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During the Elk Rapids Public Schools Board of Education meeting Monday, Feb. 26, high school principal Steve Gallagher updated the board on the possible switch. Once a decision is made on changing to trimesters or continuing with semesters, he can begin scheduling classes for next year, he said. The board will continue to discuss the issue during its March 12 regular meeting.

He said the rationale for making the change this fall includes several items: Michigan's new graduation requirements, new Michigan Merit Exams and raised content expectations. The new graduation requirements raise the amount of core credits a student must have.

The change most affects electives and students in the Traverse Bay ISD Career Tech Center, he said during a meeting Feb. 12. No students in the high school are affected by the change; eighthgraders are the first class to see the new requirements.

Currently, Elk Rapids High School operates on a day made up of six 55-minute periods. Gallagher said he looked into a seven-period day, but he recommended a five-period day that would occur in three terms. Boyne Falls, Grayling, Grand Rapids, Holland and Muskegon all are currently on five-period systems. In a trimester system, the typical class would last two of the three terms per year and periods would be 71 minutes long.

At Monday's meeting, Gallagher said the high school's staff has been looking at this switch for 2-3 years. Whether the district needs more time to consider it, the change will occur, he said.

"We as a staff see it as an inevitability," he said.

The reason the school is looking to change is because the staff thinks better students are made "if kids have more options," Gallagher said.

He said the change won't be easy.

"This is a huge change," he said. "This is not a small decision to make."

Changing to a trimester system will increase class sizes slightly, and they're already larger than desired, he said. If two teachers who are retiring this spring aren't replaced in the fall, class sizes will become too high, and he said he wouldn't want to make the change in 2007-08 if that occurs. He explained that because of the financial situation, the district has sometimes chosen to not replace retiring teachers. He said there is some flexibility in the timetable for the change, and if it isn't made next year, he would recommend waiting two years for the switch.

During the Feb. 12 meeting, high school teacher Rick Patterson suggested making the switch this year because to wait would be "a scramble for incredible change." When Bellaire made the switch, they did it in three days, but he wouldn't suggest moving that quickly.

High school teacher Terri Reisig said teachers need full support to make the switch. She said that if it is made, one issue to watch will be attendance because students lose 25 hours of contact time in the classroom. Teachers will also have to seriously consider field trips because of the reduced time.

On Monday, Gallagher said that one hope with the trimester system is that students who are struggling in classes have will have immediate remediation. He explained that on the trimester system, the first term of a two-term class may be offered each trimester. If a student were struggling in the first term, they could retake that first portion of the class during the second term rather than having to wait until the next year to begin anew.

District Superintendent Jon Hoover said some sections could last three terms. Three-term classes would increase contact time by 48 hours, which becomes a "boon" for students who are struggling with a subject.

Board Treasurer Vernon LaLone asked if there was a downside to this, as it would again limit electives. Hoover said it was a downside but not a negative, as the school is aiming to teach students the core curriculum.

Three-term classes increase class sizes for electives but drop the size of required classes, Gallagher said. He said one school solved this problem by creating a lecture-style class that an entire grade-level attends. He doesn't think too many big changes should be made at once, though, he said.

-- Megan Taylor contributed to this story.