Students in Gorham spend less time in school than students in nine of ten other area districts. According to Superintendent Heather Perry, many teachers believe “there simply isn’t enough time in the school day to instruct students in the things that matter most.”

In early 2017, the School Committee (SC) created the School Day Committee, chaired by Assistant Superintendent Chris Record, to study both the length of the school day and start times. The SC is now postponing consideration of later start times while it considers lengthening the school day.

At the October SC meeting, Record presented findings from the committee’s two year study. The committee recommended that the school day in all district schools be lengthened by 15 to 30 minutes a day. Currently K-5 school days are 22 minutes below area average; Gorham Middle School students spend 16 fewer minutes. Most area high school students spend nearly an hour more in class each week than GHS students.

The School Day Committee found that there was no place in the school day to add more instructional time. The recommended additional minutes would be used to increase class time for each period. Record noted, however, that “this only accounts for quantity of time, not quality of time. How teachers use time matters.”