School officials in Minnesota's Norman County East shot down a proposal to switch to a four-day school week next fall.
The district mulled the change as a way to save an estimated $50,000 on transportation, energy and other costs. It held three public meetings on the proposal, as required before the district could apply for state permission to adopt a four-day schedule.
And though the board voted down the proposal Monday, the four-day-week plan is still a possibility in the future of the district, Superintendent Dean Krogstad said.
"This is not a closed issue," he said, "but we needed to know now so we can plan for next year."
The 330-student district, which serves the communities of Twin Valley and Gary, trimmed about $50,000 from its budget earlier this spring.
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Some school officials argued the district should try out the switch. The district, which is working its way out of the red under state supervision, could use the savings. Besides, officials at two of the four Minnesota districts that have adopted the change recently reported it's worked out well for them beyond the savings.
It led to increased instruction time overall, improved attendance and morale and, thus far, no apparent damage to test scores and grades.
But during the public forums hosted by the district, residents voiced a litany of concerns. They spoke of the likely challenge of lining up child care on the extra day off, and they wondered how well students would be able to juggle a longer school day, homework and after-school activities.
Some argued the district should scrap the four-day-week plan and instead move to shut down the Gary elementary school. A consolidation of the two district schools would save triple what a four-day week might, they argued, and confront the reality of declining enrollment.
But Krogstad said closing the elementary school isn't a step the district needs to take yet.
"This is a hugely controversial subject," he said in an interview. "The communities don't really want to talk about it."
At the meeting Monday, the board discussed ways to cut costs without going to a shorter week.
The district will save about $75,000 through shifts in faculty positions and retirements. No staff has been cut, but one social work position was reduced to part time, Krogstad said.
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At the final public forum, some board members expressed unease with rushing the four-day-week transition for next school year.
"I think we need to further study and plan before we act," said board member Ross Opsahl. "Let's make sure we've fully considered all the ramifications before we jump."
Forum reporter Heidi Shaffer contributed to this article. Readers can reach Forum reporter Mila Koumpilova at (701) 241-5529
