Four Day School Week Proposal

How did this idea come to life?Colorado School District decision to go to 4 day school week was highly publicized (newspaper, radio, tv).

560+ districts in 25+ states already implementing four day school week. Missouri has 61 districts on 4 day - up from 33 in 2018.

Parents and students came to administration to see what our opinions were on 4 day week and wanted to explore possibility.

ADE Support Services presented financial information including options for long term financial stability.

EESD strives to be innovative when it comes to our students’ education.

Possible solution to financial savings for upcoming mandated minimum wage increase and teacher salary increase.

Arkansas Department of

Education

Researched and inquired information from Arkansas Department of Education and the laws regarding 4 day school week.

● No waiver is needed to proceed with a 4 day week.

● 2017 Arkansas Code 6-10-117 regarding four-day school week. Allow implementation as long as 450 weekly instructional minutes are met within those 4 days.

● Tim Johnston, ADE Standards of Accreditation confirmed law and rules regarding four-day school week.

Conducted interviews with numerous schools in Oklahoma and Missouri that implement 4 day school week.

Began sharing information and research on 4 day week with board

Sent surveys out to faculty/staff, 5-12 grade students, and parents in December

All three cohorts were majority in favor of 4 day week on initial survey. Students: 76%; Staff: 92%; Parents: 65%

Site visit to Kirby School District to ask questions and get feedback regarding their implementation

Shared second survey with parents to solicit additional questions (11 comments/questions submitted)

Scheduled Community Meeting

Steps Taken So Far...

Research...Education researchers have pointed out that little is known about the effects of a four-day week on

student outcomes. While large-scale research studies have yet to be performed, some state-specific

studies have been published. The results are mixed; one study of students in Colorado showed a

statistically significant improvement in math scores among students on a four-day schedule, while a

similar study found no significant differences in student performance.

Innovative Examples in ArkansasFayetteville High School East Alternative Learning Environment (ALE) Program:

● Serves roughly 250-300 students 9-12● 4 day week for students if they meet criteria● Students love it and there’s an increase in

attendance, morale, behavior, grades and graduation rates

Kirby School District

● 4 Day week implemented 2019-2020● Approx. $10,000 in savings in one semester● No negative feedback from community after

implementation● Climate and culture saw significant improvement● Recruitment of qualified teachers saw significant

increase

Lakeside Primary/Intermediate School Flex Class:● Started in 2017-2018 school year with

Kindergarten and First grade● Students come to school Monday-Thursday

from 8:00am-1:00pm (family time)● Fridays off (family time, educational field

trips)● Students in Flex Class showed the most

growth on NWEA Map test.● So popular that the Flex Class expanded up to

Fourth grade for the 2018-2019 school year

Ozark Mountain, Norfork and Western Yell County School Districts have already voted to move to a 4 day week next year. Johnson County Westside, England and Viola are considering this option as well for next year.

Financial Savings with 4 Day OptionEstimated savings ($25,000-$50,000+/- per year)

● Utilities● Fuel (approximately $10,000 per year savings)● Transportation● Wear and Tear on Buses● Food● Substitutes

○ In 2018-2019 spent $88,400 for subs○ From Aug-Dec 2019 spent $36,678

● Required salary increases mandated by State○ Minimum salary must be $36,000 by 2022○ Minimum wage increases to $11.00 per hour in 2021

Do the positives outweigh the negatives

for our kids and community?

What are anticipated impacts?

● Student attendance improves.● Student dropout rate declines.● Teacher attendance improves.● Positive culture and climate.● Student achievement most likely

not affected by the change.● The off days allow students to

schedule appointments, allow for more family time, and offer more part time job opportunities.

Positives➔ Better school climate - morale and culture

➔ Improved attendance by students and staff

➔ Financial savings

➔ Equal amount of student/teacher contact time. No loss of academic hours.

