QUESTIONS / ANSWERS / FEEDBACK

Have a question?  We would love to hear it.  Complete this form to get your questions answered and provide feedback. The questions will be researched and answered by the board, admin, and staff.  We will make every effort to answer your questions on this page.  Some questions are still in the research phase of the process.  Answers will be posted by the end of each Monday through February 12, 2024.

Click here to complete the form.

All feedback and questions will be shared with the board.  Answers to submitted questions will be posted below or represented in the other site pages as information.

1.  Will additional time be added to the day?  If you look at the table posted on district impact, a large amount of time is NOT added to the days.  With the suggested scenario only 5 minutes a day would be added to the student's day.

2.  Why is the board truly exploring this as an option?  See the overview page.  The conversation began when the district struggled to get teacher candidates for open positions.   The initial discussion centered on teacher recruitment and retention.  An expansion of positives and challenges was then explored as the discussion continued.

3. Has the district considered early release day once a month?  This has not been part of the discussion as of yet.

4. Would activity practices and games be scheduled for the days that students were not scheduled to be in school?  At this time, there has been no discussion on changing anything related to activities or athletics.

5. What does the proposed calendar look like?  See the information posted on district impact.

6.  Has the board considered how this might impact students who are from homes that meet the poverty level?  Yes, this has been discussed in at least two board meetings.  This is an area that was important to the board as they considered whether to move forward in discussing this possibility.  

7. Has the board considered Monday through Thursday as opposed to Tuesday through Friday?  Yes, both have been discussed.  They also discussed the fact that there are 38 weeks in a typical DWES calendar year with the following breakout:  22 of those 5-day weeks,  8 of those 4-day weeks, 4 of those are 3-day weeks, 2 of those are 2-day weeks, and 2 full weeks off.

8. Has the board considered how this might impact students?  Yes.  The administration has put together a comparison of state assessment scores from districts that are on a 4-day week.  The administration also interviewed other districts and asked specifically about the impact on academics.  See research and facts.

9. What are the potential impacts on student attendance?  One of the positives shared by districts that had moved to a 4-day week said they saw a positive impact on attendance for both students and staff.

Some questions are still in the process of being researched and answered.  Those are listed below.

1. How will this impact the DCEC paras?  This has to be worked through with DCEC.  This is not completely a district decision.

2. Will a meal be provided on the 5th day?  This has been discussed.  Whether the district provided this or not would be part of the plan.

3. What would be the solution for child care with the limited options within the district?

4. Is the retention research relative to 5+ years in the profession?

5. What savings would the district have if they moved to a 4-day week?  This has not been the focus of the "why".  Preliminary areas of savings include transportation (daily routes and shuttle runs) and food costs.

6. What strategies can the district implement to ensure a well-rounded education if they move to a 4-day week?  The JH/HS schedule may not change much.  However, this question would be analyzed if the district moves forward and puts a more detailed plan together.  The elementary schedule would be impacted and would need to be revised.  The preschool schedule would need to be part of the plan moving forward.

7. How do urban and rural schools differ in a 4-day week school model?

8. How does a compressed schedule impact students' abilities to retain information and engage in deeper learning?

9. How might a reduction in instructional time affect students' readiness for standardized tests and college admissions?

10. How can a 4-day school week contribute to improving retention rates within the education system?

11. What opportunities does a 4-day school week provide for students to engage in experiential learning, internships, or community service activities on their additional day off?

12. How might a longer weekend positively impact students' mental health and well-being, allowing for more time for rest, relaxation, and family bonding?

13. In what ways can a 4-day school week reduce carbon emissions associated with daily school commutes?

14.  How does the flexibility of a shorter school week accommodate alternative educational approaches, such as project-based learning or personalized instruction, to better meet students' diverse learning needs?

15. If the decision to revert to a traditional 5-day school week were to be considered, how challenging would it be to implement this reversal?

16. Has the board sat down with the teachers and asked what areas could be improved to attract teachers to our district?