District 300 Moves to 8-Period Schedule: Tell Us What You Think

In a 7-0 vote Monday night, the District 300 school board voted to extend the high school day for the 2012-13 school year, according to an article in The Courier-News.

The longer school day will add up to more time in the classroom for students at Dundee-Crown, and Hampshire high schools, resulting in an additional 60 hours of instruction per year.

The new eight-period schedule with two semesters will replace the four-block, four-term model. Freshman and sophomores will have one less academic class and have a homeroom period instead, while juniors and seniors will have the option to take on an additional class.

The changes don’t come without a cost. The longer school day will mean more money, requiring the district to hire an additional 7½ to 13½ teachers. The increased staff will cost the district $425,000 to $769,000 more in salaries each school year, according to the Daily Herald.

Superintendent Michael Bregy did not provide a concrete example on how the district would pay the additional expenses, according to the Daily Herald.

. After weeks of negotiating, D300 and the Local Education Association of District 300, IEA/NEA reached an agreement "resolving economic and language issues" regarding pay freezes. D300 still moved forward with the secondary schedule reorganization, saying it hadn't been reviewed since 1996.

What are your thoughts on the longer school day? Shared them with us below.