Maryvale school district moves to 4-day workweek in effort to recruit more teachers

MARYVALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - The Cartwright School District in Maryvale announced it will move to a four-day workweek as a way to hire and recruit new teachers in the Valley. So, starting next school year, students and teachers will have Fridays off.

Cartwright School District says its goal in adopting the four-day workweek is to make the district more appealing to job candidates and new teachers. The district says that the four-day workweek will add a day to their weekends, allowing them to return rejuvenated and refreshed. In addition, the district says four-day workweeks have been shown to decrease stress and improve mental health.

The district, which currently has 14,000 students at 19 schools, first implemented a four-day school week during the COVID-19 pandemic. They say attendance improved by 93% this school year after the 4-day work week, and parents favored the new schedule in a survey.

“We’re ready and excited for it,” said Hanna Mulholland, a first-grade teacher at a school within the Cartwright School District. “My family is huge to me, so being able to see them a little bit more means the world. I am also really excited to have an extra day to rest, rejuvenate and sharpen that saw before coming back to kids on Monday.”

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