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Urbandale middle-school schedule overhaul would add electives, shift teacher loads; board and staff cite staffing tradeoffs
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Summary
District staff proposed an 8-period middle-school day with a sixth–seventh grade wheel to expand elective exposure and an eighth-grade request system. The plan increases elective opportunities but shifts core teachers to teach more periods and could alter staffing through attrition, the district said.
Dr. Lindsey Cornwell and district leaders presented a proposed revision to the Urbandale Middle School schedule on March 23 that would expand elective access and shift teacher workloads. The plan would add elective periods and move middle schools toward an 8‑period day so students have two elective periods and a dedicated connections period for character and career work.
Key components: for sixth and seventh grades the district would implement an intentionally assigned electives “wheel” so students experience a variety of electives; eighth graders would request specific electives (the district will try to honor requests where possible). The district intends to increase alignment between middle‑school electives and high‑school destination areas and to expand Project Lead The Way and work‑based learning opportunities.
Staffing and class-size impacts: the proposed model shifts many core teachers toward teaching 6 of 8 classes plus a U‑time for intervention/enrichment, increasing the number of sections offered (the district described a move from 10 to 12 sections per class in examples) and projecting smaller class sizes in individual sections but more total students on a teacher’s roster across the day. Administrators estimated the schedule change could reduce certain core team positions through attrition (district examples suggested up to a net change of roughly six positions across grades, but staff emphasized they do not plan involuntary layoffs and expect to meet needs through attrition and reassignment).
Board members expressed concerns about preserving planning time, substitute coverage, and whether required collaborative meetings (IEP/504/PLC) could remain protected under the new schedule. District leaders said they will continue team collaborations during planning time, offer compensation for single-period coverage when appropriate, and are developing sub-rotation plans. The district said it expects to notify teachers about assignments soon so curriculum review and course development can begin.
Quotes: “We wanna be intentional with that wheel,” a presenter said when describing how sixth‑ and seventh‑grade electives will be assigned. The district emphasized the aim to provide “predictable experiences” for students aligned to career planning and to improve FAFSA advising and other postsecondary-readiness supports.
Next steps: the board will receive curriculum proposals for any new high‑school courses required by Iowa code; course-level curriculum will come back for board approval as individual items.
