Proposal For Schedule Change At SISD Under Fire

By Rachel Abell

EL PASO — A proposal that stirred controversy for the Socorro Independent School District more than four years ago has detractors renewing their opposition.

Termed 4×4 scheduling or block scheduling, the proposal effectively splits the school year into quartersrather than semesters and divides the school day into four 90-minute classes and one 50-minute class. But change isn’t so simple for students, staff and parents and some already dispute the benefits outweighing the costs.

In December 2003, Montwood High School administrators were pushing towards block scheduling for its students, but students vehemently opposed the change. Groups opposing the change staged a protest that ended up with a confrontation between students and police.

At Monday’s school board meeting, district officials emphasized that such a schedule would improve the district’s graduation rates. But opponents said the 4×4 schedule leaves no consideration for students interested in extracurricular activities such as sports or fine arts.

Also, some said a block-type schedule would adversely affect students transferring from other areas, such as from military families where schools are still run on semester scheduling. SISD officials said there would be programs in place to prevent and alleviate the difficulty from the change for transfer students.

Concerned parents said they simply wished to be more involved in the decisions of their childrens’ education. District officials reiterated that Monday’s meeting only represented a proposal and not a final decision.

SISD officials said the board would support any schedule change would best serve the interests of the students.