By Shauna Lund, Iron County School District
Iron County School District administrators are meeting with staff and discussing frequently asked questions as they work toward the transition to a four-day school week in 2027-28.
Superintendent Dr. Lance Hatch advised board members that all discussions about the four-day school week are still in draft form. However, he said he wanted to seek feedback from the board as discussions move forward.
Members of the district administrative team recently participated in a video call with administrators from a school district in Independence, Mo. That district is slightly larger than ICSD, but has shown success in implementing a four-day school week without impacting academic performance, in fact their student learning outcomes have improved.
A clear message from that district, he said, was the importance of ensuring the transition did not negatively impact employee pay and retention. With that in mind, Hatch said several ideas have been discussed and have included employee groups. Those proposals include:
- Compensating bus drivers for lost Friday route hours with a base hourly pay increase from $25 per hour to $27.50 per hour. Additionally, trips would be paid at the standard hourly rate rather than a reduced rate of $21 per hour. Hatch said ICSD is very efficient in transportation and therefore receives less funding from the state. There is a possibility that the move to four-days could result in additional funding.
- Maintaining paraprofessional hours with work time adjusted to only Monday through Thursday.
- Transitioning front office staff at schools to 9-hour shifts Monday through Thursday. Additionally, 16 designated work days would be scheduled on Fridays on the weeks teachers are in the building and when staffing is crucial (beginning and end of the school year.
- Continuing to explore school nutrition services options. Hatch said because there is a potential federal revenue impact, there is still some research that needs to be done in that area.
- Considering a decrease to 9 days for personal annual leave for teachers. Currently, teachers receive 11 days for 188 contract days. The four-day school week reduces contract days to 171.
Another question many community members have asked is whether the district will provide optional Friday activities. Hatch said another lesson learned from Missouri is that a multi-million dollar investment in Fridays yielded minimal engagement from students. On average only 50 to 100 elementary students participated in the optional activities.
“I really like our approach,” Hatch said. “We start with nothing, but let the needs dictate.”
Another impact the district is looking at is the need to adjust start and end times. Hatch said part of the consideration was a request from transportation to space elementary and secondary runs at least 60 minutes apart. The increased traffic in Cedar City has meant delays in arriving at and leaving schools.
The current proposal is:
- Elementary: 8:55 a.m. to 3:55 p.m.
- Middle: 7:50 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.
- High School: 7:40 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Hatch said administrators are continuing the work on putting the implementation of a four-day school week in place. He would like to roll out a solid official plan by November so families and employees can make plans.