Photo: Lavallee Brensinger Architects
By Kendra Williams
The Sanford School Committee is considering whether to keep the current five-block schedule at Sanford High School and Regional Technical Center. At a Nov. 3 workshop, members reviewed feedback gathered from students, parents and staff by a committee formed last spring. The group was tasked with studying the pros and cons of maintaining the shorter class periods of the five-block schedule or returning to the longer periods of the four-block model.
In his opening comments, Superintendent Matt Nelson acknowledged the difficulty of the task. “If there was a perfect schedule, every school would be using it,” he said. He noted the importance of balancing student learning needs with staff workload, SRTC program demands, special education, staffing, and budget considerations.
Supporters of the five-block schedulepoint to a wider range of electives, greater flexibility for students in both academic and technical programs, and stronger participation in music and arts. With the five-block schedule, students take more classes each year, gaining greater access to electives, Advanced Placement courses, and arts programs. Music and art participation have risen sharply since the model was introduced, and some students say the variety keeps them more engaged.
Sanford High School Band Director Hailey Francoeur said the five-block schedule has greatly expanded opportunities for music students. The former four-block model, she noted, prevented many from taking both band and chorus. Since the shift, band enrollment has grown from 36 to 74 students, leading to a second concert band and an honors class. The schedule also allows more students to take both band and chorus while balancing AP and SRTC courses. “The five-block schedule has opened doors for our students,” Francoeur said. “If we return to four blocks, we’ll see a dramatic decrease in participation in the performing arts — something this community truly values.”
However, staff surveys revealed that a strong majorityfavor a return to the four-blockformat, citing deeper learning, better content retention, consistent student contact and more opportunities for collaboration.
In her comments to the committee, math teacher Kailee Colbeth noted that her AP calculus students receive significantly fewer instructional hours than peers in nearby schools with four-block schedules. She also pointed out that teachers in Sanford have less preparation time, making it harder to maintain the same level of instructional quality.
High School Principal Tracy Gibson told the School Committee that one of her concerns with the five-block schedule is the sharp rise in late arrivals and early dismissals among upperclassmen since Sanford High operated with a four-block model. She noted that under the current schedule, students need only 27 credits out of 40 available opportunities to graduate, giving many seniors large gaps in their day. While students have emphasized wanting to keep the late-arrival and early-release option, Gibson said it would still be available for those on track to graduate if the school returned to a four-block schedule. She added that having a significant number of students “arriving at 10:30 and leaving early” sends the wrong message to underclassmen. “That’s not the culture I would like to see as principal in our school,” Gibson said.
Instructors in SRTC programs raised concerns that the five-block structure reduces focus on hands-on technical training and creates scheduling conflicts that hinder program quality. Firefighting Program instructor Harold Smith told the committee that the five-block schedule leaves too little time for preparation in a program that demands extensive planning and logistics. He said he typically arrives before 6:30 am to set up for hands-on training such as live fire exercises and often works well beyond the school day. With only 25 minutes between morning and afternoon classes and limited additional prep time on non–fifth block days, he worries future instructors without flexible schedules may struggle to maintain program quality. Smith also noted that the structure makes it difficult to provide timely extra help to students from partner schools, since fifth block and professional development sessions limit afternoon availability.
SRTC Director Matt Petermann asked the School Committee to consider the unique needs of SRTC programs. He said the center operates under a “fundamentally different mission and structure” than a traditional high school, with programs that require significant setup, equipment maintenance, and safety oversight. Petermann noted that program instructors have less preparation time than academic teachers despite the complex, hands-on nature of their work, which makes it harder to recruit and retain industry professionals who could earn more in private-sector jobs.
“The current five-block schedule stretches our resources thin and limits our ability to focus on our core mission of serving our CTE students,” Petermann said. He asked that, regardless of which model is adopted for Sanford High, SRTC be allowed to “operate on a schedule that serves our unique program needs and our students’ career preparation.”
The School Committee is expected to vote on which schedule will take effect in the 2026–2027 school year at its Nov. 17 meeting.
To view the full meeting, including survey results, go to
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