Students at Falls High School could see a change from a six-period day to a seven-period day as soon as second semester of this school year.

The International Falls School Board Monday unanimously approved a resolution to teachers’ contracts allowing for flexible scheduling in exchange for Q-Comp, or the Quality Compensation Program. The program, funded through the Minnesota Department of Education, would give extra compensation to teachers who improve student academic performance.

“This is a move in the right direction,” Superintendent Nordy Nelson told The Journal. “We’d work in one more class hour, which would offer more opportunities for students.”

In addition, the Q-Comp program would help the district, he said.

“Q-Comp allows staff to really coordinate as far as curriculum planning and taking a real close look at our instruction in what works best for student performance,” Nelson said.

The agreement came during the process of the district’s negotiations with the teachers’ union, Education Minnesota International Falls Local 331. Negotiations have been taking place since July 2011, and both parties are in mediation after they failed to set a new contract months after the contracts expired June 30, 2011.

Disagreement on salary increases and student scheduling left the teachers working under a contract developed in 2009, which has yet to be renewed with changes. Teacher contracts are typically negotiated and renewed every two years.

Nelson said the agreement on flexible scheduling and Q-Comp is a large step toward an agreement on a full contract. The change came before the final contract agreement because of an Oct. 1 deadline with the Minnesota Department of Education to enroll the district in Q-Comp. MDE will provide approximately $300,000 to the district for teacher compensation.

The flexible scheduling agreement allows the district to not only change the high school schedule to seven periods, but also allows for scheduling changes as needed.

The switch to seven periods would reduce class time to 50 minutes instead of one hour. This allows students to fit in one more class or elective, and would reduce the chance of scheduling conflicts between classes the student wants to take. 

Under the resolution, flexible scheduling would start second semester of this school year at its earliest, but no later than the beginning of the 2013-14 school year. The agreement explains that flexible scheduling would have no end date.

Q-Comp will be funded at the same level as in 2010-11. The board in summer 2011 eliminated the program for the 2011-12 school year. The program has been part of the discussions during negotiations for more than a year.

Nelson said the resolution is a “real positive” and that the district and teachers’ union are “real close” to getting a contract finalized.

“We’re looking for an agreement in the very near future,” he said.