Four days of school a week…good or bad?

By: Sara K

            More and more schools are trying to save money in these tough economic times. Some schools across the country are even going as far as going to four days of school per week instead of five. School districts are trying to save on energy costs by running the buses less, and cutting down on heating and cooling costs. This is especially helping small rural schools to avoid the dreaded consolidation with another school.   This seems like a great idea, but what about the downsides?

            One downside would be longer school days. Most schools are in class for eight hours a day five days a week. Going to four days a week would make a school day ten hours. Can students, especially younger students, handle this ten hour day? Can some adults? Another point is that those 10 hours do not include extra-curricular activities or clubs.

Extra-curricular and co-curricular activities would have to deal with several issues. Brian Williams, Valley High School principal, thinks that kids would be less likely to get involved in these activities because of the longer days. He said he would be concerned with scheduling problems with sporting events and shared ICN classes, as well. However, if schedules could be worked out, it would save the school money.

            So far, no studies have been done to prove that a four day a week school schedule is better or worse for students, and only time will tell for the schools that have switched. Will rising energy costs force more schools like Valley to do this?