BEATRICE - Beatrice High School is studying what type of scheduling the district will use for this coming year, after coronavirus concerns changed how students attend classes in person.


BHS went with a modified block-scheduling system, made up of four class periods daily of 90-minutes each. High School Principal Jason Sutter says the school has for several years used an eight-period day, with class length at 45 minutes.


Sutter said the high school is studying which schedule to use this coming year, and no final decision has been made.


Block scheduling uses odd and even days to work in the eight periods of classes, but in a four-per-day schedule. Sutter says the high school has been using a staff committee surveying parents, teachers, staff and students about the scheduling options.


The study involves comparing the first semester of 2019...a typical year, with this past year’s first semester held during the pandemic. It looks at factors such as failing grades, grade point average, discipline referrals and attendance data…as well as looking at what other school districts are doing.
Sutter says there is some support from both students and teachers to stay with the block scheduling.


He says a decision on which high school scheduling path to take is needed by early to mid-March. Teachers surveyed showed 70-percent favor the block schedule…with 30-percent favoring the traditional eight-period day.


During a Beatrice School Board committee session Thursday night, Superintendent Jason Alexander said District 15 is expected to receive about $1.3 million in supplemental federal funding to help in recovery during the coronavirus pandemic.  The so-called Cares Act Two funding compares with about $347,000 the district received during the original round of CARES funding.