Back to School: Four day schedules

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The new school year is right around the corner. While many schools are sticking to the traditional five-day school week, others have adopted a four-day school week.

There are many reasons why school districts may switch to a four-day system. Teacher recruitment was the main reason why the Kimberly School District considered switching.

However, the many drawbacks, such as students spending less time in school, led Kimberly to reject the idea.

“Ultimately, the decision was to stay with the five-day week,” said Kimberly School District Superintendent Luke Schroeder. “Mainly because the belief was the five-day week was better for students.”

The district has given teachers fewer workdays during the school year while keeping the student classroom time the same.

However, the Cassia County School District switched to the four-day system four years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, it was used as a mitigating factor to help with cleaning. However, they stayed with it after the pandemic because of the many positives they had seen.

“There are a lot of parents that say that fifth day, that they have off, their kids rest a little bit more, catch up on maybe schoolwork,” said Cassia County School District Superintendent Sandra Miller. “It’s just a little less stress for the students.”

While there has been a reduction in stress, it has not yet translated to academic improvement, primarily because of those reduced days in school, especially with elementary-age students.

“Early literacy is huge,” said Cassia Assistant Superintendent Chester Bradshaw. “That sets the tone for kids whole academic career, through college. I think you could make case for 5 days in elementary.”

At first, the Cassia District reported that parents had difficulty finding childcare while they were at work. However, families have adjusted. A new issue the district has noticed is that less classroom time has led to less improvement in reading, writing and speaking.

With pros and cons on both sides, the subject of more or fewer days will remain up for debate.

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