EAST HELENA — Some Montana districts have already switched to a four-day school week with Fridays off, and East Helena is now exploring whether it could work for its schools.
Learn more about the discussion below:
“Gathering information, researching it, trying to determine what the best path forward would be for the district,” East Helena Public Schools Superintendent Dan Rispens said.
The district’s calendar committee has been looking into the idea for several years.
Supporters of four-day weeks say they can help with staffing shortages, recruitment, and giving students more time for school activities without missing class.
“There are some advantages, I think, in terms of being able to recruit employees because it is an attractive schedule for people to want to get into and be involved with,” Rispens added.
About 117 Montana districts operate on a four-day school week, including nearby Townsend and Jefferson High School in Boulder.
But there are also concerns. Longer school days could be harder for students, and families with younger children may need to find childcare on Fridays.
“A lot of parents are not going to be able to just adjust their work schedules so they can be home with their kids on Fridays,” Rispens said.
The district says they would look into offering a Friday childcare program.
“If a decision was made to move forward with the four-day week, we'd survey parents again and find out who would be interested, what kind of demand is out there, and if this is really necessary,” Rispens added.
But East Helena isn’t making any changes just yet.
“I think that the school board members want to make a good decision for East Helena, and they need to hear from parents,” Rispens said.
MTN took to Facebook to see how people feel, and the result was a pretty mixed bag. One commenter said, “This would be a gamechanger!! In such a good way!” Another shared, “No!! Parents have to work!!”
The district is asking parents and community members to share their opinions through a survey, which can be found at this link. The results will go to the school board, which will make the final decision.
