A Colorado school district introduced a 4-day week because they’re trying out schedule which is increasingly spreading among rural countries in the state. According to statements by the district, this schedule will save them around a million dollars on a yearly basis.
However, parents who work on Mondays believe that this change will cost them more due to child care expenses. Child care in elementary school is available for children at the age of 12 and younger for $30 per day at this particular school.
The school believes this change will encourage quality teachers and enable resource allocation to things that are more crucial for the primary purpose of the district. All teachers from the school support this implementation.
What Are the Benefits of a 4-Day Week?
According to the school district, this implementation will help reorganize and provide time for teacher development and preparedness.
Also, it’s clear and concise and less challenging for family management. Of course, this is a major shift for students and their families, as well as for the communities there; however, the district explains they can no longer be expected to do more with less finance.
The Reasons for a 4-Day Week
This new schedule happens after the district had 6 unsuccessful tries to get more finances through bond elections. This new change will hopefully save them around million dollars in three pivotal areas.
Namely, by not having school buses on the no-class-days, the district will save around $700,000.
The 27J School District also plans on saving hundreds of thousands of more dollars by not paying for substitute teachers. Another major saving comes from utility costs, but they’re not sure how much this measure will save them.
But, Will Parents Have Additional Costs?
While the school district is implementing this schedule to save money, there are parents who may need to spend more due to child care costs.
The district offers child care services when the children aren’t in school and it costs $30 per day. The district chose Monday to be the day when there are no classes.
Why Monday?
The school district believes that Monday is a day to prepare and to be better for children. It gives people the opportunity to enjoy weekends and use Monday to prepare for the upcoming days.
However, teachers will still be working on Mondays of every month, but only half of the day. With the new schedule, they have an extra hour every day for catching up on work, which isn’t something they had prior to this change.
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