Due to budget cuts, Wareham High School seniors will be offered “senior privileges” again this coming school year, said Principal Scott Palladino. Senior privileges allow students who meet a minimum grade point average and attendance guidelines to leave school for one period of the school day when they do not have a scheduled class.

Palladino said that though he'd planned for students not to have open periods or study halls due to the implementation of a new block schedule, budget cuts caused him to lose two teachers, leaving him no choice but to cut back on class offerings.

“To be honest with you, I don't have the teachers to cover the electives,” Palladino said. “We need to make sure we have the staff” to teach the courses students need to complete graduation requirements.

Usually senior privileges are implemented in the early fall after the first term. But Palladino asked the School Committee to approve the program beginning on the first day of school.

In addition to meeting attendance expectations, students who take advantage of senior privileges must maintain a clean disciplinary record and maintain a grade point average of 80 with no “D's” or “F's” in classes. Parents must approve a student's participation in the program.

Though the School Committee ultimately approved the proposal, it was not without discussion.

“Kids are not going to have something to do for some number of periods because of budget cuts?” School Committee member Geoff Swett asked.

“That's correct,” Palladino replied.

School Committee member Cliff Sylvia, the only member who voted against the policy, said he was disappointed because the new block schedule should have allowed students to add more courses to their docket, making them more attractive to colleges.

“One of the reasons we were receptive to block scheduling was to expand and advance educational [opportunities],” said Sylvia. The School Committee approved the new block schedule in June.

Palladino noted that most seniors would likely stay in school during their free period, utilizing the library and computer labs to complete work.

“I think you'll see an area of the library encompass a 'senior lounge.' They'll be in there with other seniors working on their papers,” Palladino said.

But Sylvia said the problem should be approached differently.

“We still have an obligation to educate the whole child,” he said. “What we should be doing instead of giving kids free time, we should be propagating co-ops, we should be propagating internships, we should be propagating dual enrollment ... to accommodate educationally the void in those students' schedules.”

The first day of school is August 31.