Recently, Austin Independent School District (AISD) superintendent Stephanie Elizalde proposed changing AISD’s current eight-period block schedule into a seven-period format for the 2022-2023 school year. This possible change sparked substantial discourse amongst parents, teachers, and students regarding what this would mean for students. Many argued that the elimination of a class wouldn’t provide students enough space in their schedule to pursue the elective courses they want to.

However, in an announcement emailed today to teachers and parents and published on the AISD website, Elizalde rejected the seven-period plan and announced that AISD would maintain its current eight-period schedule for the next school year.

“The feedback I and others on my team have received has been clear,” Elizalde said in the announcement. “You want an eight-period day with block scheduling. And after discussing this with our principals, that’s exactly what we’ve decided to do.” the district’s current $62 million budget deficit. Now that the proposal has been eliminated, Elizalde says that cuts will have to be made elsewhere. 

“When I heard that the seven-period plan was denied I was very relieved,” junior Lainey Killian said. “I like having a variety of classes every day and time to get my homework done in between them. Having a block schedule also opens up opportunities for different classes and off periods.”

AISD has already cut 60 positions from their Central Office and plans to make $11.8 million more in budget cuts in the Central Office in order to account for maintaining the current school scheduling. With a potential $62 million deficit, other cuts will have to be made to make up the difference.

“I was really stressing out about the possibility of having to go through seven periods a day because that meant there would be a lot more work for me as well as for everyone else to have to do every day,” junior Danielle Marin said. “So, when I heard we would be continuing with the same block schedule I was just glad that I wouldn’t have to go through all that stress next year.”

AISD’s principals will have a meeting this Wednesday in order to discuss next year’s school schedule further.

“We would not have arrived at this place without feedback from our staff and the community, so thank you,” Elizalde said in the announcement. “This schedule change and the budget cuts can provide our students with the enriching and challenging academic opportunities they deserve, the planning time our elementary school teachers have lacked, and the increased pay our teachers, custodians, and foodservice and other classified workers deserve.“