Morgan County School District Re-3: District Accountability Committee reports on findings of four-day week research

The Re-3 Morgan County Board of Education’s May 16 meeting began with a special presentation from the District Accountability Committee (DAC) detailing the members’ research into the concerns and opportunities caused by the transition into a four-day school week.

Since the Brush School District Re-2J is moving to a four-day week for the 2022-23 school year, Re-3 is the only school district in the area that has yet to adopt the change.

Melissa Ricks, a member of the DAC and a special education teacher at Fort Morgan Middle School, gave the presentation on behalf of the committee.

As members of the District Accountability Committee, we would like to thank the school board for allowing us to take this calendar year to research all of the aspects involved in moving the school district to a four-day school week.

She began with statistics on four-day school weeks in the state, noting that 114 of the 178 (64%) school districts in Colorado are currently on a four-day schedule. The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) also reports an 80% favorability rate among staff, students and communities.

Ricks informed the board that two separate surveys were created and distributed across the Re-3 district: one for staff members and one for parents. Results showed that the majority of staff (74%) is in favor of a four-day school week.

She explained that the DAC focused on six major areas: classified staff, community and family, food security, teachers, student wellness, student learning. Potential concerns, potential opportunities, data and comparisons to four-day districts were presented for each area.

Common concerns include: loss of classified staff or classified hours/income, lack of childcare security, increased crime, lack of food security, teacher retention rates, teacher shortages, long-term effects on students.

However, the data overwhelmingly showed positive or neutral results. And it also seems that the opportunities outweigh the concerns.

For staff and teachers, opportunities could include increased morale, better work-life balance, more efficient instruction and increased retention and recruitment rates.

A four-day week for students could decrease student burnout, allow for more sleep, allow extra academic supports for struggling students, reduce missed days of school, improve student morale and allow for more work hours or family time.

An extra day off of school could also allow for more partnerships with the Fort Morgan Recreation Department and local businesses.

Ricks provided examples of daily schedules from Brush, Wiggins, Brighton and Pueblo, all of which still exceed the minimum number of 1,080 hours required per year by the CDE. (For comparison, Re-3 currently averages 1,250 hours per year.)

“Many school districts initially went to a four-day school week in hopes to save money. While the savings only proved to be 0.4-2.5%, it has been enough to add additional staffing positions or support to other needed areas within their districts,” Ricks said. “It is very clear that a four-day school week can have a positive impact on a district.”