More districts are moving to four-day school weeks: Here’s how they work
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Loading... - Belle Rolland
- 09 Mar 2023
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A rural East Texas school district just became at least the 60th in the state to move to a four-day school week. Overton ISD, a rural district east of Tyler that serves about 475 students, approved the change in a school board meeting Monday.
“If you were for it or against it, let’s put that behind us,” said Superintendent Larry Calhoun. “We’ve made the decision, adopt a can-do attitude and let’s figure it out. I think it’s always a great day to be a Mustang.”
The four-day week was made possible after a 2015 law, passed by the Texas Legislature, changed how classroom instruction was timed. Districts no longer had to provide 180 days of classes, but instead a minimum of 75,600 minutes.
But how does the four-day schedule work? That depends on the district.
Most that have adopted the four-day schedule give students Friday off. That’s how Overton ISD plans to operate in the new school year.
Other districts give Mondays off, like Prairie Valley ISD and Tioga ISD, both north of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
According to the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, some districts have extended class hours on other days to make up for the lost day. Prairie Valley, for example, extended the school day by 40 minutes Tuesday through Friday. And in Tioga, the school day is 28 minutes longer, while the school year is three weeks longer. Read More…
