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Hall Prairie proposal shortens student day, consolidates electives to preserve teacher teaming
Summary
Staff proposed shortening the Hall Prairie Intermediate student day and consolidating elective rotations to preserve teacher planning and collaboration time after staff reductions; presenters said the plan aims to keep instructional teaming while coping with fewer shared staff.
Hall Prairie Intermediate staff presented a proposed restructuring of the school day on Feb. 5 that would shorten the student day and consolidate elective rotations to maintain teacher collaboration time amid district staff reductions.
District and building leaders told the Perrysburg Exempted Village School District board that the school currently operates a 6-hour, 55-minute student day with a rotating exploratory/elective block that provides individual planning time and team collaboration for grades 5–6. With positions shared between Hall Prairie and the junior high and high school being reduced, staff said the school cannot sustain the current exploratory rotation without creating unsafe class sizes and unsustainable supervisory loads.
The recommendation presented would reduce the student day to 380 minutes (about 6 hours, 20 minutes), change the homeroom start and dismissal times (presentation cited moving dismissal to 2:10 p.m. from the present 2:45 p.m.), and convert shorter quarter-long creative arts and exploratory courses into semester-length offerings. Band, orchestra and vocal music would remain year-long but operate on an AB rotation. Staff said the changes would preserve a 50-minute block for teacher teaming and allow Individualized Education Program (IEP) and 504 meetings to be scheduled during the teacher workday without hiring substitutes.
Presenters described congested enrollment in some elective settings under the current model (for example, more than 80 fifth-grade violin/viola students on some days with two instructors sharing students), and said consolidation was necessary because several positions that support electives and enrichment were part of the staffing reductions. Using the example of STEM labs and art rooms, staff predicted class sizes in those spaces could rise to levels staff described as unsafe or likely to cause burnout if the district attempted to keep the current rotation with fewer adults.
Building leaders said the proposal was discussed with parents in a public meeting the prior week and that reactions included concern and “initial shock” from some attendees but also several messages of appreciation afterward. Officials said staff tried to protect “teaming” and planning time — which they described as central to instructional quality at Hall Prairie — as they designed the schedule changes.
Ending: The proposal remains under consideration; staff said they plan simulations of the schedule in March and aim to finalize details before June so the new schedule would be ready for implementation in July/August if approved.
