An eight-period school day for the 2016 school year is still on the block, according to district officials. The North Platte Public School District administrators are still considering altering the daily schedule to an eight-period schedule or a modified block schedule. Most students would prefer to keep the current block. In a Bulldogger Twitter poll, 82% of the nearly 200 respondents said they don’t want to change. Senior Max Wohler said thinks the four-period day is best. “You can focus more on the classes that you do have. And you’re not always running around.”

However, some parents think more classes per day might be beneficial. Parent Ginger Leal said, “My kids take band, so they don’t have any time to take any other electives. Because of the block schedule, by the time they graduate, they’ve taken eight years of band, and no other electives.”

School Board member and former NPHS teacher Skip Altig said, “If we decided to have the eight-period day, we’d have to wait a year before we implement it for the students who plan to take Spanish one and two their senior year. Any schedule that you have has to benefit students.” When asked if it would be just as easy to retake classes, Altig said, “[The current schedule] makes it easier. As a former teacher, students get themselves into failing, and there are consequences for failing. You can do it in an eight-period day, but then your choice of electives your junior and senior year are narrowed. There are pros and cons to any schedule.”

The school board will make a decision in January.