South Dakota schools cut costs with 4-day week

[ensho]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/South-Dakota-schools-cut-apf-2257743198.html?x=0


-snip-

"It got down to monetary reasons more than anything else," Superintendent Larry Johnke said. The $50,000 savings will preserve a vocational education program that otherwise would have been scrapped.

The four-school week is an increasingly visible example of the impact of state budget problems on rural education. This fall, fully one-fourth of South Dakota's districts will have moved to some form of the abbreviated schedule. Only Colorado and Wyoming have a larger proportion of schools using a shortened week. According to one study, more than 120 school districts in 20 states, most in the west, now use four-day weeks.

-snip-

"The kids are going to suffer," said Melissa Oien, who has four children in the school and serves as vice president of the parent-teacher organization. "Of course they will. They're missing a whole day of school."

The downsizing comes as schools in some larger cities are moving in the opposite direction. In Chicago, school officials hope to add school days so students will learn more and have better employment prospects.

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let's see - who loves their children more? Chicago or S. D.?

[democrat_patriot]

1. Not to mention working parents have to find daycare

for one day a week.

[ensho]

2. wow! I didn't think of that. that's a biggie! another dump on parents

nt

[n2doc]

5. This is a huge issue

You can't legally just have them sit home on Friday if they are young. And of course when they are older they will find a way to get into trouble if left alone all day. So parents (single or both working) get screwed by this.

[Brickbat]

7. I work at home, and having the kids at home has disrupted 20 percent of my work week.

It's a disruption for every parent.

[Brickbat]

3. Our district went to a four-day week last year. It "saved" money for one year, and now they're in

the hole again. I'm betting my kids will never get that fifth day back.

[Drale]

4. When I was in High school I always said

I would be willing to go an extra 2 hours a day if I got fridays off and I still feel that was in College. lol But its probably not a great idea for everyone especially talking to some of the younger people, they need all the schooling they can get.

[bbgrunt]

6. a hugely inefficient use of infrastructure

[Brickbat]

8. When we were making the switch last year, the sup told people at a meeting that we would just have

to "bundle up" at basketball games because they wouldn't be turning the heat on on Fridays. That's so rinky-dink it's embarrassing.