Looks like Missouri is considering a law to allow school districts to opt to cut the school week back to 4 days in order to save money on transportation and utility costs. How the heck do they expect parents to pay for daycare for these kids?
Missouri House backs 4-day school week plan
Critics worry longer school days could hamper a student's ability to learn
updated 4:44 p.m. CT,Tues., Feb. 24, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Missouri House gave first-round approval Tuesday to a bill that would give school districts the option of holding classes four days a week.
Districts choosing a four-day week could lengthen their school days by an hour and have 32 fewer days of instruction each year. The total number of annual instruction hours would stay the same.
Sponsoring Rep. Gayle Kingery, R-Poplar Bluff, said he has heard from nearly 100 rural districts that are interested in a four-day week because it would save money on transportation and utilities.
Our traditional calendar, while it's good for most of us, it doesn't quite fit all of our communities," said Kingery, a former school administrator, teacher and coach.
Critics said they were worried a longer school day could hamper a student's ability to learn.
"Students often learn better during those optimal times of the day," said Rep. Sara Lampe, D-Springfield, also a former school principal and teacher. "We may be sacrificing student learning in the process."
Based on his experience at a school that doubled the time students spent in kindergarten, Kingery said he was confident students could handle an extra hour every day.
"The children are so resilient," he said. "They took to the all-day kindergarten like a duck to water."
House members voted 98-62 to approve a committee version of the bill and then gave the legislation first-round approval on a voice vote. It still needs another vote to move to the Senate.
Seventy-seven Republicans joined 21 Democrats in voting for the bill. Ten Republicans and 52 Democrats voted against it.
'Just can't afford it' Rep. Joe Aull, a former school superintendent, said he probably wouldn't have implemented a four-day week at one of his districts. But he said it might be a good fit for some rural districts.
Aull, D-Marshall, also noted a provision that requires a district to revert to a five-day calendar if the district gets lower scores on two performance standards in two consecutive years.
Some lawmakers raised concerns that parents who work five days per week would have to pay for child care if a school district adopted a four-day school week.
"You're putting costs back on the taxpayer," said Rep. Ray Salva, D-Sugar Creek, who ultimately voted for the bill. "They just can't afford it. They're having a struggling time right now."
Kingery said most parents would either send their kids to private day care or school districts would create a system in which high school seniors and teachers take care of younger students.
"In every state where this has been implemented, child care has become pretty much of a non-concern," Kingery said. "People have adapted to it."
Lampe also said that meals at school make up most of the diet for some children.
"We're going to have children very hungry on Monday morning," Lampe said. "I don't think it puts children first and foremost in our decision-making."
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
They are also looking at 4 day school weeks here as a budget cutting measure...that and taking aways some Freshman and JV sports....when they have been revoved in other areas, there is a higher drop out rate (nothing to go to school for) and more crime (nothing to keep them busy for the 7-8 hours.
It'll same a few buck in the short run, but in the long run, well thats another question.
The firs thing that came to mind was that kids lose enough knowledge over the 2 days that make up a weekend, but 3 days would be too much. Mondays will be "reteach what we taught on Thursday" day, getting less learning in overall.
An extra hour each day will NOT make up for a whole day. For example, teachers who teach one chapter a day: what will they do, teach 1 1/4 chapters a day?
And Lampe makes a good point. There's a lot of bad parents out there that depend on the school system to raise their children for them. School lunch may be the only decent meal they get.
Even good parents rely on school instead of day care. And some parents will be forced to leave their children home alone on that extra day off.
And what about the parents who purposely got a job with the same days and hours as their kids go to school? How many jobs will let them work just 4 days a week?
I read another story that was just too sad to post. Some school districts out west are cutting back on school lunch programs for poor kids. Kids who's parents can't pay for the hot school lunches are being given cheese sandwiches. Its good that these kids are still being fed, but WOW... nothing like shaming the kids further for having poor parents.
As for the school lunches being the only decent meal some of these kids get in a day, that is disturbingly true. This is the reason for the lunch program that Pambo and I donate to. In most cases, the sack lunches we make are actually sent home with kids on Friday afternoons so that they have a shot at eating something over the weekend. It breaks my heart to think about that.
-- Edited by Mad Mema at 15:12, 2009-02-25
__________________
MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
I think it is not a good idea for many of the same reasons already mentioned. Whatever happened to that talk about making the school year longer so kids wouldn't lose so much information and learning over the summer? Guess that is officially done due to the "we need to cut costs" initiative.
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Stop trying to be what you see. Be what you ought to be.
I read another story that was just too sad to post. Some school districts out west are cutting back on school lunch programs for poor kids. Kids who's parents can't pay for the hot school lunches are being given cheese sandwiches. Its good that these kids are still being fed, but WOW... nothing like shaming the kids further for having poor parents.
-- Edited by Mad Mema at 15:12, 2009-02-25
Really?? Something doesn't sound right about that. The lunch (and breakfast) program in the public schools is over-seen by the Federal government. The poor kids receive a free hot lunch every day providing their family fills out and returns the application to the school. There are also kids who receive a reduced price lunch (.40 cents a day here) if the family's income falls within the parameters.
I know the kids have a choice every day if they want the hot lunch entree or would rather have a peanut butter & jelly sandwich along with all the side dishes that comes with the hot lunch entree.
How the heck do they expect parents to pay for daycare for these kids? 
Its good that these kids are still being fed, but WOW... nothing like shaming the kids further for having poor parents.