The 21-member Homestead Schedule Study Team (HSST), which includes School Board members, parents, students, faculty members, building-level administrators and district-level administrators, recently agreed on a date for conducting its final vote on the schedule study.
On Wednesday, March 30 all members of the HSST will participate in a blind balloting process. At that time, each team member will vote for or against the proposal for Homestead to implement the five-period trimester schedule beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. As of Friday, March 4, the HSST unanimously agreed to remove any other schedule options from consideration; when voting, team members will choose between the trimester and the current seven-period semester schedule.
Between now and March 30, two additional HSST meetings will be held, one on March 16 and another on March 25. During those meetings, team members will discuss remaining questions involving the possible move to the trimester schedule. Those essential questions are as follows: Can the schedule be developed so as to create opportunities for teacher/student collaboration outside the normal class schedule but within the start and end time of the school day? How will music classes be offered in the trimester schedule? And, given the fact that students will be able to earn up to 30 credits in the trimester schedule as compared to 28 in the current semester schedule, can/should the school district consider increasing the minimum number of credits required for graduation from Homestead High School?
In addition to the HSST meetings scheduled between now and March 30, faculty members will engage in further study/learning about the trimester schedule. The early release day on Friday, March 11 is set aside exclusively for this work, as is an after-school faculty learning session slated for later this month.
The HSST vote on March 30 will determine whether or not the possible schedule change will move forward for further consideration. If the team rejects the trimester option, the study process is over; the school will remain committed to the current seven-period semester schedule for the foreseeable future. If the team supports the trimester, opportunities for student, parent, and faculty feedback on the possible schedule change will be offered, all occurring during the week of April 11-15. This feedback will be advisory to Eric Dimmitt, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for MTSD and me, the co-chairs of the study team. If team members vote in favor of the trimester on March 30, Mr. Dimmitt and I will take all feedback gathered from then through mid-late April into consideration when drafting our recommendation to Dr. Means, the School Board, and the Negotiating Team from the Mequon-Thiensville Education Association, which must be submitted by May 4.
