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Presentations were made by each of the district's principals on how the new system will affect the schools.

The switch lengthens high school teachers' daily prep period, and much discussion revolved around how to stretch prep times for middle and elementary school instructors. High school teachers now get 55 minutes of prep time. Teachers at Cherryland Middle School get 48 minutes, at Lakeland Elementary School they get 45-55 minutes and at Mill Creek Elementary School they have 51 minutes.

Lakeland Principal Terry Starr said his school is working to lengthen the lunches of its teachers to about 50 minutes. That change would lengthen recess and shorten instructional time for students.

The elementary schools in the Elk Rapids school district currently give more instructional time than the secondary schools because recesses have been shortened and a second recess is considered instructional time.

Starr said his school's teachers would like to lengthen prep time but are willing to lose it if the plan doesn't work. They've asked if they can "go back and just teach the kids," he said.

He said the argument for more recess is that with addi- tional time outside, students will gain efficiency.

Trustee Vicki Kundinger said she struggles with the idea of decreasing instructional time.

District superintendent Jon Hoover said he understands her concern, but he thinks it will work. He said he'd be surprised if the 20 minutes lost would be a tipping point for students.

After time trying the change, he said he thinks teachers will find that both they and students are fresher in the classroom and that they'll continue to keep pace with the curriculum.

High School principal Steve Gallagher presented the board with a sample schedule and explained how trimesters could affect students enrolled in the TBAISD Career-Tech Center or Northwestern Michigan College. He said there could be potential problems with Career-Tech Center students, as that program will likely stay on a semester system until Traverse City schools change.

Gallagher said students enrolling in the TBAISD program would have to agree to stick with the program for the full year. That shouldn't be a problem because most students who participate want to stay the full year, he said.

"We just have to work it out," he said. "There will be lots of things we'll just have to work out."

Jim Standerfer, high school assistant principal and athletic director, explained the switch's effect on the school's special education programs. He said the positive affects of the change are that special ed students will have more electives, be able to continue at the Career-Tech Center and have less courses per day to keep track of. Possible negatives could be the longer duration of class periods.

"It looks like it would be a good, smooth, easy transition," he said.

Gallagher said that in the trimester system, end-of-term exams would be held over three days. They'd run similarly to the way they do now, he said, but the test period would be shortened to the class time of 71 minutes.

Standerfer said Sunrise Academy will also go to a trimester system because students often switch between the academy and Elk Rapids High School. Whereas Elk Rapids High School will be on 12-week trimesters, Sunrise will break up its terms into 6-week sessions. Shorter terms work better for students at the academy, he said.

As far as athletics, Standerfer said the district will need to limit days missed for sports. The eligibility process based on academic standing will also have to be reconfigured. He said he'd come to the board with a recommendation.