Days to be shortened at CVHS

Another schedule change has come to the halls of Central Valley High School.

Starting Nov. 10, school will let out 24 minutes earlier two days a week to allow teachers to have extra preparation time.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays, class length has been shortened by about six minutes in each class period to accommodate the change.

“We wanted to give those teachers some extra time,” said Central Valley School District Superintendent Mike Pearson.

Last year, the Central Valley School Board voted to change the schedule at CV from a four-period trimester schedule to a six-period semester schedule because of budget cuts.

University High School voted to keep the four-period schedule, which has been used in the district for about seven years. The board approved U-Hi’s request, after much debate.

At CV, class periods went from an average of 90 minutes to 54 minutes, with two longer period days, called block-periods, each week.

“In reality, we added 60 more students to each teacher and took away 29 minutes of preparation time,” said Mike Hittle, CV principal. “At the start of the school year we knew what the schedule was going to look like on paper, we just didn’t know what it was going to feel like.”

Hittle said it has been hard for the teachers to find collaboration time during the block-period mornings. In the afternoons, many teachers coach after-school sports or are involved in intramural or club activities with the students.

“It’s hard to get everybody together at the end of the day,” Hittle said.

With the change, teachers will now have a common planning time, Hittle said.

Students will still have access to teachers during the early morning hours on those two days.

“We’re just trying to find a rhythm,” he said. “Anytime you make a change, it is always tough.”