The continuing teacher shortage and the rising costs of operating a school continue to drive widespread change in education. In 2018, some larger districts around the country enacted a four-day school week in response to these needs. With no tax raises, several schools were forced to switch to a four-day week to save money, but might this come to West Branch?
The first sign of the four-day school week was in 1936 in Madison South Dakota, but unlike schools now this school district switched because they wanted the fifth day for extra-curricular activities. Several states have enacted laws that support a four-day school week such as Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Pennsylvania. Last December, Pennsylvania Governor, Josh Shapiro signed Act 56 into law which allows school districts to choose between 180 days of school or by meeting the minimum 990 hours in a school year. Before Act 56, districts and to fulfill both requirements.
High school teacher, Jessica Levonick states, “I see lots of benefits to a 4-day week, particularly at the high school level where childcare isn’t a concern. A four-day week would give working students a chance for more hours which provides real-life skills and another learning opportunity. Students with heavy courseloads could have additional time to complete assignments and study. For athletes, this could provide an additional day of rest and recovery or allow for a more intensive practice. For educators, this could provide additional time for grading, curriculum planning, meetings, and professional development.”
Currently, there are no public schools in PA that use a true 4-day week. Several districts use a modified calendar. For example, the Greater Johnstown School District has an early dismissal every Friday. Private school, Bishop McCort has a 4-day week that offers enrichment and online learning opportunities on Fridays for students. Each district has its reasoning for modifying the school week. Some of the reasons for enacting this include a lack of teachers, budgets, and an increase in teacher morale, and some studies say that having only four-day school weeks can improve students’ alertness, attendance, and even mental health.
Other states, particularly in the West and Midwest have adopted the four-day school week. In the case of Oregon, over 60 percent of school districts have implemented this four-day school week, and 80 percent of parents and 85 percent of teachers have supported the idea of a four-day school week. Overall the new law has a lot of potential. How that will affect students at West Branch is yet to be determined.
