Crockett ISD Votes for Four-Day School Week

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT – Crockett Independent School District (CISD) board of trustees voted unanimously to implement a four-day school week for the district beginning next year. The issue is a hot one for local districts with most opting for the plan. 

The ability to move to a four-day week came after the Texas legislature mandated the number of instruction minutes required by school districts but leaving locals the decision how to distribute those minutes. Latexo schools were the first in the area to adopt the model, with Grapeland, Elkhart and Slocum voting to move to the four-day model for the next school year. Kennard ISD will put the measure to a final vote Thursday, Mar. 23. Lovelady ISD has not adopted the model but their calendar for next year does include a number of Fridays off. 

The CISD board meeting opened with recognition of the recent awards won by the junior high UIL teams with many of the kids and their parents in attendance. Crockett students won a number of awards both individually and as teams and the kids came to the front of the room to soak in the applause and ‘thank you’s’ from the school board members. 

CISD Superintendent John Emerich warned the board of changes on a state level that could affect the grades given to Crockett schools. Emerich pointed out the state is changing some of the criteria for schools for the previous year, meaning the state will apply grades for students who have already graduated, giving districts no way to control or improve the grades. Emerich told the board the state is beginning to be very rigid with grading procedures, forcing schools to implement four-year plans in high schools, forcing students to choose their career paths too early. 

Emerich recounted part of his own life, admitting that when he graduated high school, he still had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. He told the board many of the niche classes might be canceled since the state would give no credit for those classes in the new grading system. Emerich said this would deprive students of trying new things and making wiser decisions on what would be of interest to them in life. One example is a class offered by the high school where students can learn Microsoft Office, which under the new system, might need to be canceled. Emerich told the board 250 superintendents are already warning of the new changes and expressed hope legislators in Austin will work to stop these modifications which could hurt the schools’ grade. 

The next item on the agenda was the discussion and eventual vote to move to the four-day schedule. Emerich pointed out many schools – not only in our area – have moved to adopt the model, not just for the benefit of recruiting and retaining better educators – but, Emerich argued, for the benefit of the students as well. 

Emerich admitted the plan does not work everywhere, saying his research showed rural schools do better than suburban schools. Emerich said his office had studied dozens of plans from other districts and tried to come up with a version suited to Crockett schools. 

The recruitment issue, however, was a big part of the decision. Emerich told the board of the acute shortage of qualified teachers around the country. He related how he had traveled to a job fair where usually dozens of recent graduates were looking for good teaching jobs. This time, he said, there were more schools than interested candidates. 

“Quality teachers are the most important factor in a child’s education,” Emerich told the board. 

Emerich revealed parent and teacher surveys showed even higher support than other districts thinking about making the change. He told the board around 92% of parents were for the idea or open to try it. With 98% of teachers holding the same views, Emerich said the move would solidify Crockett’s efforts to gain and keep good teachers, saying the district had already lost some teachers to other district with a four-day schedule.

Several board members had questions, wanting to drill down into the plan and see how it would affect the different schools. Emerich and Assistant Superintendent Brian Aiken explained many details of the plan to board members who expressed their appreciation for the methodic work the team had done. 

While some schools increase daily class time by up to an hour each day, Crockett schools decided to adopt a schedule increasing time from 26-29 minutes a day, depending on the school. By eliminating certain long breaks, the district can implement a four-day schedule and still maintain this schedule but also without cutting the number of classes each day. 

Aiken pointed out the schools are already working on the new curriculum to make sure the extra minutes per class can be used to help students, give them extra time with their teachers or allow them to better absorb material already covered. He pointed out the district will have school on Fridays anytime a holiday falls on a Monday. 

Emerich said the athletics department was also in favor of the move, especially since the kids would not be rushed while going from the classroom to the fields for Friday games. Student athletes would also be able to dedicate Fridays to athletics without missing class time. 

While several board members confessed their nervousness about trying the new plan, the final question was about the timing on the plan itself. Several districts have given the plan a one or three-year timeline to prove its effectiveness. Did Mr. Emerich envision such a time to try the plan?

“No,” Emerich answered. “I do not want to be limited or locked into any time to see if the plan is working. If a year from now, we see problems with the plan we should be free to change it.”

With that, the board voted unanimously to implement the four-day schedule beginning next fall. Details on curriculum and the needs of parents to take care of kids on Fridays are still being worked out with CISD to make those plans public in the near future. 

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]