Framework for a Sustainable Future - Sweet Home School District

4-Day School Week
“A strategy to do more with less”
By PresenterMedia.com

Introduction
“The success of all students is our deep and moral purpose”
• Educational excellence and improving
student achievement while dealing
with the limitations caused by
inadequate funding is a major
challenge, not only for the Sweet
Home School District but for all
Oregon school districts.
• The responsibility of the school board
is to make budget decisions that
promote sustainability while
enhancing student success.

Introduction
Due to slow economic recovery there is less funding for Oregon schools.
• Recent state budget forecasts
are not good.
• Since the Legislature’s 2011
Session ended, the State
Revenue Forecast decreased by
another $306 million.
• Sweet Home School District is
facing significant reductions.
• $1,000,000 or more…

The Funding Picture
“Schools will just have to tighten their belts and do more with less.” Gov. Kitzhaber
25,000,000
Revenue
20,000,000
15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
Revenue
0

•Recent Headlines
• Beaverton School District superintendent says cuts could reach
$40 million
• Portland Public Schools: Higher costs, less money to spend will
mean program cutbacks next year
• Forest Grove School District cuts another $405,000 from
budget

Budget Reductions
Need to reduce our expenditures by $1,000,000
Percent of the General Fund
Payroll Costs
Utiliities
Bus fuel
Debt Sevice

Budget planning with fewer resources
Tenets
Kids first
Kids first
Kids first
All students can learn and must be given an equal opportunity to
experience success.
Budget reductions must have little or no impact on student
learning.
Class size in primary grades should be reasonable and must not
impede learning.
Realize that budget reductions impact the lives of many people in
this community. The district should do everything possible to
lessen this impact, but not at the expense of students.
All students have a right to be educated and resources must be
freed up to provide a high quality education.

•The Big Question…
• How can we best meet the needs of our students to improve
academic achievement while dealing with financial insecurity

•The 4-Day School Week
• Over 90 school districts in Oregon are on a 4-Day school week.
• This year Baker, Coos Bay and Harrisburg made the change.
The policy was first implemented in
schools as early as the 1930s, and
became more common during the
energy crisis of the 1970s.
The savings accrued by a 4-Day school
week can be used to help avoid other
arguably more difficult budget
reduction options, such as furlough
days, staff layoffs, program cuts,
increased class sizes, etc.

4-Day School Week
Could save jobs and programs
It could help us avoid…
• More staff lay-offs
• Cutting some non-academic
programs
• A reduction in services
• Raising class size
• More furlough days = less instruction
• Reductions in athletics, electives,
music, etc.

Estimated Savings
4-Day and other reduction options (staying out of the classroom)
Area
Savings
2% savings 4-Day School Week (hope to get 3%) $340,000
Administrator / Supervisor reductions $210,841
Reductions in maintenance (attrition) $60,000
Some staff lay-offs (attrition) $116,000
Redraw elementary boundaries $30,000
Cut pool funding (if not supported by option levy) $50,000
Use reserve funds $200,000
$1,006,841

The Ultimate Goal
Improving Student Achievement
4-Day school week allows time for:
• Professional development
• PLC collaboration
• Teacher planning
• Curriculum articulation
• Data collection and analysis
• Best practice research
• Other instructional training

Benefits vs. Drawbacks
From research and direct interviews with other 4-day schools:
BENEFITS
• Financial savings
• Lower energy and transportation costs
• Increased staff development
opportunities
• More time for teacher planning
• Increased attendance
• Improved behavior
• Improved student achievement
• Reduction in substitutes needed
• Less instruction time missed due to
athletic travel
• Sporting events on Friday have no
effect on the classroom
• More time for family events
• Intervention time
DRAWBACKS
• Lost wages, mostly from hourly
employees
• In some cases increased day care
costs
• Long days “students are fine,
teachers get tired”
• In some cases athletic practices
were later
• Big change from traditional
scheduling
• Less meeting time with teachers
after school

What about the kids
How do fewer, longer days affect them What does the research really say
Is the Amount of Time Students Spend in School the Key
Variable It’s commonly believed that the U.S. is way behind other
countries on classroom time. According to a brief just released by
The Center for Public Education, this is incorrect. Some countries
have a longer school year than the U.S., but daily seat time in
classrooms is less, so things even out.
We interviewed over a dozen school districts in Oregon and
asked if student achievement was affected negatively. All
stated emphatically, NO! Students adjusted and
performance continued to improve.

