West Jefferson School District may change school schedule

We all want a shorter week and a local school district may get that. West Jefferson School District is looking at changing the school week to four days instead of five.

The halls of West Jefferson High School may turn empty on Fridays. That is because the school board may change the weekly schedule from a five-day to a four-day.

Right now, the school board is fact-finding so nothing has been set in stone. If the school board votes for the four-day school, the new schedule is set for the 2017-2018 school year.

The surrounding school districts are in the four-day schedule and the community is who is pushing for the change, superintendent Dwight Richins said.

“In the past, 4-day school weeks, the emphasis was on money being saved. Most of the school districts who are on the 4-day week, it was finances that drove them and so this is a little different,” Richins said.

English teacher Jason Taylor has a bit of a different perspective because he has taught on a four-day week before, in Marsh Valley.

He understands the skepticism but said the transition will be beneficial.

“I think student and teacher morale improves, you know, there’s less burn-out at the end of the year. Attendance approves, I think both teachers and students. The district saves a little money, as a result, and they do all that, without impacting student achievement,” Taylor said.

Thirty-one-year educator Mark Sawicki said he comes from an old-school background, in terms of how schools operate and scheduling. He opposes the idea.

“I think the more days you spend with students, the better the teacher, the better the learning that occurs in classrooms,” Sawicki said.

The switch will not necessarily affect school teachers. It will affect bus drivers, school cooks and those on part-time schedules.

Food service director, Lisa Ward, thinks the idea of a four-day school week sounds fun but said it is going to be tough for people who are making a living.

“It’s really going to affect my workers that are in here part time and in these small communities, they need their jobs and it’s really, really important that we’re able to employee these people or they’ll go elsewhere,” Ward said.

There are pros and cons to the prospective change, superintendent Richins said.

For starters, the pros means most athletics will be moved to the weekend; the district will save money; student attendance will increase; teacher salaries will remain the same and less substitutes because most teachers will use the Fridays for days for personal appointments.

The cons are, bus drivers, food service workers and part time workers will have about a 20 percent pay-cut since they are missing a day; longer school days which leads to later practices and at-risk students will lose classroom help.

“As a teacher and professional educator, I believe that we need to be in school and the more school we can give kids, the better we can serve kids,” Superintendent Richins said.

The next school board work meeting will be next Monday, Nov. 28 at 9 a.m. It will take place in the district office in Terreton. The meeting is open to the public and parents and other people will be able to voice their opinions.

Local school districts that are already on the four-day schedule are Bear Lake, Challis, Clark, Firth, Mackay, Salmon, Snake River, and Soda Springs.