New Rotating Drop Schedule Proposed For Hillsborough High School

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — A new rotating drop schedule is being proposed for Hillsborough High School.

School officials and students presented the proposed plan to the Board of Education on Monday as part of a series of public outreach efforts tied to a possible 2027-28 rollout.

Superintendent Michael Volpe said the presentation was meant to begin a broader community discussion about a high school schedule redesign.

He said the district plans to keep discussing the proposal at board meetings, in committee meetings and through additional outreach sessions modeled after recent redistricting forums.

Science teacher Joe Hernandez said the high school schedule committee shared findings from its research and discovery phase, which supported the implementation of a rotating drop schedule for the 2027-2028 school year.

"The need for a new high school schedule addresses concerns raised by students and families regarding course availability, being academically competitive, and addressing student wellness through a comprehensive and collaborative approach between students and families, teachers, and administration," said Hernandez.

He said the committee analyzed the costs and benefits of several scheduling models and found the rotating drop schedule "will be advantageous for our students by creating a rigorous educational experience while maintaining a positive work-life balance."

Students also described how the change could affect daily life at the high school.

Rising junior Skylar Haynes shared her perspective with a focus on academics.

"I found myself struggling with fulfilling graduation requirements, which are the career electives, financial literacy, and art, while also integrating classes that I want to take, things that I'm interested in personally, and managing to graduate at the same time," said Haynes.

She said an integrated study hall period "allows for more time to complete homework, to study for tests, and it honestly is a mental relief that I believe everyone needs and even myself."

Rising sophomore Joe DiNuzzo said club meetings and student activities now often happen before or after school, creating conflicts for students with transportation issues, sports or other commitments.

"Almost all club meetings take place after school, which directly conflicts with students who participate in sports or other extracurricular activities," said DiNuzzo.

Under the proposed model, DiNuzzo said, those meetings could be held during the school day.

"With the implementation of the new rotating drop schedule, all of those meetings would be held during the school day during our lunch period. So student participation would undoubtedly increase. Students could attend these meetings that they were not able to before, without disrupting their morning routines or after-school commitments," said DiNuzzo.

Teachers and administrators said the proposed schedule would increase flexibility and course access.

English teacher Julianne Anderson said the change would "increase daily instructional time by 16 percent while reducing the number of daily transitions between classes."

She also said students could earn up to 160 credits over four years, compared with 140 under the current schedule.

Vice Principal Christine Cilio said the plan could reduce daily burnout, give students more chances to take additional courses during the school day and lessen the effect of repeated early dismissals for athletes by spreading missed classes across the rotation.

She also said the district has data showing that "hundreds of course requests" cannot be met each year.

Additionally, she noted that many student-athletes leave for early dismissals on a pretty regular basis during their sports season.

"Although we have tremendous athletes that do a wonderful job balancing their academics and their sports careers, they miss the same class every day. That poses a real challenge for them to make sure they're maintaining their academic rigor and they're following along with their coursework," said Cilo. "The benefit of the rotating drop is that they're not going to be missing the same class every single day."

Board members raised questions about block scheduling, instructional time, AP classes, late arrivals and early dismissals, and how specialized programs would fit into the new structure.

Hillsborough High School Principal Jeffery Dilollo said the district is targeting the 2027-28 school year, not next year, and plans more staff feedback this fall.

Volpe said the presentation was "not a one-and-done" and that the district would continue gathering questions from the public before any next step.

"This isn't going to be the end of this conversation. This is the beginning of a conversation, but I think it was important, as I had said, for the entire community to get the same baseline knowledge," said Volpe.

See the full presentation below:

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