The Humboldt school board’s decision to stick with a five-day school week gives the county’s other districts a little more breathing room on the matter.
In Iola’s USD 257, Superintendent Stacey Fager said “it hasn’t been a topic of discussion within the district.
“If Humboldt would have passed (a four-day school week), it quite possibly could have become a conversation where the district would have looked at possibilities to explore in the future.”
The Marmaton Valley district in Moran actually considered a move to a four-day week about a decade ago but ultimately decided against it. The issue hasn’t been seriously raised since then, Superintendent Kim Ensminger said.
“If Humboldt had gone the other way, I think we still would have believed this (five-day week) is best for us,” she said.
THE HUMBOLDT district studied the impact of a four-day school week, with a committee appointed in September to look at the pros and cons.
The committee recommended a switch to a four-day week, citing a survey that showed a majority of staff, students and parents were in favor. More than two-thirds of students and staff supported the plan, with a slight majority of just 51% of parents in favor and about a third against.
The board on Tuesday voted against the plan. One board member said she was concerned about student achievement and the impact on parents who might have trouble finding day care, despite the committee’s recommendation to offer a school-based daycare option.
Daycare concerns ultimately doomed Marmaton Valley’s consideration of a shorter week, Ensminger said. The district studied the option of a four-day week as a potential cost-cutting measure but found little savings, and decided it would be difficult for parents of elementary students who needed day care.
The Humboldt committee’s primary reason for support was the ability to recruit teachers at a time when many are retiring and too few are pursuing education degrees. Offering a four-day school week is more attractive to teachers, especially for Kansas schools within commuting distance of the Missouri border, where about a quarter of districts have gone to a four-day week.
Marmaton Valley is not currently facing a teacher shortage, but Ensminger is worried that could change in a few years as several teachers are expected to retire.
“We’ll have to do a very good job of enticing people to come here. That’s always a concern, especially with a nationwide teachers shortage and a small district like ours,” she said. “We’re trying to prepare for that down the road.”
One of the steps Marmaton Valley has taken is to add a 3-year-old preschool option next fall. Ensminger also would like to see the district offer a daycare program as well, at some point.
“We’re constantly looking at the community’s needs and how the school could benefit the community,” Ensminger said.
IN IOLA, Fager said the district has benefited from state programs that offer alternatives such as allowing teachers to work while they pursue their teaching certificate, and those that relax requirements for substitute teachers.
The district currently has two substitute teachers who qualify under Temporary Emergency Authorized License (TEAL). As many as four substitutes have qualified for that program, which is slated to expire at the end of this school year.