➔ Less homework

➔ More family time

➔ Less discipline issues

➔ Decreased drop out rate

➔ Job opportunities for older students

Positives➔ Non-School clubs/organizations can meet

➔ May eliminate students having to miss for family vacations and appointments

➔ Teacher and staff retention

➔ Higher quality and quantity of applicants

➔ No issues with concurrent classes and career center courses

➔ Increased enrollment

➔ Off day for teachers will allow additional time for possible inservice and trainings

Concerns➔ Longer days may create attention problems for younger

students

➔ Later arrival times from bus routes in afternoon

➔ Child care concerns on off days for working families

➔ Less meals for students in homes of need

Solutions to Concerns● Restructured recess time so breaks are

spread throughout day● More parents will be able to pick up their

kids from school and therefore make the bus rides shorter

● More parents will be home from work when kids get off from bus and not need someone to watch them

● Increased backpack program to provide additional food for day out of school

● Additional snack in afternoon for all students - free of charge

Proposed Calendar

- Mondays are the off days

- Minutes equal 178 student instructional days

- First Day of School: August 13, 2020

- Last Day of School: May 19, 2021

Dark Grey: Days Off Light Green: Flex DayBlue: Professional Development Days Purple: Semester TestsYellow: Holidays/Breaks Red: End of 9 weeksLight Purple: Progress Reports

Proposed BHS Bell Schedule

Current Start Time: 7:50Current End Time: 2:55

First Bell: 7:35 am1st Period: 7:40 am – 8:36 am2nd Period: 8:38 am – 9:34 am3rd Period: 9:37 am – 10:33 am4th Period: 10:36 am – 11:32 am

Jr. High Lunch: 11:32 am – 12:02 pm5th Period (Sr. High): 11:34 am – 12:30 pm

Sr. High Lunch: 12:30 pm – 1:00 pm5th Period: (Jr. High) 12:02 pm – 12:58 pm

6th Period: 1:00 pm – 1:59 pm7th Period: 2:02 pm – 2:58 pm8th Period: 3:00 pm – 3:55 pm

Proposed AWE School Schedule

● Start at 7:45 am ● End at 3:55 pm

● Instructional time for core subjects will increase ● Additional free snack served in afternoon

● Restructured recess time for activity throughout the day

Current Start Time: 7:55Current End Time: 3:00

Feedback

Haworth, OK School DistrictJason Price, SuperintendentK-12: 600 +/-

Pros:More enrollment, everyone refreshed on Mondays, overall climate was electric, staff/student attendance was much better, minimal effect on athletics, more work done and higher accountability, Fridays were more community centered, test scores were not affected, awesome community support for four day week, family time, more opportunities for students to get jobs

Cons:None

Valliant, OK School District (8 years)Craig Wall, SuperintendentK-12: 900 +/-

Pros:Better attendance by students and staff, better climate, students and teachers are motivated, better community involvement, cost savings, less time on buses for students on rural routes. Test scores have not been affected.

Cons:Missed the football school environment on Fridays.

Feedback

Kirby School District Pike Palmer, SuperintendentK-12: 410 +/-

Pros: morale improved, attendance was better, attracted kids and quality teachers, little homework, students and staff hold each other accountable towards testing because the students don’t want to go back to 5 day week.

Cons:None

What are they saying?

“I am a kindergarten teacher in Deuel. I have five children of my own that go to school here. They have adjusted just fine. One of my children has ADHD tendencies and I was really worried that he would struggle with the three days off. He has done surprisingly well. My oldest daughter is a sophomore and has threatened to leave if our school would ever switch back to five day week. I was very skeptical when our superintendent proposed this four day week, but I have to say it has worked just fine.”

Lynn Stoltenburg, Deuel, SD

“When I came on board at Deuel, my teaching partners told me that they covered more reading curriculum in the 4 day week than they ever had in the past. I have become a big believer in the 4 day. It takes a little while to get past some of the mind sets that we have carried with us for MANY years. It is a change and change never comes easy but it has been a great thing.”

Heidi Steffensen, 1st Grade Teacher

Questions/CommentsThe purpose of this meeting was to create an open dialogue between the school and the community. The purpose of this meeting was NOT to say “this is what we are going to do.”

We have spoken to many schools with similar socioeconomic conditions as EESD. We may not be able to answer all of your questions, but we will do our best.

At this time we would like to open the floor up for questions/comments.