Schedule to change next year

When there’s a broken tile in the hall, it is replaced. When there is a broken board on a bench, it is replaced. When there is any safety hazard for students, it needs to be taken care of. The head custodian sends out a work order and a handyman comes and fixes what is broken. When the district office said the school would no longer be able to stay on a block schedule for next year, the teaching staff came together to address the problem.

The district said that the current schedule isn’t ideal because the nearly two-hour class periods are too long. Although fixing the schedule to their liking may not have as easy a solution as replacing a broken tile, to most teachers, it should still be treated with the same urgent care and attention. The students may not be physically harmed, but the education will be. The schedule that is chosen and up for a vote for next year ultimately affects the education all of the students receive.

Over much discussion and voting, the new schedule to put up for a final vote was chosen last week. It includes three 1-6 days and two block period days. To pass, this new schedule will have to receive two-thirds of the staff’s votes. If the vote comes up short, by default the new schedule will be 1-6 every day.

Coach Rosslyn Halekakis, the one who introduced the schedule, said that “including all students is key.”

“I like the new schedule because you don’t get stuck with the same teacher for too long,” junior Angel Flores said. “In some classes, you don’t do much.”

When creating a new schedule, multiple aspects had to be considered. For example, how it would benefit all the students, the different programs on campus, and also the staff.

Supporters of the block schedule say science classes with labs and some of the honors and Advanced Placement classes need the extra time a longer period offers. However, critics say that the majority of classes don’t always need a two hour period. They figure that when the lesson plans the teacher prepares are finished, the rest of the class time may disintegrate into socializing.

“You can’t build anything in one hour in MESA,” junior David Morales said. “I could use the extra help in calculus. Same thing for anatomy, we need two hours to get stuff done.”

Halekakis understands the need for the block but said “we’re on a Catch 22, especially with Common Core for next year.”

If the schedule she introduced isn’t chosen, there will be no block period days next year, which could be detrimental to both students and staff. Having to implement Common Core into their lesson plans requires longer instructional time to adapt to the new teaching and prepare for testing.

Chemistry teacher John Steiner said he “(likes) the added flexibility (the new schedule) gives since some of the classes require more time.”

From the start, it was a given that there was no simple solution to fixing the schedule that would accommodate everyone’s needs. However, now that the decision is down to two, it’s up to the teachers to chose what is best suited for the education of the students.

The decision will be finalized at the staff meeting in May.