Iron County schools considering 4-day school week, seeking public input

CEDAR CITY — The Iron County School District is considering a move to a four-day school week, and on Tuesday, Dec. 2, the board will hold town hall meetings for public comment on what is quickly becoming a topic of critical debate.

Iron County School Board member Stephanie Hill said that the four-day proposal was initially brought up by board president Ben Johnson while searching for ways to generate money to build new schools after two failed bonds. The four-day week would add approximately 27 minutes to each school day and cut 8.22 hours over the course of the year, Hill explained.

“The reason this started is because we haven’t been able to pass a bond,” Hill told KSL.com. “We are maxed out, and it isn’t just the fact that Iron County is growing. Ever since full-day kindergarten was mandated by the state, we maxed out classrooms. We’re now doing reading intervention in closets. We have a lot of state-placed students in residential facilities, and we’re just maxed out.”

Hill explained that the district needs a new elementary school and an alternative high school, as well as a nine-classroom addition to Canyon View High School. She said that the district is also rezoning every school to accommodate growth in a “rapidly growing community with very little.”

“We’re now big kids,” Hill said, speaking on the population growth of the district. “We’re still poor, but we’re big kids. I voted against the proposed property tax increase because many of our people have very little. … I believe we have to do more with less.”

Hill, who is a 27-year veteran teacher, said that proposing a four-day school week has been a way to do more with less, adding that the idea is still in its infancy. The idea, however, has garnered initial support of parents to the tune of 70%, as well as staff at over 72%.

“It was this pie-in-the-sky idea, and (Iron County Schools Superintendent) Hatch put together a Google survey to put out to parents and teachers, and kaboom! 2,000 parents responded with a 70% approval,” Hill said. “We just wanted to know what the appetite was for more investigations to be on the proposal, and we got the approval to do more investigations.”

Even with initial data showing an overwhelming support for a four-day school week, many residents have their concerns. Former Cedar High School teacher and former Iron School District board member Jeff Corry brought his concerns to the board.

“I taught high school for 43 years … my main subjects were U.S. history and German,” Cory said. “For 23 years, I taught on a seven-period schedule, and I saw the same kids every day. In 1998, we went to the block schedule, and that was for the high school. You now had students every other day, and that made it hard for many students to retain information. … With a four-day schedule, every class will be held twice. If you have a class on Monday, then you’ll have it again on Wednesday, and then you will not have it again till the following Monday. Every day instruction is the best way to teach.”

Corry also spoke to the challenges students with extracurricular activities might face, and added his concerns regarding elementary students, both academically and economically.

“There are other drawbacks, one being the possibility of children being unsupervised for the entire Friday,” Corry said. “If both parents are not present — and we have a lot of kids with both parents working — who’s going to pay for day care? And what about those children who depend on free or reduced lunch and breakfast on Friday? I’m in this ball game for the benefit of the kids, and I’m just passionate about the best conditions for these kids. In my opinion, a four-day school week does not do that.”

Corry is not alone in his concerns. Many parents, citizens and teachers posted comments on the school district’s social media page, echoing many things Corry outlined. KSL.com reached out to several Iron County teachers who expressed concerns over student achievement and well-being, as well as adequate teacher prep time. Some stated concerns for loss of expected pay for both certified and classified staff if hours are cut back.

‘Cautiously optimistic’

Hill said that since the four-day school week has been proposed, she is “cautiously optimistic” if the right systems are put in place.

“I’m cautiously optimistic if we can get intervention programs in,” Hill said. “I know that Hatch is committed to making sure that if we do it, we do it right. He said there’s a good way to do it and a bad way to do it, and we’re going to do it the right way. Hatch is exceptional.”

Hill spoke to many of the concerns with no school on Fridays, saying that if a four-day school week is implemented, that it wouldn’t be a “dead day.”

“I am incredibly sensitive to the fact that there are demographics where this would be very difficult,” Hill said. “There are so many things we need to look at and consider before making this decision, but it might be a great opportunity. … There are those who believe that it isn’t their job to feed kids in schools. I don’t agree with that. As conservative as I am, if children aren’t fed, and schools can somehow be a bridge with that? It’s the bridge we need to make sure we build. If we can construct the partnerships that will allow for all of this, I’m cautiously optimistic.”

Hill noted building partnerships with programs like the Boys and Girls Club, which offers reading, special education and behavioral intervention programs at the schools. She also spoke candidly about being a parent of a child with autism, expressing a shared concern she has with many parents who rely on both interventions and classroom instruction. She said that if the four-day school week is implemented, these students would not be forgotten.

“I have a son on the autism spectrum, and one of the challenges in school was pulling him out of class time,” Hill said. “Any time you’re giving a kid specialized services, you’re taking them out of curriculum. That’s problematic. My son had 11,000 hours of behavioral intervention. As a school district, we have one BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) who specializes in applied behavior analysis in the educational setting. Wouldn’t that be remarkable to have some sort of program offered on Friday? That has an extraordinary possibility, especially with the constellation of needs that many of our kids have.”

Seeking public input

Hill emphasized that the four-day school week is still very much in the stage of gathering data, and that includes public input. The school district will be holding three town hall meetings at Cedar, Canyon View and Parowan High Schools on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. These meetings will also be livestreamed. A separate staff open house is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. at a location to be determined.

If passed through the board, it will then need to be approved by the State Board of Education.

“We are just now in discussions and information gatherings,” Hill said. “School hasn’t worked in a long time. I’m not talking about Iron County; I’m talking about schools. This could be an opportunity to reimage some things. The political landscape is so acrimonious. This could be an opportunity to build goodwill within the community. When you get over 2,000 people — 70% saying yes, you’ve got to start digging. These are your taxpayers.”