Using AI to Build a Master Schedule
Though the 2026-27 school year seems distant, you’re already taking steps to prepare. Learn how AI can save you time and facilitate your work in building a master schedule.
In this recent article from The 74, authors Misty Rieber and Kimberly Gilmore-Madkins explain the importance of the master schedule in optimizing teacher time and student learning experiences. They discourage simply “rolling-over” schedules from one year to the next, and instead promote the use of AI to help balance class sizes and teacher workloads.
Quoting research from Columbia University, the authors explain:
“The master schedule, an undoubtedly strategic tool, gets treated as a logistical one. This has disastrous consequences for students because it (1) masks the weight of the choices at hand, and (2) limits what is possible. In every case, the shift from technical to strategic scheduling was accompanied by a shift from limited to more sophisticated tools. As schools and systems sought to do more with their schedules, they stumbled over difficult-to-use tools and were pushed to find alternatives.”
Today’s tools-- SIS, spreadsheets, whiteboards--do not account for the complexity of scheduling challenges. Rieber and Gilmore-Madkins note how a single high school schedule can involve hundreds and even thousands of possible combinations of teacher, students, and period placements.
They used AI to help analyze scheduling scenarios optimized for their specific goals; and AI generated solutions they had not considered.
Read the full article.
I asked ChatGPT to identify prompts it would use to support master scheduling. Here is the response--note that in this example, you would use a sequence of prompts:
When I’m using ChatGPT as a master scheduling thought partner (not a magic button), I use layered, purpose-driven prompts that mirror how strong secondary schedules are actually built: vision → constraints → priorities → iterations → stress-testing.
Below is the prompt sequence I use most often, with examples you can copy/paste and adapt.
- Start with the WHY (Design Principles Prompt)
Purpose: Anchor the schedule in instructional priorities before touching periods or bells.
Prompt: You are an expert secondary school scheduler. Based on the following school priorities, generate 6–8 non-negotiable scheduling principles that should guide all decisions.
School priorities: -
- [e.g., increase Tier 1 instructional quality]
- [e.g., protect PLC time]
- [e.g., expand access to advanced coursework]
- [e.g., reduce student course conflicts]
For each principle, explain why it matters and what tradeoffs it may require.
✅ I keep these principles visible throughout the process.
- Surface Constraints Early (Reality Check Prompt)
Purpose: Make the invisible barriers explicit before building anything.
Prompt: Act as a master schedule auditor. Based on the following inputs, identify the top scheduling constraints and risk points I must plan around.
Inputs: -
- Enrollment by grade
- Staffing FTE and endorsements
- Contractual limits (prep, duty-free lunch, PLC time)
- Facility constraints (labs, gyms, shared spaces)
- Required minutes by subject
Organize your response into: - Hard constraints
- Flexible constraints
- Common failure points to avoid
- Explore Schedule Models (Big-Picture Architecture Prompt)
Purpose: Avoid defaulting to “what we’ve always done.”
Prompt: Given the following constraints and priorities, propose 3 different master schedule models (e.g., 7-period day, A/B block, modified block, flex period model).
For each model, include:
- Pros and cons
- Impact on staffing efficiency
- Impact on student access and equity
- Impact on teacher collaboration time
- Recommend which model best aligns with our priorities and explain why.
- Translate Vision into Time (Bell Schedule Prompt)
Purpose: Get the math right before placing courses.
Prompt: Using a [X]-period day with [block/traditional] structure, design a bell schedule that: - Meets required instructional minutes
- Protects daily or weekly PLC time
- Minimizes student transitions
- Allows for interventions or enrichment
Show the schedule in a clear table and explain key design decisions.
- Course Demand & Sectioning (Efficiency Prompt)
Purpose: Prevent over/under-sectioning and staff overload.
Prompt: Based on the following student course requests and staffing, help me determine: -
- Number of sections needed per course
- Optimal class size ranges Staffing implications
- Where conflicts or inefficiencies are likely to occur
- Flag any courses that may require creative solutions (co-teaching, shared sections, flex enrollment).
- Conflict Detection (Student-Centered Prompt)
Purpose: Catch problems before students experience them.
Prompt: Analyze this draft schedule for potential student course conflicts, especially for: -
- Students needing interventions
- Students in advanced/dual-credit pathways
- Students requiring special education or EL services
Suggest adjustments that preserve equity and access.
- PLC & Adult Learning Protection (Often Forgotten Prompt)
Purpose: Ensure the schedule supports instructional improvement, not just coverage.
Prompt: Evaluate this master schedule for its impact on adult learning. -
- How well does it protect PLC time?
- Where are collaboration opportunities fragile or uneven?
- What minor adjustments would strengthen instructional coherence without increasing staffing?
- Stress-Test the Schedule (Principal-Level Prompt)
Purpose: Prepare for real-world disruption.
Prompt: Stress-test this schedule against the following scenarios: -
- Unexpected mid-year enrollment increase
- One teacher vacancy
- Increased student need for intervention
- New state instructional minute requirement
Identify where the schedule is resilient and where it is brittle.
- Communication & Buy-In (Leadership Prompt)
Purpose: Make the schedule understandable and defensible.
Prompt: Draft a clear explanation of this master schedule for:
-
- Teachers
- Families
- School board
Emphasize how the schedule reflects our instructional priorities and what tradeoffs were made intentionally.
How I Actually Use ChatGPT
I do not ask ChatGPT to “make my schedule.”
Instead, I use it to:
- Clarify tradeoffs
- Pressure-test assumptions
- Identify blind spots
- Speed up analysis
- Improve equity and coherence