Should we move our schools to a 4-day work week?

4-Day Comparison for Students

5 day week Period 1: 8:15 – 9:02 Period 2: 9:05 – 9:52 Period 3: 9:55 – 10:42 Period 4: 10:45 – 11:32 1st Lunch: 11:32 – 11:57 Period 5A: 11:35 – 12:22 Period 5B: 11:57 – 12:44 2nd Lunch: 12:22 – 12:47 Period 6: 12:47 – 1:34 Period 7: 1:37 – 2:24 Period 8: 2:27 – 3:14

47 minute class periods

4 day week Period 1: 8:00 – 8:55 Period 2: 8:58 – 9:53 Period 3: 9:56 – 10:51 Period 4: 10:54 – 11:49 1st Lunch: 11:49 – 12:14 Period 5A: 11:52 – 12:47 Period 5B: 12:14 – 1:09 2nd Lunch: 12:47 – 1:12 Period 6: 1:12 – 2:07 Period 7: 2:10 – 3:05 Period 8: 3:08 – 4:03

55 minute class periods

Additional 59 minutes per day

4-Day Comparison for Students

5 Day Week: 419 min./day x 172 days = 72,068 min. 4 Day Week: 483 min./day x 149 days = 71,967 min.

Student Time Difference: = -101 min.

**4-Day Comparison Numbers from MacCray School District, Clara City, Minnesota

4-Day Comparison for Teachers

5 day week

7:45 a.m. – 3:44 p.m. 172 student contact

days 7 in-service days 2 conference days

4 day week

7:30 a.m. – 4:32 p.m. 149 student contact days 10 in-service days 2 conference days 24 hours additional

in-service time**4-Day Comparison Numbers from MacCray School District, Clara City, Minnesota

Estimated Savings

**4-Day Comparison Numbers from MacCray School District, Clara City, Minnesota

• Substitute Teacher Costs $10,298• Transportation Costs $65,000• Energy Savings $5,780• Maintenance Costs $3,611• Faculty Transportation $994

Estimated General Fund Savings +/- $85,683

Community Lens Activity Student Teacher Parent Administrator District Office Community

Member

Community Lens Activity Task 1: From the perspective of the role you are

playing, assess the benefits and drawbacks of switching to a 4 day work week. (3 minutes)

Task 2: Analyze your brainstorm and VOTE (2 minutes) You must choose to be in favor or against switching to a 4

day work week and write your vote on your paper

Task 3: We will have a gallery walk to see other group posters and assess multiple perspectives regarding this topic. (3 minutes)

Let’s get a pulse for what community members really think about this idea…Click Here

Example Brainstorm Format…Student

Positives

Negatives

Teacher ParentPositives

Negatives

Positives

Negatives

Don’t forget to VOTE

Resources Associated Press. (June 2010). Four Day School Weeks

Gain Popularity. Parent Dish. Retrieved from http://www.parentdish.com/2010/06/04

Balagh,S. (July, 2008). 4 Day Work Week: Schools as Catalysts? Groovy Green. Retrieved from http://www.groovygreen.com/groove/?p=3210

MacCray School District. (May 2008) 4 Day Work Week. Retrieved from www.maccray.k12.mn.us