Garfield the Cat and Todd Rundgren approve this message because they don’t like Mondays. Read the article and tell your opinion.
Bauxite School District announced Tuesday that they will change to a 4-Day School Week for the 2024-2025 school year. This may leave parents and students with a few questions.
The District said they are doing this for four main reasons. They want to attract and retain high-quality teachers and staff. They say this will increase student and teacher attendance.
They also tout financial savings and less “wear and tear” on equipment and buses. With an extra day open, they say there would also be increased time for students and family.
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The statement listed pros and cons, then listed solutions to the cons.
Pros:
Better school climate – morale and culture
Financial savings
Fewer discipline issues
Decreased drop-out rate
The CTE Center, ATU, and Virtual Arkansas will accommodate our students
Continued focus to protect instructional time
Job opportunities for older students
Students/Staff will have flexibility to schedule appointments on Monday
Concerns:
Longer days may create attention problems for students
Childcare concerns on off days for working families
Fewer meals for students with food insecurities
Solutions:
Restructured recess times at PHE to spread out breaks
Increased backpack program to provide additional food for day out of school
Additional snack time for all students at PHE
Childcare facilities will serve Bauxite students on Mondays – Childcare Network & Faith After School Child Care
The District conducted a survey and found that 89% of the 153 staff members who responded were in favor of a 4-day school week. 70.2% of the 568 parents responded in favor. 10% said maybe, and 19.7% were not in favor.
The upcoming school year will have no school on Mondays. The first day of school will be August 20, 2024, and the last day will be May 23rd, 2025.
Instruction will begin at approximately 7:30 a.m. The release bell will be approximately 3:51 p.m. The times are approximate because schedules are still being developed.