Facing budget deficits, declining enrollment and challenges hiring teachers, some school districts in Minnesota have begun exploring a shift to a four-day school week.
Shortening the school week is an approach that has gained traction in recent years as a way to save money, boost student attendance and improve staff retention. In 2019, about 650 districts across the country used the schedule. Five years later, that number has risen to 900, according to the Associated Press.
In Minnesota, only seven districts operate on a four-day week, though in recent months several more in rural areas have assessed the possibility. School districts in Chatfield, St. Charles, Byron and Lewiston-Altura have all considered it — with mixed responses.
While some parents like the flexibility and extra family time the schedule offers, others have raised concerns about added child care expenses and developmental consequences of kids being out of school an extra day. State standards still require students on a four-day schedule to spend the same minimum number of hours in class.
The latest district to make the switch was Carlton public schools, near Cloquet, which adopted the schedule for the 2024-25 year. With about 300 students, the district has faced major headwinds in recent years, including declining enrollment and failed efforts to consolidate with a larger district.
Superintendent Donita Stepan said the dire situation had the district considering the change when earlier this year the Minnesota Department of Education resumed accepting applications from districts weighing a four-day week. As part of that process, the district put out a survey that found 78% of parents and 99% of teachers supported the switch.
“I really believe that we have to do something different in public education, or we’re not going to have teachers willing to do the work anymore,” Stepan said. “What we’re doing, I don’t believe is working for enough of our kids. Our teachers are overwhelmed, they’re getting burnt out. Something has to change.”
The early results, Stepan said, have been promising. While 40 students left the district through open enrollment at the start of the 2024-25 school year, another 45 transferred in, primarily because of the flexible schedule, she said.