Starting classes at Herricks High School half an hour later may seem like a straightforward idea, but school district officials say it poses several logistical and educational concerns.
“It’s not a quick fix,” Herricks school board Vice President Christine Turner said.
A committee tasked last year with developing a potential new schedule proposed starting Herricks classes at 8 a.m., cutting each class period by two minutes and the time between classes by one minute to end the day at 2:45 p.m., five minutes later than the current end time.
Herricks High’s 7:30 a.m. start time is the second-earliest among 13 high-performing districts, the committee found, and the average starting bell rings at 7:57 a.m.
“(The) key of this was to make sure it had a minimal impact in the overall day-to-day events of the high school,” said Herricks principal Samuel Thompson, one of the committee’s leaders, in a presentation to the school board Thursday.
Research indicates later start times are healthier for teens as they go through “biological shifts,” Thompson said. Kids who get less sleep are also more susceptible to depression, obesity and alcohol and drug use.
Cutting two minutes from each of Herricks’ nine class periods, though, would be a total loss of eight days in class. Because of how Herricks High’s schedule lines up with the middle and elementary schools’, the district would have to buy another bus and hire a driver, a $143,432 expense.
The school board saw the benefits of a later start time, they said, but the loss of class time is concerning, given how teachers are already pressed to cover enough material.
“I’m not inclined to give back one second of instructional time, because that’s what they’re here for,” school board Trustee Jim Gounaris said.
The proposed schedule says teachers would start their day at 7:30 a.m., which Thompson said would be “valuable” time for them to meet with students, parents or each other.
But because it’s a change from the current 7:25 a.m., adopting the new schedule would require a contract negotiation with the Herricks Teachers Association. Teachers would also be concerned with the lack of classroom time, she said.
To Ashwin Viswanathan, a senior at Herricks High who’s on the committee, the shorter class periods are an issue of “quality versus quantity” for students.
“If they’re starting at a later time, they’re more alert, they’re more responsive to questions,” he said, “and two minutes are class time, I think, doesn’t really compare to the amount of additional knowledge you’re getting through that additional focus.”
The committee proposed an alternate schedule where class would start at 7:56 a.m. and end at 3:04 p.m. But that could hike transportation costs further, Thompson said.
The committee will now look at revising its recommendations and then potentially discuss the changes with the teachers’ union, Superintendent Fino Celano said.
The school board also approved Thursday revisions to its policies on smoking on school property and family and medical leave for district employees.
