Council Rock committee weighing four high‑school scheduling frameworks after broad stakeholder survey

Dr. Tom Barnes summarized results from a summer stakeholder survey (653 students, 367 parents, 198 staff). He said the groups prioritized different outcomes: parents most frequently selected increased access to courses and credit opportunities; staff prioritized dedicated in‑day time for intervention and enrichment; students most often selected stress reduction as their top priority for schedule change ("Nearly half, 48.4% selected stress reduction as their top reason for considering a schedule change").

The scheduling committee has narrowed the work to four frameworks — current schedule with tweaks, a seven/eight‑period day, a 4x4 block and an 8AB block — and will divide committee members into subgroups to develop consistent presentations that consider benefits, obstacles, curricular and financial implications, and effects on subgroups (special education, BICT, career programs). The committee aims to present one or two recommended models to the education committee in January–February 2027, after additional analysis and stakeholder refinements.

Administrators stressed there is no proven one‑size‑fits‑all schedule that consistently improves academic outcomes; rather, the committee will prioritize purpose (credit access, embedded intervention, staff collaboration, stress reduction) and evaluate trade‑offs such as instructional minutes per course versus elective opportunities.