4-Day School Week May Get a Closer Look

After losing more than and already facing a $21 million shortfall for the following year, the Pasco County School Board needs to start coming up with more ways to cut spending.

That, according to board member Steve Luikart, was his motivation for recommending that an investigative committee be created to explore the issue of a four-day school week more closely. Luikart wants to know if a four-day week would better position the district to be able to afford programs such as art, music and sports in light of a continually shrinking budget.

Luikart first brought up the idea . He presented a proposal for the committee during the board’s Tuesday, July 26, meeting.

“I’m just asking that the board look into approving that committee,” Luikart said.

School district staff said the request could be handled by the calendar committee, which is already in place and starts meeting in late September or early October.

That idea didn’t sit well with Luikart.

“I just feel more comfortable if it was a board committee and it originated from us,” he said.

Following the meeting, Luikart said he would like a board-appointed committee instead because it would provide for more “transparency” and that meetings could be kept open to the public.

If board members decide to move ahead with the committee, it would serve four main purposes, according to a memo drafted by Luikart:

• To investigate the possibilities of a four-day school week.
• To find out if the measure would be a sound “short term measure to save funds and/or protect student programs.” The committee would be charged with exploring the savings on the elementary, middle and high school levels separately and combined.
• The impact the measure would have on students at all grade levels.
• The potential impact on district and school-based staff.

The committee would start meeting in September and would be expected to report findings back to the board by March 2012.

The board is expected to take up Luikart’s recommendation during its next meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 2. The first reading of the 2011-12 budget should also take place during that meeting.