Many schools around the nation are considering or even implementing 4-day school weeks for public schools. While some have already adopted the idea, many schools have brought it into a topic of discussion at their school board meetings.

All schools should have this conversation and adopt 4-day instructional weeks.

This would provide many benefits in terms of financial aid and convenience. This would narrow expenses by a significant amount by not having to provide for an extra day’s expenses for the year such as food for the cafeteria, electricity, air conditioning and other general operating expenses.

This could also provide more convenience for teachers, as this could give them an extra day to grade, make assignments, do lesson planning–in general, it would be more time to perform basic duties. Plus, it would give teachers more time to spend with their own children, or time to run errands or make doctor appointments.

Some argue that there will be less time during the week to cover the curriculum for core classes; however, schools are required to provide a minimum number of instructional minutes each year. In Texas, the required amount of minutes is 75,600. If schools adopt a 4-day week, they will extend each school day to fit in more material or extend the school year to still meet the required number of minutes.

Overall, schools should move to a 4-day schedule as the benefits outweigh the problems. Is the school board ready to make a decision?