NORWICH – New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s announcement Wednesday that January Regents Exams will continue through 2012 may have thrown a wrench in the gears in regards to the ongoing scheduling debate at Norwich High School.

Thanks to a private funding effort – which resulted in $1.5 million in donations – schools across the state will once again offer Regents Exams in January, according to a NYS Education Department spokesman. In June, the NYSED announced its decision to eliminate the January exams due to state budget cuts.

Prior to that announcement, on Tuesday night, a group of approximately 30 students, parents and teachers met with Norwich Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan, continuing to voice their disapproval of the district’s scheduling changes. Those changes, O’Sullivan said Tuesday, were a direct result of the January Regents’ elimination. With Mayor Bloomberg’s announcement yesterday, it may be back to the drawing board.

“This came completely out of left field and we have some things to consider,” said O’Sullivan following Bloomberg’s announcement. “We have a lot of unanswered questions out there. How will this affect our budget? Our staffing? Is this a one-shot deal? We’ve got a problem, but we’ve got some very good people. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but we’ll figure it out.”

The schedule – as it stands now – would include an elementary school day which would run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the middle and high schools meeting from 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Class time at the middle and high schools would remain the same, at 84 minutes per class, and lunch periods would be reduced from 40 to 30 minutes. From 2:15 to 2:45 p.m., teachers at the middle and high schools would have a half hour of collaboration time, something the superintendent said has been requested from teachers across the board.

“This is something new and something the teachers are asking for,” added O’Sullivan. “It’s absolutely critical and we need this time.”