At Mount Vernon High School, 88 students take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Fairfax County Public Schools' high school academies, in addition to the 19 students who attend cosmetology classes at Hayfield Secondary near Kingstowne. The specialized classes offered at the four academies give juniors and seniors the ability to received advanced training in such fields as engineering, health and human services, international studies, business, scientific technology, and communication and the arts.
Should the Fairfax County School Board decide to eliminate the seven-period day in the future as a cost-cutting measure, attending the academies could become a thing of the past.
"The academies that we send our students to during the day would seem less attractive to students because of the travel time and period lost to travel," said Cathy Crocker, principal at Mount Vernon. "The reduction from seven to six periods would affect the electives at each and every high school. It would have an impact on each and every elective. Some of the music and art programs would not be easy to fit into the schedule with only six periods."
ELIMINATING THE SEVEN-PERIOD day came up during discussions exploring ways the School Board could cut the proposed $1.6 billion budget. At the time, the schools were facing a deficit of $46 million, that figure has since dropped to $39 million.
Reducing the school day to six periods would save an estimated $14 million per year just in personnel because approximately 316 positions would be eliminated. Currently, teachers are permit to teach five periods only, eliminating the seventh period reduces the number of teachers needed in the schools. It is also possible there could be other savings, which are still being researched.
The proposal was taken off the table for this year, however, because of the lack of sufficient time to give notice to the staff members that would be fired as a result of doing away with the seventh period. In addition, middle and high school class schedules would have to be completely redone to accommodate a new bell schedule.
Jane Strauss, chairman of the board's finance and budget committee, told her fellow members at the April 25 meeting, the seven-period day should remain an option for the future since the budget picture is not likely to improve over the next couple years.
THE DELAY gives schools staff time to flesh out the possible impacts of dropping the seventh period.
"Almost no school system in Virginia has a six-period day," said Alan Leis, deputy superintendent of schools. "We would be reversing directions."
Leis said the school system incorporated a seven-period day in the late 1980s.
Among the concerns is the impact reducing the number of periods would have on electives, graduation requirements, bus schedules, the English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program and special education.
"If you look ahead to the 2004 budget, we could see another deficit of $5 million or more. We're in the same situation. We're going to have this problem again," Strauss said. "The seventh period is complicated to undo. We've had increases in graduation requirements and the creation of the SOLs [Standards of Learning] since we went to a seven-period day. As we're looking forward, it is important to understand all the pieces of the program. It's been in place so long, we've taken for granted we can't take it out."
Strauss said eliminating the seventh period, which is in middle and high schools, would not mean shorter school days. The state mandates how much "seat time" the students get in school. Instead, the class times will be longer and block scheduling would have to also be eliminated.
REDUCING THE NUMBER of periods in the day would mean students have less course options and less room for failure. High school students are required to earn 22 credits, out of a possible 28 credits, for a standard high school diploma and 24 credits for an advanced studies diploma. Under a six-period day, a student can only earn 24 credits without taking summer school.
"The International Baccalaureate diploma would be more difficult to earn because there would be fewer opportunities to earn credits," said Crocker.
For some students the loss of the seventh period could mean a longer high-school career.
"If we go back to a six-period day, the students would need to pass virtually everything and there's not much room for electives," Strauss said. "We would have difficulty with the youngsters that are struggling. It could take them five years to graduate."
Strauss also said, the elimination of the seventh period could hurt advanced students competing for a spot at an elite college. By limiting students to a possible 24 credits, those students would lose the ability to take advanced courses and amass impressive transcripts.
School Board member Robert Frye (At large) first brought up the idea of eliminating the seven-period day as a way of preserving programs at the elementary-school level.
"I raised it as a possibility because I believe , we as a board, need to be aware of what needs to be done to balance the budget," Frye said at a work session in April. "I suggest we preserve as much as we can at the primary schools. We as a board have the responsibility to make sure every student gets a good start."
Others on the board are not convinced the seventh period should be sacrificed to balance the budget. Matthew Wansley (Student representative) said he would prefer other controversial measures before considering eliminating the seven-period day.
"We've got students in ninth grade planning their whole high- school career based on having a seventh period there," Wansley said. "I would rather see us increase class size then eliminating the seven-period day."