NEW SCHEDULE — Superintendent Dan Enich is pictured during Monday’s meeting of the Hancock County Board of Education. The board, Monday, approved a recommendation to adjust the county’s two high schools to an alternating block schedule format beginning with the 2025-26 school year. -- Craig Howell

NEW CUMBERLAND – When Hancock County’s high school students return for the 2025-26 school year, they will have to adjust to a new format of class scheduling.

During Monday’s meeting of the Hancock County Board of Education, members voted unanimously to switch the schedules of Weir High School and Oak Glen High School to an alternating block schedule format.

“We’ve talked about it several times,” explained Board Vice President Ed Fields, wanting residents to know it was not something just brought up recently.

Through an alternating block schedule, students would have two schedules of classes, based on the day, each with four classes.

Under an example provided by the board, a freshman schedule may include one block of classes with English 9, Earth Science, Physical Education and Art 1, while their second block could include Algebra 1, World Studies, Business Computers 1, and Dance 1. During each week, one block would have classes three days, while the other block would be held two days, in an alternating pattern. Classes would remain at 90 minutes, with teachers able to be more detailed with their lessons, offer labs or other activities as classes would be held throughout the year.

Superintendent Dan Enich noted he and others have had conversations with representatives of the Student Councils and Faculty Senates of both high schools during the process of considering the move.

Enich said the move was focused on ensuring the four core subject matters of the county’s curriculum are available for students throughout the year, instead of just for one semester.

“You need math, English, social studies and science all year long,” Enich said. “This will make it possible.”

The change is not expected to affect the transportation schedule for the school district, nor the schedules for the John D. Rockefeller IV Career Center, according to Enich.

Hancock County Schools has long used a straight block schedule format, with 90-minute classes and offering each class for only a semester. The board had discussed making a change in February 2024

Enich said the change also will assist with professional development opportunities for faculty, and the board will be working with the high schools prior to the beginning of the school year to assist teachers in those areas.

“That’s one of our focuses this summer,” Enich said.

Under the plan, teachers also would have a full 90-minute block for their lesson planning.

Board President Chris Gillette explained the educational focus had been a goal of the board’s prior to hiring Enich as superintendent.

“When we were shopping for a new superintendent, it was one of the goals,” Gillette said, noting such a change would have been impossible to set up for the current school year.