The Governing Board of the Benicia Unified School District heard a report at Thursday’s meeting from the Schedule Advisory Committee in which a recommendation was made for a new bell schedule at Benicia High School.

The committee- which is comprised of Benicia High students, parents, teachers and administrators- was formed in November to satisfy a Western Association of Schools and Colleges goal of researching schedule possibilities to create more opportunities for staff collaboration and serving students’ needs- particularly in the areas of minimizing stress and providing emotional support. For six months, SAC met every other Tuesday and had all-day retreats to conduct research on which schedule would best fit students’ needs. The committee settled on a seven-period block rotation schedule, in which all classes meet three times a week for 70 to 80 minutes, classes start at 8:30 a.m. at the earliest, teachers would have two hours of collaboration and professional development and students would have two flex/tutorial periods in which they could meet with teachers or counselors, catch up on homework or take time to work on projects.

Nearly every member of the committee was present at Thursday’s meeting, and many of them spoke about the new schedule and fielded questions from the board. Parent Pat Jennings talked about the process to conduct the report and noted the dedication of its members.

“Our commitment to this process was evidenced by the fact that every member was present at every single meeting,” she said. “There’s 18 of us, and everybody was there because they were that committed to this process. Even with surgeries and people out of town for conferences, they Skyped in.”

The group had surveyed hundreds of students, parents and faculty members to see what kinds of schedule they wanted. They also hosted a community forum in March and presented at four faculty meetings and the Parent Teacher Student Associations at Benicia High and Benicia Middle School.

Math teacher Carleen Maselli had discussed the increase in time for passing periods from six minutes to 10 and longer break periods such as brunch and lunch.

“As a teacher, every day my kids come in, plop their stuff down and say ‘Can I go to the bathroom?’” she said. “When we ask if six minutes is enough time, it may be for some, but it’s not for many.”

Maselli also noted that the rotating schedule was beneficial because students could have classes like math at various times in the week rather than always having it too early or too late in the day.

Board President Gary Wing asked if the new schedule would allow extra classes for students to meet UC requirements. Vice Principal Sean Thompson said that with a seven-period day, it was possible.

Trustee Peter Morgan said a major goal of the district was to foster college and career readiness and asked if the new schedule would support that.

“How do you take what you’ve done and put this into a presentation that would convince a parent or student moving into the district that this bell schedule is better than the competing schools in the area, both public and private, that would help them with their goal of either career readiness or college readiness?” he asked.

Parent Shirin Samiljan said there was no schedule that would meet all the recommended pathways. She related how when her daughter went to New York University, she was not prepared to be competitive even with all the Advanced Placement courses she took.

“There is a lot of research that shows that cramming the stuff in, not having enough sleep and not having the minutes to absorb what you’re doing hinders education,” she said. “This schedule has been put together with the entire community toward being the best students and the best graduates they can be.”

Morgan noted that data and transparency were important.

“This is not just about changing the calendar of the day but also mandating the way we teach,” he said.

To provide a student perspective, freshman Sophie Silberman said she could not go into class without a break.

“I need that time to absorb what I just learned,” she said. “By having that break, even if it’s just talking to my friends or going to my locker, I’m still thinking about what I just learned, and I won’t be immediately learning something else. As an advanced student, this schedule would allow me to take the classes I need to get into a UC.”

Morgan was still not entirely convinced.

“I would not choose that schedule for my student if they were on a college prep track,” he said. “I may be wrong, I just need to be convinced otherwise.”

“I do not mean to challenge your work because I think it is really good,” he added. “I’m asking you to take it to the next level.”

Wing closed the discussion for it to perhaps be resumed at a later meeting.

“I greatly appreciate the amount of time that all of you have put in on this,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of information in here, and I know there’s a lot more to come.”

In other business, Assistant Superintendent Marie Morgan cited goals in the Local Control Accountability Plan report, which included bringing an additional counselor to Benicia High, adding a chorus section to Benicia High and Benicia Middle and expanding Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports to all seven schools.