LA GRANDE — A four-day school week may be in the La Grande School District’s future.

The proposal would mean school days would be 30 to 45 minutes longer and regular three-day weekends could be on the horizon for students, something Glen Chandler, a La Grande School District parent, is not excited about.

Chandler is worried the longer days, which would be needed to make up for the absence of school on Fridays, would take a toll on students.

“They would make it harder for them to concentrate,” he said.

Chandler is also worried three-day weekends would provide too much downtime.

“The weekends would be too long. Each would be three days students were not thinking about school,” Chandler said during a four-day school week town hall on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at La Grande High School.

Chandler was one of nearly 100 people who attended the town hall. The La Grande School Board is set to vote in about two months on whether the district should switch to a four-day week. La Grande Superintendent George Mendoza is having the school district look into the possibility of switching to a four-day week and earlier helped create a committee to look into the pros and cons of making the change.

Mendoza said the committee is finding school districts switching to four-day weeks suffer small drops in student math and reading achievement. He noted, though, that the drops are greatest in urban school districts and less in rural ones.

The superintendent said, though, that if La Grande switches to a four-day week, its focus would not be on curbing drops in student achievement but rather on boosting it to higher levels.

“That will always be our focus,” Mendoza said at the town hall.

Mendoza has firsthand four-day school week experience from his time as assistant superintendent of the Morrow County School District. He noted teachers liked the schedule because it allowed them to have more time with their families, and students enjoyed the opportunity it gave them to be with friends, to get job experience and pursue projects outside of school.

“It provided a good work-life balance,” Mendoza said, explaining that he also personally liked the four-day week.

Meals and child care

Still, the superintendent is keenly aware not everyone benefits from a four-day week, especially those from lower-income families who rely on school district services, including the serving of breakfasts and lunches. He noted the La Grande School District has a number of students whose families rely on school meals five days a week.

He also said a four-day week would impact families who would have to pay for child care on Fridays. He said nearly 15% of those who have participated in surveys for the La Grande School District indicate the cost of child care would be a concern for them if the school district switched schedules.

Another concern is that older students would find themselves home alone on Fridays because their parents are working. This concerns Karen Howton, of Island City, a La Grande School District parent, who noted at the town hall that her children would be home alone on Fridays because she and her husband both work.

“I don’t want my kids to be home alone,” she said. “Kids can get into trouble if they don’t have anywhere to go.”

More class time for athletes

A big plus of a four-day week is that it would help prevent students involved in sports and club activities from missing as much school as they do now. When sports teams and clubs such as FFA must travel to an event it is usually on Fridays.

“They would not miss class because of sports,” Mendoza said.

Howton, a high school volleyball referee, said there could be a drawback to this, however. She explained that there is already a shortage of officials and referees in the district’s sport programs. With a four-day week there would be more emphasis on scheduling sporting events on Fridays, but there wouldn’t be enough officials to cover them all.

Community input

Superintendent Mendoza said there are many ways switching to a four-day school week would affect not just students and their families but the community as a whole. He stressed the importance of La Grande residents participating in the district’s decision making regarding the possible change.

The district has made available a public survey as one way to gather input. The survey can be accessed on the main page of the district’s website, www.lagrandesd.org. Also, a four-day school week resource website, www.lagrandesd.org/page/4-day-week, contains more information about potential schedules, committee meeting notes, presentations, research and video resources.

What’s next?

Mendoza said if a switch is made it would likely begin with the 2023-24 school year. Three elements would be monitored closely after the potential switch — academic achievement, attendance and student behavior. Should the La Grande School District come up short in any of these areas, the superintendent said “we would need to get back to a five-day week.”

Mendoza is having the school district look into a four-day week because many teachers have expressed interest and asked him about it, and he promised he would investigate it. A benefit of having a four-day week is that it could be a way to draw more teachers to the district.

Teachers aren’t the only ones who seem to like the option of a four-day school week. Mendoza said at the Jan. 10 town hall that about 60% of those who have completed a survey support the change.

LA GRANDE — The La Grande School District is now looking at the scheduling options if a shift is made to a four-day school week. The change in the weekly schedule would require changes in the daily class schedule as well as how long holiday breaks would be and when the school year would begin and end.

The options being considered must allow the La Grande School District to meet state requirements for classroom instruction, both now and in the future.

One question is what would happen on Fridays. Superintendent Geroge Mendoza at the town hall spoke enthusiastically about the opportunities for students to work with teachers on Fridays. This could provide more one-on-one interaction for students who are struggling academically.

Mendoza said a drawback would be the expense of having teachers available on Fridays to help students, which could negate much of the cost savings a four-day school week would generate. A four-day week would save the school district money because there would be no Friday food service and transportation expenses plus less wear and tear on buildings.

Another drawback to the Friday intervention plan is there would be no way to guarantee the students who need the extra help would come. Mendoza noted the Estacada School District, which is about the same size as La Grande and recently switched to a four-day week, has a Friday intervention program and of those students who were asked by teachers to attend, only about 60% come.

— Dick Mason, The Observer