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Class dismissed
Prue goes to a short school week
By World's Editorial Writers
Published:
7/10/2009 2:25 AM
Last Modified: 7/10/2009 4:43 AM
The Prue school board has voted to change to a four-day school week to save money.
School days in the district in Osage County not far from Tulsa will get longer to make sure the students still get the state-mandated number of classroom hours.
The Prue superintendent says he isn't sure how much money the move will save, but the opportunities are obvious: lower utility costs, fewer bus trips, and other savings that result from not being open for business three days a week.
First, we sympathize with the district's challenges. The cost of operating a school district is going up at a time when state support and local tax revenues are not.
But, in general, shortening the school week is not a good idea.
It shifts child care costs from the district to parents and increases the likelihood that children will be left alone at home or without proper supervision.
It means low-income children — many of whom get their most nutritious meal of the day in the school cafeteria — will be getting hungrier.
Most important, it runs counter to the school's first mission, educating children. School teachers will tell you that too much of the material taught to children is already lost in the two-day lay-off in a five-day school week. Retention — the amount students remember from previous lessons — can only go down with a three-day weekend.
It doesn't matter if the children spend the same number of hours at their desks if the hours aren't distributed
in a way that will lead them to grasp and retain the curriculum.
We hope other school districts won't be driven to this solution to their budget challenges. Changes in the school schedule should be driven by what is in the best interest of the children, not what's in the best interest of the school's budget.
By World's Editorial Writers
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comments have been made on this story so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Report Comment
lucky girl
, mine (7/10/2009 10:15:01 AM)
I'd like a 4 day work week please...
Report Comment
droopy
, wagoner (7/10/2009 6:37:25 AM)
Parents have no responsibility? The State is responsibile for everyone's childern?
Report Comment
owen
, Tulsa (7/10/2009 12:29:32 PM)
Priorities seem a little backwards. TW mentions that it shifts the responsibility for child care from the school to the parent. (Sorry, I thought that was already the responsibility of the parent.) Next meals are mentioned and finally education. Maybe that is why so many school districts are struggling. I agree that the meals are important, but I believe something could be arranged with a little thought. TPS provides meals in the summer in some schools.
Report Comment
psychedelikrelik
, Tulsa (7/10/2009 10:04:24 AM)
Change is not necessarily a bad thing.
Stop with the dire predictions. Try something new, maybe find something better.
Report Comment
2ndjoyce
, BA (7/10/2009 10:11:26 AM)
Have you seen a 5 day per week school schedule? Many, many weeks are shortened to 4 and 3 days due to parent teacher conferences or professional days or state teacher's meetings or holidays. That argument holds no water.
Innovation is exciting. Who knows what might spring from this idea?
Report Comment
okie ridgerunner
, Small Country Town State Line (7/11/2009 1:54:36 AM)
Sounds good to me. but i dont think parents are going to like the idea.
Report Comment
Arbythree
, Tulsa (7/10/2009 10:18:30 AM)
With 6 day pay!!
Report Comment
baro
, (7/12/2009 3:55:29 PM)
the prue school has been a bad school for over 15 years....i lived in the area so i know about the school....IT SHOULD BE CLOSED....they have less than 150 students K thru 12.....the quality of education has been bad for years so it will only get worse going only 4 days..
Report Comment
thehero
, (7/10/2009 8:21:35 PM)
The issue in the past wasn't that schools couldn't go to a four day week, they could. However, they would still be required to hold school 175 days per year. With the new law, schools must have at least 1050 hours of instructional time. Schools can now go longer hours with less days. for example, adding 1 hour of instructional time every school day would cut about 25 school days off a traditional school year calendar. Add about an hour and a half and you could go to a four day week and still start and end the school year at roughly the same dates on the calendar as traditional schools.
Report Comment
highschooljim2
, (7/10/2009 8:35:28 AM)
Once again the World gets it wrong. As I mentioned yesterday, the school district in my hometown went to a 4 day week in 1982, so by the World's logic that means kids in my hometown have been shortchanged for 27 years. Advice to the editorial staff: do some research before you spout off on something you know nothing about. Most small districts in Colorado, Kansas, and other states are on a 4-day week yet those states consistantly rank higher than Oklahoma in education. It's not the days or hours, it's the quality of instruction and how that time is spent.
Report Comment
highschooljim2
, (7/10/2009 3:27:18 PM)
I read where Colorado passed their law allowing a 4-day week in 1980. Which means Oklahoma is 29 years behind.
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