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Show Four-day school week? Dear President Allen and Supt. Welling: One of the options suggested as a possible cost-savings program prog-ram is the four day week. State Supt. Furst initially proposed this and it appears to have definite positive aspects. PARTICIPATING on a UEA committee with Association representatives throughout the state we have been studying the various program reduction options. We have, also, had access to research done for our committee by a U EA staff member and would like to share with you and members of the school board the results of some of that preliminary research. Four-day-Week: IN REVIEW of several reports from Colorado, it is found that some 36 or more school districts are in a four-day school week. (Over one hundred in the U.S.) It is split about evenly as to a Monday-Thursday and a Tuesday-Friday work week. In a study by Colorado State University involving the first 13 school districts in short weeks, it was found that 91 percent of the parents favored the shortened week, as did 93 percent of the students, and 95 percent of the teachers. THE STUDY showed that buses used 23 percent less gas and required 18 percent less maintenance. Electricity usage dropped drop-ped by 23 percent and heating fuel by seven to 25 percent. Teachers' absenteeism was lowered 27 percent and teacher substitute costs reduced approximately 25 percent. Also, rather than lowering the quality of education as some educators and parents had feared, there are strong indications that the four-day schedule can improve it. THE RESEARCHER then used the above percentages and the data from the 1984-85 school year to predict savings to each district. The figures indicate that the four-day plan could mean substantial savings for Davis District, estimated at $1,205,691. State-wide conservative estimated savings is $12 million. It would appear that the monetary savings alone would make this plan worthy of serious consideration, and other reports add to its attractiveness as a viable option. FOR EXAMPLE, one small school in Utah is currently on the four-day week. It reported their studies showed no difference in student achievement between the four and five day week. Another district reported a TV tie-in for the fifth day that gave kids extra assignments with which their parents could be involved. in-volved. That has exciting possibilities. The most obvious benefit of the four-day week is that it does not subtract from student time, only rearrange it. Our under-... under-... . standing is that state guidelines require 27.5 hours per week in school--a bit less than seven hours a day if reduced to four days. For example, an elementary school might be in session from 8:00 to 3:40 for students. (We needn't remind you that our teachers currently commit an average of 44 to 45 hours per week in instruction and preparation. We do not anticipate that this teacher time commitment would change under this program.) THIS PROGRAM would cut approximately 36 days that schools would normally be transporting students and using buildings. According to our figures the savings from 36 days would equal about two percent in employee salaries or could fund a reduction in class size of 6-7 students in approximately 200 of our most crowded classes. Either a Tuesday through Friday or a Monday through Thursday schedule would be considered, consi-dered, however, it does appear that with the frequent Monday holidays causing several three-day weeks, the Tuesday through Friday would be more efficient from a learning viewpoint. It is our understanding that if a local school board wishes to move to the four-day week, they must also get permission from the State School Board. In other words, our information is that it is initiated from the local level. WE HOPE that this information is helpful to you, although we're certain that you are already aware of much that we have described. We want to help with the work that must be done to make the best of the tough decisions which must be made because of inadequate funding of the legislature. Though this research is preliminary, we wish to share with you and the public all information and to work for the best possible decisions. Ann C. Keller President Dee S. Burningham UniServe Director |