St. Mary School Board considers return to block scheduling

CENTERVILLE — Some new St. Mary Parish School Board members hope to reinstitute an old method of high school scheduling.

At Thursday’s regular meeting, the members made a pitch to bring back block scheduling, a system that the board abandoned six years ago.

Also Thursday, the board changed the starting time for its regular second-Thursday meetings for the second time since this term began in January as part of an effort to make meetings more accessible to the public. The board is also considering setting up a live-stream of its meetings for the same reason.

And the board offered applause to achievers among students, staff members and even some board members.

Member Chad Paradee of Berwick wanted the discussion about block scheduling on the agenda. He and Lindsey Anslem of Bayou Vista, two of the five new members elected in November, said they’ve seen feedback from teachers who would welcome a return to that system.

Currently, high school days are divided into seven periods, and most classes last for the whole school year. In a block schedule system, the day consists of four 93-minute periods, and classes start and end each semester.

Block scheduling provides more time for teacher preparation. But it also requires a larger faculty, one reason that the School Board moved to eliminate block scheduling before the 2017-18 school year and return to the traditional seven-period day as a cost-saving measure.

Paradee pointed to the added preparation time for teachers and reduced stress for students who may be juggling academics, extracurricular activities and jobs.

Morgan City High teacher Leslie Smith agreed, saying today’s students live in a world of school violence and social media.

“We’re not seeing the same students we did years ago …,” said Smith, a 15-year teacher. “They need to feel safe. They need the world to slow down a little.”

Board President Alaina Black said that as a teacher she liked block scheduling. But she noted that the board is currently looking for a new superintendent following the departure of Dr. Teresa Bagwell.

The board is now accepting applications and plans a special meeting March 27 to decide how to proceed with interviews.

“How can we put something in place that a new superintendent might not want?” Black said.

“I’m not willing to punish everybody else because we don’t have a superintendent right now,” Paradee said.

The board didn’t make a final decision Thursday. Interim Superintendent Dr. Rachel Sanders said block scheduling would have to be in place by the end of April to take effect for the 2023-24 school year.

Also Thursday, the board voted to change the starting time for its monthly meetings to 5:30 p.m.

Anslem offered the motion to make the change as a compromise between the new members , who favor a 6 p.m. meeting time to accommodate working people who want to attend, and the longer-serving members, who generally prefer the 5 p.m. time that was the rule before the start of this term.

Anslem also followed through on a campaign promise by suggesting that the board’s meeting be available as a live-stream. It isn’t clear yet what form the live-stream would take.

The board also recognized these people:

—Eighth-grader Elijah Vinning of Berwick Junior High is the district’s Junior High Student of the Year.

He’s a prospective Eagle Scout interested in the environment and sustainability, said Dawn Chaisson, the supervisor of child nutrition who introduced the student to the board. He wants to study to be a chef.

—The board’s Students of the Month are fifth-grader Autumn Bach of Wyandotte Elementary; eighth-grader Aleria Sorrell of Franklin Junior High; and senior Christopher Phillips of Patterson High School.

—The Employees of the Month are physical education teacher Adam Rhodes of Wyandotte; Tremaine Johnson, Jobs for American Graduates specialist at Franklin Junior High; and cafeteria manager Robin Richard of Patterson High.

Current board members Joseph Foulcard and Tammie Moore and former members Pearl Rack and Michael Taylor were honored for Certified Board Member status for 2022.

—Current members Foulcard and Black and former members Kenneth Alfred, Rack, Dwight Barbier and Roland Verret were honored for achieving Distinguished School Board Member status for the 2019-22 term.