State budget cuts prompt local schools to rethink scheduling

NORWICH – With the start of school only a month and a half away, Norwich is in flux regarding its high school schedule.

“It’s not worth the paper it’s printed on,” Norwich Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan told the district’s school board earlier this month. He reiterated that sentiment Monday night, calling the schedule a work in progress as he updated the board on the possible elimination of January Regents exams. It is a topic which is causing consternation not only for Norwich, but for all New York state schools who use semestered schedules.

Without the January exam, students enrolled in a Regents-level course during the fall semester would have to wait until June to take the corresponding exam, hence the scheduling concerns. According to O’Sullivan, Secondary Principal Lisa Schuchman and High School Assistant Principal Scott Ryan have already begun working with guidance counselors and department chairs to explore alternative scheduling options.