LAND O'LAKES — In a rare move, Pasco County's Wiregrass Ranch High School will move to a 10-period day next fall to cope with severe crowding resulting from the return of new home construction in the suburbs.
Sophomores, juniors and seniors will report to classes from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., like they do now. But freshmen classes won't begin until 10:20 a.m., and they'll run until 4:40 p.m.
"Any time you mess with peoples' family (time), it's tough," School Board vice chairwoman Joanne Hurley said. "But it was the best option we had."
Districts don't like to adopt such dramatic measures as longer school days or double sessions, because of how they can wreak havoc on family schedules and damage a school's culture.
But bulging classrooms sometimes force the matter.
Land O'Lakes High operated on a 10-period day from 2003 to 2007, for instance, while waiting for Sunlake High to be built. Several Hillsborough County schools ran on double sessions in the late 1990s as enrollment swelled.
Wiregrass Ranch faces a similar scenario. Its enrollment is more than 2,300 students on a campus built for just under 1,700. District planners project the student body to grow by another 175 students per year for the next few years, with a resurgence of new home construction.
Redrawn school attendance zones in 2011 did little to ease the crunch. A new high school is planned nearby, but it won't be ready until 2017.
Principal Robyn White explored alternatives to the 10-period day, discussing ideas with her staff, students and parents. In the end, no other options found enough support to win her recommendation to the board.
And despite some early objections among some parents, no one came to Tuesday's School Board meeting to complain. The board, in turn, approved the schedule without comment.
"Had there been a bunch of parents here, or even a handful, I wouldn't have had a problem bringing it up for discussion," board member Alison Crumbley said. "But there wasn't."
Chairman Steve Luikart said he remains open to other ideas.
"We're open-minded to everything," Luikart said.
Lacking that, principal White said, the school will move full speed ahead to implement the new schedule. Students will register in late February, and that will help determine the specific details for the class day.
Superintendent Kurt Browning praised White and her team for coming up with the "best worst option we have."
"The same level of high academic instruction will be there. It's just going to be on a different time frame," Browning said. "It will be fine."
Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at jsolochek@tampabay.com.