Capitol update: Study on four-day schools (By State Rep. Randy Randleman)

On Wednesday, I presented my experiences with Cottonwood Public Schools before the House Common Education Committee during an interim study examining four-day schools.
The main things we wanted to take away from this study were the effects of four-day school weeks on students and local communities, as well as any risks associated with them.
State statute currently says that school calendars must include at least 1,080 hours and 165 instructional days. The school calendar used to be 180 days before it was switched to allow 1,080 hours.
In 2016, budget cuts led some schools to switch to the four-day model in efforts to save money.
However, when the Legislature increased our investment into education, schools didn’t all switch back because some discovered they liked the four-day schedule. Today, the four-day model has become a way to deal with the teacher shortage.
The committee heard from Christina Monaco, a former rural superintendent who is now executive director of field services for the Colorado Department of Education. She told the committee that 69 percent of districts in Colorado use a four-day structure. Some schools shift to four-day weeks during certain times of the year based on the agricultural calendar.
Monaco said her former district saw minimal cost savings after switching to four-day weeks. Additionally, state data showed no difference in academic achievement among students attending four- and five-day schools.
Tiffany Elcyzyn, a member of the Newcastle School Board, emphasized how important it is for the community to support the four-day model. Their local businesses like it because they can employ high school students on Fridays. Elcyzyn said it’s been a major reason why people want to move to Newcastle and has dramatically increased the number of applications they receive for open teaching positions.
The committee also heard from Dr. Emily Morton, who summarized research on four-day schools across the country.
In my presentation before the committee, I pointed out that the biggest impact on high test scores is the amount of time spent on task, and leaving students’ behavioral issues unaddressed diminishes the quality of their learning. I suggested teachers and administrators spend time on Fridays when the kids are out of school to discuss strategies for helping particular children struggling with behavioral issues.
I also believe it’s important to have a counselor in the school who stays for the entire year, as this allows them to really get to know the kids as well as teachers and administrators so that interventions can actually be effective over time. I included recommendations on how to set up the classroom for success.
Rep. Danny Sterling, who hosted the study, said the conversation boils down to whether local community members should have the authority to innovate and make decisions for their own communities within a system of fair and reasonable accountability measures.