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Three years after the Independence School District took the bold step of moving to a four-day school week, voters had their say — and apparently, they like what they’ve seen.
“It was a very innovative decision to move in this direction, and it was a decision that wasn't taken lightly — a lot of pros and cons, a lot of conversations — but ultimately they decided to move forward with it, and it's proving beneficial,” ISD Interim Superintendent Dr. Cindy Grant said Wednesday at the district’s Central Office.
Nearly 62% of ISD voters validated the decision Tuesday at the polls, even if it took some getting used to from constituents.
“When it (the four-day school week) started, I would have voted no,” Shawn Mallas said.
Mallas has a granddaughter in middle school and also volunteers at an elementary school in the Independence School District.
“Initially, when it started, she didn’t really like it,” Mallas said of her granddaughter’s initial reaction to the change. "It took her a year, the first school year, to get accustomed to it.”
Now in its third year, ISD’s four-day school week has grown in popularity with faculty and students, which means it’s more popular with grandparents, too.
“She’s doing extremely well in school and she’s involved in many extracurricular activities,” Mallas said. “The four-day week, I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but she’s thriving at school.”
Now, Mallas’ granddaughter wants to keep the four-day school week as does Independence seventh-grader Adelyn King, who went to the polls with her mom on election day.
“I like having the three-day weekend,” Adelyn said. “It’s really nice. You can sleep in (on Mondays).”
She’s discovered that the extra day off relieves some pressure in the classroom, especially with the extra workload moving into middle school..
“I do have more homework and stuff that I need to get done and I sometimes use those Mondays to help complete that,” Adelyn said.
She’s also been cast in her school’s play and will get extra rehearsal time on Mondays.
Karly King, Adelyn’s mom, grew up in Independence and she’s now in her 15th year as an elementary school teacher in the Independence School District. She and other district personnel drove the modest turnout at the polls.
“As a parent — my children, they graduated last year — it just gave us a lot of work-life balance,” Heather Winship, a second-grade teacher, said.
Deron Binkley is a teacher and coach at William Chrisman High School. He said the four-day school week has been awesome for his family, but he’s equally thrilled with the impact on his students.
“There’s been an increase in attendance (and) there’s been an increase in the positivity at the school,” he said. “Students aren’t getting drained as much by the time Friday rolls around.”
It’s impacted faculty as well.
“It’s helped a lot of teachers with morale,” Winship said.
There are, of course, drawbacks, too.
“As a teacher who works with primarily younger elementary kids, I love the four-day week, but the longer days are an impact,” Karly King said.
Those longer days, which is how the district ensures there are enough classroom instructional hours with fewer days, take a toll on young learners.
Karly King also understands the struggle of some parents finding childcare with most Mondays off school, but the change has proven beneficial on balance.
“Nothing's perfect,” Grant said. “We need to continue to grow, but we do see a lot of positives as we look at our data.”
The new calendar has impacted intended goals — teacher retention has increased, the district is attracting more veteran teachers and student test scores also have nudged up.
“We're in a teacher shortage,” Grant said. “Everyone is dealing with that, so we're trying to take a comprehensive approach.”
One that voters agreed seems to be working.
With the election results Tuesday, the ISD Board of Education has the authority to keep the four-day school week for the next 10 years before seeking voter approval again.
The Board also can switch back to a five-day school week at any time. The vote created an option, not an obligation.
Voters in the Hallasville School District, located northeast of Columbia in mid-Missouri, also approved a four-day school week Tuesday. It passed with a 75% margin there.
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