The majority of the remote rural schools of Nevada’s 17 counties, including Humboldt County, operate on a four-day week. Every county besides Carson, Lyon, and Storey have one or more schools that have implemented a four-day schedule. With more and more schools making the switch, like Elko has done most recently for the next school year, could a four-day school week benefit students in Winnemucca?
Teachers gathered at the Humboldt County School District Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 28, as Humboldt County Education Association President Malinda Riemersma appealed to the Board during public comment to put the request for a four-day school week on an upcoming agenda.
“The biggest reason our associations are bringing this issue before the board is simple—jobs are starting to open up for next school year. Recruiting and retaining our staff on a five-day school week while all of the other districts around us will be a four-day school week will put up a major challenge, a challenge that we honestly can not afford to face. We have worked hard to hold a competing salary in the state to maintain the staff we have,” said Riemersma.
According to Humboldt County School District Superintendent Dr. Dave Jensen, there is not enough time between now and the beginning of the upcoming school year to implement any sort of schedule change, which must be submitted to the Nevada Department of Education by May 1, but he is anticipating this request coming before the Board some time in April.
“I think it is always worth engaging in an educational conversation that’s research based, that stretches what we all hope that we even do for our kids and to create critical thinking amongst our board or staff or administrators to look at things and then once they’ve got various sources of evidence to make a decision and to be able to say, here’s why we came to the decision,” said Jensen in later meeting.
So the ultimate question is— will a four-day school week benefit students?
Pros
• Balance between work and life: Some would say that a better balance between work and life is the biggest benefit of having a shorter school week. With teachers able to spend an extra day at home, on vacation, or running errands with their own families, there’s no question that some would benefit from a shortened week. For other families, the extra day would also mean more time spent together.
• Cost savings: Many districts see a cost savings when they switch to a four-day week. A full- day of bus transportation, meals, and other operations are eliminated with a four-day week.
• Retaining and attracting more teachers: Oftentimes, districts see an influx of applicants when offering a four-day schedule. Fans of the shortened week say that some schools even see an influx of higher-qualified applicants because of the more desirable schedule.
• Chronic absenteeism: With an extra long weekend, students may be less likely to miss school for doctors appointments or other events that can be scheduled on fridays.
Cons
• Working parents and childcare: For parents who work Mon.-Friday, a four-day school week would mean they now have to find childcare on Friday’s. Childcare can be costly and school provides a safe and convenient place for children to be while their parents are at work.
• Longer days: A shorter week means longer days for students. School districts still have to meet a minimum number of minutes by law. The regular school day would have to be extended later for students, meaning that sports practices and extra curriculars would also have to be pushed later into the evening, meaning even less time at home with families throughout the week.
• Missing out on meals: For some families, school provides breakfast and lunch to children that could not be provided at home otherwise. Without the extra day at school, some students may miss multiple meals.
• Lack of supervision: With one less day of supervision, kids and teens may be on their own at home, which could result in more accidents or misconduct. A study by the Economics of Education Review reported higher levels of juvenile crime in areas with four-day school weeks.
• Academic performance: Some districts, even those in Nevada, have seen a drop in academic performance, which can be especially troubling to at-risk students, when a four-day school week was implemented.