Major changes to the master schedule of student classes at Lebanon High School are unlikely before the second trimester starts on Dec. 1. During a school board work session Monday evening, LHS principal Mark Finch said it would take several weeks to run computer simulations to test a proposed master schedule brought before the board by Rick Alexander on Nov. 3.

Spanish teacher Kim Fandino built a new master schedule after complaints that required classes did not fit students' schedules. Under Fandino's plan, every major required class would be available every period.

Alexander obtained a copy of the schedule from a parent Fandino had given it to and submitted it to the school board for consideration.

The schedule was built on the district's new Electronic Student Information System (ESIS) last spring after students forecast the classes they planned to take this year, Finch said Monday. Multiple simulations were run over a ten-day period until 80 percent of students' had acceptable schedules. Counselors worked with the other 20 percent to slot them into needed classes.

Finch said any changes to this year's schedule could adversely affect students who already have their classes scheduled.

Student Emily King, who attended the work session along with two other students to offer student perspective about how to increase low math scores, objected to changing the schedule before the end of the year.

"I make sure I get ahead of the rush for scheduling," King said. "You need to put in the effort. You can't just say, 'counselor, fix my problem.'"

Fandino said the schedule was meant as a starting point for discussions on how to better arrange required classes.

"It was never meant to be Kim's schedule for the district," she said.

Alexander complained that scheduling had been an issue for the past three years.

"Nothing has been done to realign the schedule and the community isn't happy about it," he said.

Board chair Josh Wineteer agreed that manually building a schedule as Fandino had done allowed for more variables to be taken into account, but didn't think a new schedule could be implemented on short notice.

"We need a realignment of expectations and may need to look at a schedule change at a future date," he said.

New Superintendent George Lanning, attending his first board meeting since being hired on Nov. 5, said any changes made to the master schedule needed to be decided on by LHS administrators.

During discussion on the "math emergency" at the high school, district administrators reported that two additional full-time and one half-time teacher have been moved to the high school to assist math teachers by monitoring their classes and giving them feedback on how to improve their teaching.

Additionally, staff made phone calls to the parents of 300 students identified as failing math to urge them to have their child take part in the school's tutoring program before and after school and during lunch.

Finch said he receives weekly reports on the progress of all students who are struggling with math.

Student representatives told the work session that more "real life" problems showing how math is applicable would make learning easier.

David Champion, a parent of a high school student, said students using cell phones, not paying attention, being disrespectful to teachers and not attending class are a major reason for the high school's math woes.

"A lot of these kids who are failing are suffering from discipline issues," Champion said.