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District 97 unveils middle‑school master schedule to increase daily core instructional time and elective choice
Summary
District 97’s middle‑school redesign team presented a new schedule that moves from alternating 75‑minute classes to daily 50‑minute core classes, increases weekly math and ELA minutes and expands elective options; staff will implement the schedule for fall after PowerSchool testing and further design work.
District 97 administrators and a middle‑school redesign team presented a new master schedule to the Board of Education on March 18 that shifts from an alternating (A/B) 75‑minute block model to daily 50‑minute core classes for grades 6–8, with the stated aim of increasing instructional frequency, elective choice and alignment across the two middle schools.
The presenters included Luisa Leon (a sixth‑grade parent who served on the redesign committee), Samantha Tracy (special education teacher at Julian), Mallory (eighth‑grade ELA teacher and department chair at Brooks) and Nick Filipowski, principal at Julian. Luisa Leon told the board, “We are happy to report that this design is actually able to be run by the PowerSchool system,” signaling the schedule’s technical viability for staffing and enrollment systems.
Nut graf: The redesign replaces the every‑other‑day 75‑minute class with daily 50‑minute meetings for core English language arts, math, science and social studies. District presenters said the change increases weekly instructional minutes for each core subject from about 188 to 250 minutes and yields roughly 110 additional hours of core instruction across a student’s sixth‑through‑eighth‑grade experience.
Key elements presented - Core instruction: Daily 50‑minute cores (ELA, math, science, social studies) rather than alternating 75‑minute blocks; presenters estimated a weekly increase from 188 to 250 minutes per core subject. - Electives: Students would choose a year‑long daily elective (band, orchestra, world language, art, speech/drama, debate) plus a rotating AB elective that could be trimester or year‑long, increasing choice and exploration. - Advisory/“What I Need” (SOAR/Win Time): The schedule pairs a universal social/SEL/enrichment block with lunch in a 72‑minute window; staff described the block as “What I Need” time for both enrichment and intervention, to be structured over subsequent months. - Continuity across campuses: District staff said both middle schools will adopt the same bell schedules and course offerings to ensure consistent student experience and allow teacher collaboration across campuses.
Board discussion focused on implementation questions. Board members asked whether world language would become optional (presenters said it could be offered as an optional year‑long choice while still available at the high school), and how staffing and course enrollments might shift if students opt for music or design over language. Principal Filipowski and the team said there are multiple world‑language options, including year‑long, AB year‑long and a trimester world cultures option to preserve opportunities for language exposure.
Experts and staff also outlined transition work for fifth‑to‑sixth‑grade students, middle‑school connection events and parent outreach scheduled this spring. The team said next steps include final schedule building, student course selection this spring, and implementation for the fall semester after additional work with PowerSchool and staff professional development.
Ending: The board requested follow‑up details on lunch/minute allocations, staffing impacts for electives and specifics about the advisory/“What I Need” implementation. Administrators said they will return with finer scheduling details and examples before final fall implementation.
