Save Money, Skip School

Save Money, Skip School!

Everybody is trying to make cut backs these days. It seems that the majority of people are trying to get rid of unnecessary expenses in order to hold on to more of their hard earned money. The same is true with school districts around the country. In this case however, the cutbacks come in the form of a school day. Administrators around the country have been faced with dwindling budgets, and the loss of many extra-curricular activities. The answer for some has been the four day school week. The four day school week will save school districts money while also allowing more teachers to keep their jobs. Like everything that is new, this idea has critics as well. This solution seems rather radical at first, cutting one whole day of school, in order to save a little money. At whose expense critics wonder. Concerns have been voiced that this shorter school week may seriously hurt students academically. Now students have one day less per week to learn the materials needed to succeed later in their lives. Some teachers like Bennie Newton, Central High Public Schools in Gore Oklahoma feel like he’s “…cheating the kids.” Some experts believe that the American youth need more time in the classroom. A San Francisco based network of charter schools called, Knowledge is Power, keeps its students in class sixty percent longer than the average public school. Jennifer Davis, president of the National Center on Time and Learning said, “All the evidence says the more hours our schools are open, the better off our kids are.” In Webster County Kentucky they have a different view. They switched to the four day week five years ago. Because of major budget issues, they were faced with the decision to either close one of the seven schools in the district, or cut a day from the week. They opted on the four day week and results have been good. The district went from being ranked one hundred and eleventh in standardized testing to fifty third in about a year. Officials at the district took the money that they saved from fewer operational costs, and put it back in the classroom. Here is something else to consider. The amount of hours the child spends in class each week will not change. Instead the districts have added an extra hour to an hour and a half a day to ensure that the child has the same amount of time to dedicate to school each week. Another concern that many parents have had is what to do with children on the fifth day when many parents are at work. Many districts have started running a lot of extracurricular activities on the off day. This is a means to help with childcare, as well as offering the students the chance to participate in their favorite activities. Not all districts have made these programs available yet. Some parents have actually had to rearrange their work schedule in order to accommodate the school schedule. In most cases, this program was implemented to save the individual districts enough money that they would not have to cut faculty positions or school programs. In Peach County Georgia, officials were faced with the dilemma of having to lay off 39 teachers, because they could not afford to pay the salaries. Instead, the plan to cut a single day of school per week was put into practice. By doing this the district saved money on transit costs, because school buses only operate four days a week now. They also saved money on standard operating costs such as electricity, air conditioning and so on. So far, for one year, the district saved around four hundred thousand dollars. That was enough to pay the teacher’s salary and spare them a pink slip. To date, there have been no significant studies on this topic. Officials from various states say that it is hard to make comparisons and conclusions due to the scarcity of research. There have been no studies to show the differences in general knowledge or test scores between five day schools and four day schools. One of the only reports available is from the Idaho Department of Education. The department found the evidence “…inconclusive as to whether student achievement was affected by four-day systems.” In this situation, when trying to choose the right side from the wrong, the reader is urged to consider the reports from the people who have implicated this system. Also from the professionals who work in it. It is true that there has not yet been enough research done to draw scientific results, but the practical results are in. Tim Creal, Super indent of Custer school District in Dakota said if he even suggested going back to a five day week he would probably be tarred and feathered for it. Hopefully he was joking a little about the tar and feathers, but the implication that people like the system is real. This system can and does work. It is a valid way to fix budgets for districts in need of funds. The four day school week is a subject of controversy for many. Some of the issues have been addressed in this paper. The author wishes for you to judge for yourself using the following as a potential guideline; judge by the facts presented, and the research done, however limited. If we do this, than we can strengthen our own ability to make wise, informed decisions.