Cayuse Going to 4 Day School Week
Letter Concerning Cayuse Prairie Change to 4-Day School Week
To Cayuse Prairie Families, Staff, and Community,
At the last meeting of the Cayuse Prairie School Board, the Board voted 3-2 to
implement a 4-day school week. This decision was not made lightly. The Board sought various
input from the school administration, teachers, parents, neighboring districts with a 4-day week,
and national research on the subject. The conclusion seemed clear that adopting the 4-day
week was in the best interests of the school, the community, and most importantly, our students.
The topic was originally brought up as a budget discussion on how to solve the
impending deficit that is affecting many districts across the state. The 4-day week change does
provide some cost savings (projected to be $28k), however money was only a supporting factor
in the board’s decision. Every dollar towards student education and enrichment is valued and
carefully spent, though a relatively small budget shortfall is not in itself a good enough reason
for a change of this magnitude.
The growing trend towards 4-day school weeks is increasing nationally and larger scale
research both within and across states is beginning to emerge. The research initial provides a
mixed picture regarding student achievement, attendance, cost savings, and teacher retention.
There are a few key points that stand out, however. Even with fewer total academic hours
student achievement does not tend to decline in relation to 5-day week schools in rural districts
or in districts that kept a minimum of 31 hours per week or more (Cayuse Prairie will have a 32
hour week). Consistently, family, teacher, and administration satisfaction increased significantly
with the change to a 4-day week. The available research seems to support the idea that we
have low risk of harm to student outcomes and opportunities to gain with community
satisfaction.
Of course, our district is unique and cannot be described by statistics from other districts
and other states. Exploring the question of the 4-day week, the Board sought feedback from
Cayuse parents, teachers, and neighboring districts. Sixty nine percent of parents of current
students that responded to the provided survey supported the proposal. Eighty five percent of
teachers supported it. A forum inviting teachers and administrators from neighboring districts,
Fair-Mont-Egan and Olney Bissell, who have moved to the 4-day week demonstrated strong
success and support for their 4-day schedules. It is a rarity these days to find such strong
support for any proposal.
But is it best for our students? This is the necessary criteria the Board must consider in
any decision we make. I personally spoke to almost every Cayuse Prairie teacher discussing
concerns over the 4-day week and the general culture of the school. Teachers expressed
anxiety over the unknown of navigating the potential change, but almost unanimously felt that
the 4-day week would improve student outcomes and well-being. Common reasons were
students having greater opportunity to rest and refresh over the longer weekend, increased time
blocks for subjects allowing for more time spent on content, and more flexible time for one-on-
one interventions for students falling behind in subjects. The 4-day schedule also allows greater
space for kids to just be kids in an increasingly overscheduled and overstressed environment.
A valid concern is the toll of a longer school day on students, yet our veteran teachers seemed
confident that they could manage this effectively at their level. The 4-day schedule also buys
valuable time for teachers to individually prepare and collaborate among peers to deliver quality
and coordinated lessons.
The Board recognizes that this change does come with challenges for many families.
Concerns about the increased school day length, childcare for working parents, and scheduling
extra-curricular activities are valid issues brought up by parents. As Cayuse Prairie moves
forward, we will strive to work with families, teachers, and the broader community as equal
partners to navigate this change. We will take the time to ensure we are planning deliberately
for the coming school year. We welcome input as we navigate this change so that we can make
the most of the opportunities it provides. We will not get everything right but as a learning
organization we will continue to assess how we educate and improve wherever we can. We
owe nothing less to the kids in our charge.
-Ty
Tyler Hash
Board Chair
Cayuse Prairie School
The feedback from Cayuse Families that responded to the important survey.
51% of Cayuse Prairie Families or 61% of the total student body were represented in this poll in favor of the 4 day school week. That ends up boing 106 families out of 209 total families or 187 students out of 305 total students represented in the poll in favor of the 4 day school week.
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The proposed schedule for the 4 day school week:
- Length of Day: 8 hours, 7:45 AM - 3:45 PM
- This is 55 minutes more than our current 5 day schedule
- 151 days of school vs 176 on a 5 day schedule
- Total aggregate hours for the year: K-3rd = 1032 hrs., 4th = 1082 hrs., 5th-8th = 1087 hrs.
- Drop off is between 7:35-7:45 AM
- K-3rd starts at 7:55 AM
- 4-8th starts at 7:45 AM
- School ends at 3:45 PM
- Start Aug. 26, 2024 - End June 12, 2025
- Any school closure days would be remote learning days.
Additional information about the 4 day school week that was sent to families can be found on our website.
Cayuse Prairie School
Email: apiazzola@cayuse.k12.mt.us
Website: www.cayuseprairie.com
Location: 897 Lake Blaine Road, Kalispell, MT, USA
Phone: 406-756-4560
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cayuse.prairie