Texas Schools Want A 4 Day Week – Yes Or No?

Yet another Texas school district is switching to a 4 day week, giving teachers, students and (most) staff a 3 day weekend during the school year. Good idea or bad?

Ponder ISD is the latest to jump on the 4 day week band wagon bringing the total number of Texas school districts doing this to 113. The number of classroom hours required by the state doesn't change.

Question: Where the hell was this idea when I was in school????

Schools will still meet the minimum classroom hours required in Texas by adding 30 minutes to each school day and moving the school year start day up to August 6th.

"The district anticipates several benefits from the new schedule, including improved teacher recruitment and retention, increased student engagement, and enhanced work-life balance for both staff and students," the district said in a press release. "Additionally, studies on four-day school weeks suggest potential advantages in attendance, discipline, and overall school satisfaction." - ponderisd.net 

Not all Texas school districts are on board and the state itself seems iffy. One Texas rep introduced a bill that would outright ban 4 day school weeks.

I'm sure there are pros and cons to this, baby sitting issues spring to mind for parents with younger kids, but it seems like a good idea overall. To be honest, after about 8th grade, my friends and I usually ditched on Fridays anyway. (Sorry Mom.)

What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander though; at least 1 district, Jasper ISD, tried the 4 day week but soon voted to return to 5 day weeks.