High school will keep six-block schedule

Marisa O’Neil

Classes at Newport Harbor High School will stay in a traditional

six-period day after teachers voted down a proposal to change to an

eight-period block schedule.

If it had passed, the change would have extended the school day by

25 minutes and allowed students to take more classes.

Not getting the required two-thirds vote to pass the plan after

working on the project for months was like losing a championship game

at the final buzzer, Assistant Principal Robert Cunard said.

“We worked on this and put the plan together, but at the last

minute, it was defeated,” Cunard said. “We were this close.”

The school operates on a six-period block schedule Monday through

Thursday and on a traditional schedule with shorter periods on

Friday. A student might, for example, take a 110-minute history class

on Monday and Wednesday and a 110-minute math class on Tuesday and

Thursday. On Friday, students attend all their classes.

Each year, teachers must vote on the next year’s schedule or it

will revert to the traditional format. Some teachers have been

pushing for an eight-block schedule for years. When Cunard came in

October, the school asked him to research the various options and put

together a recommendation for teachers to vote on.

“There’s definitely an advantage in a block schedule,” history

teacher Jon Chance said. “Students have more time to do activities,

which is not as easy in a traditional schedule.”

The block scheduling is also more akin to a college schedule,

history teacher Phil D’Agostino said.

“There’s been a big push for students to go on to college,”

D’Agostino said. “The kind of classes they’re going to take are block

classes that meet Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday for at

least an hour and a half. Teachers can do more in a block period than

in a 50-minute period.”

But other teachers, such as those with young children in day care,

worried that the eight-period block schedule would overextend them,

Cunard said. Some teachers would rather not have block scheduling at

all.

“Some faculty members believe their discipline can be taught best

in a traditional schedule,” Cunard said. “There were a few more [who

thought that] than we were aware of.”

Because of union regulations, Chance said, teachers must vote on

school schedules. Out of 100 teachers, 65 voted for the eight-period

days -- leaving the vote just shy of the majority required.

Right now, Irvine and Northwood high schools in Irvine are the

only schools in Orange County with the eight-period block schedule.

Now teachers must decide if they want a second vote between a

traditional schedule or the six-block day. If there are no more votes

on the subject, the schedule next year will be similar to the current

Friday schedule. Classes last about 50 minutes and start at 7:45 a.m.

and finish at 2:40 p.m.

Newport Harbor Senior Kelly Boler won’t have to worry about high

school schedules next year. But she said most students she knows

support the eight-period block schedule.

“If I was going to be going to school here [next year], I’d hope

for the eight-period day,” she said. “We do a traditional schedule

every Friday, and it’s not enough time to get everything done.”