Madison Daily Leader - Editorial: Four-day school week is first step in descent

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Madison Daily Leader	home : news : news : opinion

Editorial: Four-day school week is first step in descent

By:JON M. HUNTER, Publisher

05/15/2003

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Couldn't we save even more money if we just eliminated school altogether?

That ridiculous question came to mind as we read that the Lemmon School District has received state approval to go to a four-day week starting in the fall.

Students must be ecstatic. They'll have classes only Monday through Thursday next year, with every Friday off. Taxpayers save an estimated $25,000, since the district won't have to pay for bus drivers, substitute teachers or school lunches on Fridays.

We've read the arguments in favor of the four-day week: students will concentrate better, teachers can come in every other Friday to comply with No Child Left Behind requirements, and student-athletes won't miss class time when they travel.

Here's our favorite: having fewer school days will reduce the number of days students will miss.

We don't buy these as decent reasons. Will students really learn as much in four days -- even with an extra hour per day -- as they do in five? Do we really think the authors of the No Child Left Behind Act intended less classroom time for students?

We believe a four-day school week is the first step in an educational descent for Lemmon. While the board can try to rationalize the decision, the reality is that they are doing it to save money. Until more resources are available to schools, these kinds of actions will become more common.

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