as too long to maintain the attention of most high school students, and one parent said the discontinuity resulting from classes on the same subject meeting every other day was causing her daughter serious problems, coupled with the lack of individual tutoring time.
Physical education department Chairman Randy Logue said he liked the long class periods for physical education, as well as science labs, and said the longer block periods allows more time for in-class activities.
Vice Principal Santiago Echaore also supported the longer, 100 minute class blocks because it gives teachers the opportunity for many different kinds of classroom experiences, including media presentations, lectures, and careful review of class assignments. “In my view, the longer class blocks have paid off,” Echaore said, “I think it’s been a wonderful experience.”
“We have to have this input from the parents on the class period length,” Padilla said, “The first period (at 50 minutes) may be too short for some subjects, and the other periods (at a 100 minutes) may be too long.” Padilla said she researched class period length in some depth, and based on her own teaching experience indicated she would favor balancing out the class time for all periods to something between the current 50 and 100 minute class periods.
Padilla said the input on the school schedule is being put together so the district’s board of trustees can make a decision in January as to whether the schedule should be changed next school year.
Mitch Huerta, social science teacher and lead negotiator for the teacher’s union, emphasized that changes in the schedule need to be negotiated with the teachers. After an all-day negotiating session last week, Huerta was optimistic about the pending resolution. “There was positive movement from both sides. Both sides are working hard to reach an agreement, and we sincerely hope to reach that agreement soon.”
