The biggest expense in the Clark County School District is teacher salaries. I believe six-period schools are better, but I understand why some people like eight periods.
Eight-period schedules require more teachers and therefore more money.
Are eight-period secondary schools so much better that people are OK with tens of thousands of children having substitutes and employee health care losing out on funding so we can hire extra teachers to teach eight classes instead of six?
Why have most local secondary schools switched to eight-period schedules instead of six during the past two decades during funding and teacher shortages?
The graduation credit requirement is 22.5, or 24 for a CCR diploma. A six-period school offers 24 credits during the normal school day over years. The eight-period schools offer 32 credits. So students can fail a quarter of their classes and still graduate.
Classes at eight-period schools have fewer contact hours over the course of a year but the credit awarded is the same.