Keystone Central SD committee reviews proposed schedule changes at Bucktail and Central Mountain High School

District staff presented two separate high-school scheduling proposals at the Keystone Central SD Curriculum and Co‑Curricular Committee meeting, saying both aim to shorten individual class periods and increase student course options while meeting career-and-technical education (CTE) hour requirements.

Committee members heard that Bucktail High School is considering a semester block model that would shift from four 80‑minute blocks plus a 30‑minute WIN ("What I Need") period to five 70‑minute blocks with a year‑round 30‑minute WIN. District staff said the change would reduce individual class length and allow students to take more courses across the school year, increasing potential yearly course enrollments from eight to 10.

The committee also heard a separate proposal for Central Mountain High School: staff described a year‑long schedule composed of nine 41‑minute periods (eight academic periods plus a WIN period). Under that plan, most classes would run all year instead of on semester blocks; introductory CTE courses and agricultural programs would be scheduled as 84‑minute blocks so they meet a stated 240‑hour annual requirement, and other CTE levels were described in the presentation as meeting a longer combined-minute requirement to reach 360 hours annually. Presenters said the schedule was designed to fit within a 7½‑hour teacher contractual day and to meet the district’s graduation credit requirement of 28 credits per student.

Staff told the committee that surveys of students and teachers informed the proposals: both groups reportedly favored shorter classes and greater course choice. Central Mountain staff said teachers preferred year‑long 41‑minute periods over semester blocks by about a two‑to‑one margin, and students favored shorter, year‑long classes despite concerns about increased workload because students would have more classes simultaneously.

Presenters said the Central Mountain model attempts to reduce gaps in sequential coursework (for example, avoiding long gaps between Algebra I and Algebra II or between sequential science classes) and to provide more continuous seat time before AP, Keystone, and NOCTE exams. Staff also said the revised schedules would allow some teachers to carry one additional teaching period (moving from six to seven planned teaching periods in a year), which staff characterized as a way to manage staffing without immediately adding new positions.

Committee members asked about lunch length, staffing impacts, and student workload. A staff member confirmed Central Mountain’s lunch would remain 30 minutes and four lunch waves would continue. Committee members also pressed staff about how the schedules would meet CTE hourly requirements and what professional learning would be offered to teachers during implementation.

No formal vote or adoption occurred at the meeting. Staff said they would return with more information and answer questions at a future meeting; Bucktail staff indicated Jim would be available to address detailed questions at the next meeting.

The committee’s discussion focused on operational details and aligning schedules with state and testing calendars; members did not take a final action at this meeting.