The Impact of a 4-Day Schedule
Positive or negative
• Center for Education Policy, Applied Research and Evaluation,
University of Southern Maine
By Christine Donis-Keller and David L. Silvernail
• As noted by many observers, the literature that exists on the
four-day school week is mainly positive, but not often peerreviewed
or scientifically-based, and few summaries of this
literature provide any critical analysis of the results.“
Student Achievement - Much of the literature on the practice
concludes that a condensed schedule may have a positive
effect, and in most cases has no negative impact.

What about Instruction
Does the four-day school week have an impact on instruction
The Four-Day School Week - Gale F. Gaines
• Concern was expressed about the length of the day, particularly for younger
students, but the report indicates that students and parents were able to
adapt.
• Student performance was not a significant issue in the decision of Colorado
districts to use a four-day week, according to the report, and there are no
conclusive studies on the impact. However, state Department of Education
staff say that students do no worse than students on a traditional calendar.
• Another Study - The Four-Day School Week: Information and
Recommendations by Beesley, Andrea D, Anderson, Carmon

•What about Instruction Time
• State law requires 990 hours of seat time for high school students,
900 for 4-8, 810 for1-3 and 405 for Kindergarten students.
2011-2012 (5-day) 2012-13 (4-Day)
• Sweet Home Schools
High School 1008-1036
Junior High 957
• Elementary 943
• Sweet Home Schools
High School 1040-1050
Junior High 962
• Elementary 949
In a 4-Day school week students actually
get more instruction time.

•School Districts
We visited and /or interviewed many other school districts:
• Baker Union School District - 2400
• Coos Bay School District - 3300
• Harrisburg SD - 900
• Winston-Dillard SD – 1300
• Glide School District – 600
• Santiam Canyon SD– 600
• Glendale SD – 376
• Central Linn SD– 721
• Mapleton SD – 172
• Central Point SD – 4500
• Mill City School District – 600
• Colton School District - 600

What about Fridays
Programs to improve learning:
Professional Development
• Teacher Training
• PLC team collaboration
• Improve instruction
• Curriculum planning
• Grading Days
• Conferences
Interventions
• Small group assistance
• Remediation
• Help for struggling
students
• One -on -one tutoring
• Homework
• College classes
Other
• Schedule
appointments
• Personal business
• Family day
• Student jobs
• Trips
• Community service

Accurate information
From research and direct interviews with other 4-Day schools:
MISCONCEPTION
1. Licensed staff will work less
time and get paid the same.
2. Students will receive less
instruction time.
3. There will be an increase in
day care costs.
4. There are no educational
benefits.
FACTS
1. Licensed staff will be required to
work the same amount of hours.
The truth is they work far more
hours than contracted. They will be
scheduled to work on some Fridays.
2. Students will actually receive more
instruction time.
3. In many of the districts we visited
and interviewed daycare costs did
not increase, some reported a
decrease.
4. Staff will receive more training, this
will benefit students in the
classroom.

MISCONCEPTIONS
1. Student learning will digress
over the 3 day weekend.
2. Longer days are difficult for
young students.
3. Increase in juvenile
delinquency.
4. Students who attend school
in a four-day school week
are not competitive for
college or the job market.
FACTS
1. Of the numerous 4-day school
districts in Oregon this has not been
the case. In fact, many offer one-onone
interventions for struggling
students on the fifth day.
2. This has not been reported in the
research. Students are resilient and
adjust to the added 45-50 minutes.
3. Does this happen now How about
during, vacations or other breaks
Not reported in other districts.
4. This is not accurate, in fact students
in one 4-day school district received
over $900,000 in college
scholarships, were accepted to top
universities and are successful.

Calendar
M T W TH FR DT CD M T W TH FR DT CD M T W TH FR DT CD M T W TH FR DT CD
August November January April
27 28 29 30 31 0 3 5 6 7 8 9 4 4 28 29 30 31 4 4
12 13 14 15 16 4 5 February 8 9 10 11 12 4 5
September 19 20 21 22 23 3 4 1 0 0 15 16 17 18 19 4 4
3 4 5 6 7 4 5 26 27 28 29 30 4 5 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 22 23 24 25 26 4 5
10 11 12 13 14 4 5 December 11 12 13 14 15 4 4 29 30 2 2
17 18 19 20 21 4 4 3 4 5 6 7 4 4 *18 19 20 21 22 4 5 May
24 25 26 27 28 4 4 10 11 12 13 14 4 5 25 26 27 28 4 4 1 2 3 2 2
October 17 18 19 20 21 4 4 March 6 7 8 9 10 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 4 5 24 25 26 27 28 0 0 1 0 1 13 14 15 16 17 4 4
8 9 10 11 12 4 4 31 0 0 4 5 6 7 8 4 4 20 21 22 23 24 4 5
15 16 17 18 19 4 5 January 11 12 13 14 15 4 4 27 28 29 30 31 4 5
22 23 24 25 26 4 4 1 2 3 4 0 0 18 19 20 21 22 4 5
29 30 31 3 3 7 8 9 10 11 4 4 25 26 27 28 29 0 0 June
November *14 15 16 17 18 4 5 April 3 4 5 6 7 4 4
1 2 1 2 21 22 23 24 25 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 4 5 10 11 12 13 14 4 5
First Semester 36 44 End of 2nd Quarter 39 45 End of 3rd Quarter 36 41 End of Second Semester 40 46
End of 1st Semester 75 89 End of 2nd Semster 76 87
Total Year 151 176

