North Andover High School Plans Semester Schedule 2021-2022 Year

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — North Andover High School would switch to a semester schedule under a proposal before the School Committee Thursday.

The Committee is due to have a second reading and potential approve the plan, which would leave behind the trimester schedule that has been in place for over a decade.

The trimester schedule was introduced in 2008 due to shortages of staff, funding and resources, High School Principal Chet Jackson said in an introduction to the new plan. With five new positions in next year's budget, the high school will finally have enough teachers to move to a semester model.

"The new teaching positions are needed for North Andover High School to return to a scheduled structure that best fulfills the academic and social-emotional needs for our students," Jackson said.

Under the semester schedule, core classes would run Sept. to June while electives would be for 90-day semesters. More details on the scehdule change are available here.

The School Committee will hold a public hearing on the proposal Thursday. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.