Chattooga eyes four-day week for its students

School officials in Chattooga County are digging through ideas other systems are using to curb costs, including four-day weeks and fewer school days.

Chattooga Superintendent Dwight Pullen said officials are eying Murray County's 160-day school year calendar and Peach County's four-day week for some ways to save money.

"This is something I would want to have public hearings on before I make a recommendation to the board," Mr. Pullen said. "It would be a major cultural change for the community."

Chattooga County could save an estimated $218,000 with a four-day week, or about $125,000 with a 160-day year, he said. Schools would be in session Tuesday through Friday for more hours a day on the four-day week, Mr. Pullen said.

The system now is on a 180-day schedule, like most Georgia school districts.

April Davenport, whose son is in first grade at Summerville Elementary, believes a four-day schedule would be "great," she said.

Mrs. Davenport is part of her school's council that held some early discussions on the ideas.

"I've talked to a few (other parents), and most people are OK with it except for the ones that are going to have baby-sitter situations," she said. "It frees up a whole day."

A few Georgia systems approved schedule changes to save money this year. Peach County adopted the four-day week just days after Gov. Sonny Perdue announced budget cuts in July. That was followed by the approval of a 160-day calendar in Murray County, where Superintendent Vickie Reed said the move saved about $500,000 in its first year.

Peach County spokeswoman Sara Mason said her system's change saved about $214,000 in the first half of the year. A surprise gain also was found in absorbing teacher furlough days into Mondays, she said.

Both ideas "are ways that other systems have identified to provide a good education and show a savings in expenditures," Chattooga County school board member Eddie Elsberry said.

"It is my understanding that the 160-day year also shows cost savings based mainly on some energy and transportation savings," Mr. Elsberry said.

He said the four-day week nets fewer teacher and student absences, savings on utilities, transportation savings for school buses, teachers and families, and allows maintenance and housekeeping an unfettered day to work while schools are empty.

Drawbacks include possible child care issues on Mondays and the fact that more instructional time can be lost when a student or teacher misses a day, he said.