Calendar Comparisons
5-Day calendar vs. 4-Day calendar – Days of instruction per month
Month 2011-12 (HS) 4-Day
September 19 16
October 18 19
November 18 15
December 12 12
January 18 16
February 19 16
March 15 13
April 21 18
May 22 18
June 8 8
Total 170 150

5-Day School Week
2011-2012 calendar inconsistent (HS calendar used for comparison)
22 Weeks with 5 days
14 weeks with less than 5 days
170 student contact days
High School 1036 hours of instruction time

4-Day School Week
Consistent scheduling
33 Weeks with 4 days
3 weeks with less than 4 days
150 student contact days
High School 1050 hours of instruction time

What about Daycare
Does the a 4-day school week create a problem
• In all the school districts we visited and/or interviewed none reported a daycare
issue. Most thought there would be issues, but they just never materialized.
• In Coos Bay many families take advantage of the Boys and Girls Club.
• Some school districts reported that many high school students are getting Red
Cross trained to be babysitters.
• Others reported tuition based or grant funded school daycare programs run by
some of the classified staff.
•
Sweet Home Boys and Girls Club will take students on Fridays at a reduced rate.

Timeline for 4-Day School Week
This process began back in September
The 4-Day school week
discussion began last school
year when budget reductions
were considered. In
September the Board set a
goal to pursue practices that
promote fiscal responsibility.
The Board initiated the
process to look into the 4-Day
school week. This would
include research, determining
the financial impact, key
stakeholder surveys, school
meetings, public meetings,
site visits and numerous
interviews.
September
• School Board goal setting
October
• Board presentations, budget discussions
November
• Board meeting, public comment, surveys
December
• School Board elects to continue
information gathering

Timeline Continues
January
• 4-Day Study team to conduct site visits, interview staff and
review survey results
February
• School Board action / contract negotiations / implementation
timeline / build new calendar
March - June
• Develop schedules / contract negotiations / determine budget
reduction strategies / approve District budget / provide
community support and information
September 2012
• New calendar

•District Goal #3
• Foster student success by continuing to make fiscally
responsible decisions that support student learning.
The district must address the poor economic forecast
for Oregon, declining enrollment and escalating
operating costs by developing a “road map” for a
sustainable future.

•Survey Results
• http://app.zoomerang.com/Create/SurveyEdit.aspxID=L2BB2G
Z2ZVVL&bp=sm#
• Online Survey – 263 surveys - even mix of parents, classified
and licensed staff
1. 107 (41%) Supportive
2. 121 (46%) Not supportive
3. 35 (13%) Not sure
• Paper / Pencil Survey – Mostly parents (67%)
1. 190 (38%) Supportive
231 (47%) Not supportive
2. 75 (15%) Not sure

4-Day Study Team
Shelley Roe – Certified
Melissa Klumph – Certified / Parent
Kristin Adams – Classified
Tim Porter – Administrator / Parent
Joe Sanchez - Certified
Dave Goetz – Administrator
Janice Albert – Classified
Elena Barton – Administrator / Parent
Derek Barnhurst – Administrator / Parent

4-Day Study Team
Interviews
Coos Bay School District
• 3300 students
• Will save $1,000,000
• Staff attendance has improved and has already saved more than
$20,000 in sub costs
• Students interviewed were in favor
• 71% of Title I is positive about the new schedule. All of Special Ed are
positive about the schedule. Better services and more time for
services
• Students and staff have seen an improvement in achievement.
Students feel like they are learning more and are better prepared.
Special Ed is seeing better improvement and more time for services

Coos Bay continued
Summary
• Better attendance by staff and students. Better services and more time for
students in Title and Sped.
• All teachers love the extra time for PLC’s and meeting on the Friday, when they
do work.
• Works better for students in sports.
• Better academics and improved behavior.
• Students have adjusted to the schedule much better and faster than staff.
• Most staff were very tired when they first started because of the change, it did
take some time to get used to it.
• How did the community respond concerning child-care with regard to the
additional non-school day each week Boy’s and Girl’s Club is full and is being
utilized. A lot of Jr. High and High school students are getting certified by the
Red Cross as babysitters and that is helping with daycare throughout the
district.

