USD 497 4-Day School Week

Wed, 05/03/2023

University Governance

We have heard from several of you about the USD 497 4-day school week possibility. While the school district’s decisions are outside of the scope of our activities, we have put together some informational resources on the 4-day school week proposal to keep you up to date.

The district’s calendar committee presented their informational report to the school board on Monday, April 24th, as part of a larger conversation about retention and budgeting. Board members agreed that the district would not transition to a 4-day school week in the near future. Both board members and community members raised concerns over academic success, student safety, and matters of equity in the case of a 4-day school week. While a switch to a 4-day school week will not be happening soon, board members indicated that they may revisit the option in the future if certain conditions were met, including childcare solutions and community input. We encourage community members who may be directly impacted by this proposal to stay engaged and make your voices heard if and when the district reaches out to communities for feedback on the proposal.