The Chilton County Board of Education did not approve Tuesday to change all schools in the county from block to seven-period scheduling.

Superintendent Dave Hayden recommended changing from blocks to periods and requiring 24 credits instead of 28 to graduate, and Joe Mims seconded it.

But after a lengthy discussion among board members, the motion was defeated due to a lack of favorable majority in a 4–3 vote, with board members Jim Shannon, Linda Hand, Keith Moore and Curtis Smith in favor of not changing the scheduling, and Lori Patterson, Pam Price and Mims in favor of changing to seven periods.

“I think children need to be in English and math all year long,” Price said. “I have three children. They learn doing a subject daily instead of having a six-month (gap).”

Shannon and Moore said they were not necessarily opposed to changing back to the seven-period schedule but felt the board and the schools needed more time to study the effects of changing schedules and formulate a plan to make the potential transition as smooth as possible.

“I just think that at this point, we’re trying to do it too quickly,” Moore said. “I don’t know what our plan is, but I’ve been in education long enough to know this: When you do something, you’re going to have a reaction. It’s not going to be a perfect fit for whatever we do.”