4-Day Study Team
Interview summary
Harrisburg School District
• 900 students
Business Manager - “We estimated $130,000. I think we are going to exceed that. The
savings is primarily from classified labor. In addition, we are realizing fuel savings and
some slight savings on utilities. We hope to save $15,000 to $17,000 on subs but have
had some staff members get pregnant so sub savings may turn out to be less.”
Science Teacher - “It’s been positive. I don’t feel rushed to finish labs. Students are
learning more in depth… At the end of the week I’m really tired… I notice I am running
behind some this year on my lessons…. With the longer period, it’s important to have
quality lessons with lots of activities to avoid having to deal with classroom management
issues.”
High School Principal - “It’s horrendous as an administrator. I work longer Monday through
Thursday and never have Fridays off. I have to supervise activities home and away and
I’m also going to meetings… I was not a proponent of the four day week… Right now
there is a lot of animosity among classified staff… I have to scramble and hunt for help to
supervise activities on Friday.”

Harrisburg continued
Summary
Special Education Teacher
“A longer day for students is not an issue. I’m loud and I can keep their attention. It’s a
little tougher dealing with paperwork that is required for IEP meetings. It’s also more
difficult to find time to assess students.”
Classified Staff and parent
“I have a freshman and a senior and they love it. Both are involved in sports. They don’t
miss instruction time to go to Friday games. They do homework on Friday mornings.”
Four High School Students:
• “I love it. I have more time to work on my assignments.”
• “It gives me extra time to work on Fridays – I can get more work hours.”
• “I don’t feel burned out on school this year because I get a 3 day weekend for
homework and to recover.”
• “I like having Fridays to do my homework.”
• “Students aren’t getting in trouble on Fridays.”
• “I can schedule appointments on Fridays.”

Harrisburg continued
Summary
High School Counselor
“At first it was challenging because of the longer days but now we’ve adjusted pretty
well. It’s been nice to have a little more time per class. An hour is a great class
length…Many teachers now use Friday for prep allowing them to have Saturday and
Sunday for their weekend… It’s been harder on classified because they lose hours. The
tension has been difficult.”
Classified Staff
“People are bitter… We don’t feel valued… Classified feels worthless… Teachers had a
choice to cut days, cut staff or go to a four day school week… Bitterness is partly toward
the teachers. They agreed to the four day school week without putting up any fight…
Many of us were cut 6 to 8 hours per week… It’s hard on morale… More days should
have been cut instead.”

4-Day Study Team
Admin – Teachers – Classified
Santiam Canyon School District
• 600 students
• Savings - $25,000
• Significant drop in absences of certified and
classified staff
• The HS and Elementary did not report a change. The
MS did report a significant drop in referrals,
although they had an administrative change at that
time also.
• Some initial concern over daycare but the majority
love the schedule
• Pros Too many to list…cons lost wages for some
hourly employees

•Santiam Canyon
Continued
• Comments from Classified support staff
• No extended hours
• More responsibilities with less time
• Layoffs created more work for other staff members
• More stressed
• 28 hrs. and up is full time
• Insurance cap stayed the same – 28 hrs and up get the full cap - less than 28 have a
prorated cap
• Custodians work on Fridays – gives them the time they need to do more involved projects than
they can do during rest of the week
• Work 160 days IA
• Initially didn’t want to like it
• After being on the 4 day week for 2 years they like it
• Felt that the 4 day week was better than laying people off
• Librarians do not have time to do anything other than checking in and out books – no prep
• Have 4 in-service days

Santiam Canyon
• Some initial concern from a few parents, but once the 4 day
schedule started there were no issues with day care. It was
reported that not a single parent has brought his/her concern to
the administration once the 4 day week went into effect.
• At the HS, many teachers have volunteered open “office hours” so
students can come in to get extra help on Fridays. This continues
this year.
• The majority loved it.
Pro: too many to list
• Con: for classified it was the loss of wages.
• For the most part, IEPs are held on M-Thursday – mostly during the
school day. Their Fridays are just too full with staff development
activities, prep time and teacher meetings to add IEP obligations.

Kids First
4-Day school week could help us…
1. Keep our class sizes
reasonable. In some
schools we have classes
at 30 or more.
2. To provide needed
supplies, text books,
curriculum and
technology.
3. Continue to maintain
programs such as art,
music and other
electives.
4. To maintain afterschool
programs.
5. Maintain high quality
staff.
6. Etc..

Questions School Board wants to hear from you.