Imagine not having your alarm clock go off at 5:30 on Friday morning. Instead, you get to sleep in, go to extracurriculars, sports, work, or start your weekend early.
Across America, 24 states have at least one school district functioning on a four-day school week. In 1999, 257 schools followed a four-day school week, but since then, that number has increased to 850 out of the 13, 187 public school districts nationwide, according to associate professor of economics and researcher at Oregon State University, Paul Thompson.
This new trend has become more and more popular over the last few years, and even within our own state, California’s Leggett Valley Unified School District has adapted to this plan. What is the force behind the shift to a four-day school week and is this the way of the future?
States have their own reasons as to why some of their districts have made the switch. The leading motivations: location, employment, and mental health.
Many schools in America are located in rural areas. For the K-12 Whale Gulch School on the Northern California coast, being “off the grid” is the reason that the state of California allowed them to function on the shortened week. With only 50 students attending the school located in isolated Mendocino County, the extra day off allows time for the errands and appointments of families within the district because they have to drive many miles to get to the nearest doctor or grocery store. It also cuts down on the cost of commuting for teachers and families due to the long distances driven to arrive at school each day.
Another factor is employment. School districts struggling to hire and retain teachers and administrators see a four-day school week as a motivating factor towards employment.
“As the former president of CUEA, knowing that there is a terrible teacher shortage and that many, many teachers have quit or retired early because of the stress since COVID, we desperately need to appeal to young people coming into the field. And, if they see there is an opportunity for a four-day week, I think we would get more people interested,” said retired teacher and former Capistrano Unified Education Association president Sally White. As the former president of CUEA, knowing that there is a terrible teacher shortage and that many, many teachers have quit or retired early because of the stress since COVID, we desperately need to appeal to young people coming into the field. And, if they see there is an opportunity for a four-day week, I think we would get more people interested” — Sally White
This can provide many advantages to the teachers. For one, teachers don’t have to take a “personal day” just to go to an appointment, or if they have children, get a substitute while they take their child to the orthodontist, because these tasks could be scheduled for the day off.
Mental health plays a key role in convincing school districts to abide by a four-day week as well. The new week can also diminish the stressful environment that schools can be notorious for and boost the morale of students and staff. Today’s teens have proven to be the most anxious of any previous generation. Whether it is over homework or social interactions, school brings an abundance of pressure, and this extra day helps to alleviate that burden.
The four-day school week seems to come with many benefits, but there are also unseen disadvantages that are not apparent at first thought, which can make this new trend “not worth it” for some school districts, or cause parents in the district to question the decision.
“While some districts embarked on a four-day schedule with the intent of saving money, research shows that it is not typically a large cost-saving measure. We will save some dollars due to decreased fuel and maintenance costs, ” said Clear Creek School District in Idaho Springs, CO.
When children are in school, childcare is not needed, which is a huge benefit for working parents, saving them money and stress. If working parents are not also on a four-day work schedule, they will have to secure childcare on the extra day off.
“…It would work better with high schools than it does with elementary schools because people need childcare time. Parents don’t have to pay for that extra day for a high schooler to be babysat. For elementary schoolers, a five-year-old that doesn’t go to school one day has to be cared for,” said San Juan Hills junior, Dylan Heck, who recently researched this hot topic for a debate in Model United Nations.
As of now, it doesn’t look promising that CUSD will convert to a four-day school week anytime soon.
