What to Know About Gallatin's Transition to a Block Schedule

A project that has been in the works for more than a year has recently gotten the attention of the Gallatin High School community.

In an email on October 18, principal Erica Schnee wrote, “last year, Bozeman Public Schools Superintendent Casey Bertram shared the plan for Gallatin and Bozeman High Schools to implement a block schedule in fall 2024.” Enclosed was the new bell schedule that both BSD7 High Schools will implement next year. Under a block schedule, classes will be 80 minutes and each class will meet five times in the course of two weeks. This change means that teachers will go from teaching 5 classes a day to 6 over the course of two days. The plan includes a 40 minute “intervention/extension” period in which “teachers will meet with students to provide extra support, make-up opportunities, accommodations for specific needs, and extended learning." School will start at 9:35 on Wednesdays in order to accommodate a time for teacher collaboration. Since the proposal of a block schedule, questions have been raised about the impacts the change will have on students, parents, and teachers. While many in the district have maintained strong support for the plan, pressure driven by uncertainty has led some to question a block schedule.

On October 18, Cole Fisher, Gallatin’s freshman class president, started a change.org petition entitled, “Oppose Implementing a Block Schedule in BSD7 High Schools.” What started as “a joke with friends” grew to include more than 750 signatures from students from both Gallatin and Bozeman High Schools. Signers of the petition explained that a block schedule will mean teachers will have to adapt lesson plans to fit 80 minutes, less student productivity during classes, and higher consequences if one were to miss a day of school. Will Lehman, a senior, wrote, “A normal school schedule will be beneficial for staff and students as it requires less change in curriculum and everyday life. I think a block schedule should be optional for students who feel it would benefit them, but not school wide. Many people (myself included) have a hard time focusing during long periods of class (ex: combo classes) and require breaks to allow them to remain focused. 80 minute class periods [...] will not be beneficial for everyone; it will cause grades, motivation, and mental health to decline.” Other critics of the plan say that the block schedule would conflict with both parents’ and students’ work because of a later start to classes on Wednesday and a mandatory intervention/extension period.

Even as the district moves forward with plans to implement a block schedule during the 2024-2025 school year, teachers at Gallatin High have mixed feelings. When asked about BSD7’s implementation of a block schedule, Mrs. Holsinger, an English and Speech and Debate teacher, said, “My biggest concern is keepings kids engaged.” With a transition from 50 minute periods to 80 minute classes, lesson plans that have engaged students in past years may have to be redesigned. Holsinger has taught under a block schedule in the past but reiterated that, “we’ll all learn together.”

While the district maintains that a block schedule will positively impact high school students, the plan was also proposed to mitigate a 4.1 million dollar budget deficit. According to the district, “both the elementary and high school General Funds Budgets are pulling from limited one-time funds to make ends meet–a temporary solution, but one that is not sustainable.” The district blames the addition of a new high school, enrollment loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and salary increases for these budget deficits and says that the budget deficit should not be blamed on lack of community support, poor planning, or wasteful spending. While many factors that have contributed to this deficit could not have been anticipated by the district, the district’s plan will inevitably mean staffing reductions, either through retirement and employee attrition or firings. While an earlier proposal called for 14 full time equivalent roles to be cut, technology and building levies that passed earlier this year reduced the figure to 10 and allowed the process to be completed gradually.

English department head Jourdan Bridwell was part of the group that created the district’s plans for a block schedule. Bridwell emphasized that “everything was well thought out and thoroughly discussed.” When asked about the worries that students have voiced, Mrs. Bridwell explained that over the course of two days, students will have the opportunity to take 8 classes that will make up for the loss of a zero period. In addition, students enrolled in combo classes will attend them every day for 80 minutes rather than every other day for 160 minutes. She added that the addition of a time for teacher collaboration would lead to more cohesion among departments. On Wednesdays, students can still arrive at the normal start time because staff will still be in the building. Bus routes will not be altered to accommodate a late start to school on Wednesdays, so students taking a bus will have to wait for classes to start. According to Bridwell, the intervention/extension period is still being thought out and when asked what students would do if they don’t feel the need for such a period, she emphasized that students can explore the topics that they are interested in. 

On November 14, a group of students and parents gathered in the commons to discuss the changes a block schedule will bring to GHS. Parents expressed concerns about meeting the needs of students with trouble focusing in school and asked how Gallatin’s block schedule will differ from other plans. Assistant principals Katie Laslovich and Randy VanDyk emphasized that more time to focus on individual students' needs and the uniqueness of the plan will produce different results from other schools around the country. Principal Erica Schnee acknowledged that under a block schedule, absences will lead to an uneven distribution of missed assignments but added that students can use their intervention/extension time to make up work. Schnee continued that teachers will have more time to look over test data, adapt lesson plans, and communicate with other teachers and staff under a block schedule.

In a separate interview, Ms. Schnee added that more outreach to students explaining the block schedule will be planned beginning after the new year and more details regarding the specifics of the intervention/extension period will be released next Spring. Schnee wants to have the opportunity to talk to small groups and entire grades to answer questions and explain aspects of the block schedule. The principal welcomed questions or feedback from students to be sent to her email: erica.schnee@bsd7.org.

Although a block schedule will be a significant change for both Hawks and Raptors, the high school has emphasized a time to discuss these changes. As Mrs. Bridwell added, “change is hard but we’re all in the change together.”