Could Four-Day School Weeks Be the Future of Texas Schools?

Many teachers have had just about enough of the state’s public education system, and some are seriously considering leaving (or have already left) the field. So, in an attempt to hold onto faculty and staff, certain North Texas school districts are turning to a four-day school week.

Mesquite ISD is one of the districts mulling a new calendar. Its website states that the four-day model would give staff more time to plan and “address instructional needs with the goal of improving overall performance.”

Reached for comment, a spokesperson said the district is not granting interviews on the subject right now, but that the board of trustees will come to a decision by March 6.

Laura Jobe, Mesquite ISD’s chief information officer, presented pertinent data during a mid-February board discussion about the 2023–24 school year.

“Research tells us that the teacher is the most important factor in a student’s academic success, and that is what is driving this process to explore some other calendars to see if that can help us recruit and retain more teachers,” she said during last week’s meeting. “We have a desire to ensure that we have a quality teacher in every single classroom in Mesquite ISD, and as you know, we are facing a nationwide shortage.”

A national survey from last fall indicates that more than half of public schools, 53%, were understaffed at the beginning of this school year, per the National Education Association. Jobe noted that Mesquite ISD saw some 108 teacher vacancies in August, though the district has since recovered a bit.

The idea of moving to a condensed instructional week appears popular among Mesquite ISD employees and parents alike. Asked in a survey how they’d view a four-day model for next year, 72% of parents said they were very or somewhat supportive of the change, and 84% of staff said the same.

More than 40 districts across the state have embraced the four-day schedule, including Anna and Terrell ISDs in North Texas. Mesquite ISD would be the largest district to implement such a shift in this region, according to WFAA.

Nicole Hill, communications director for the Texas AFT union, called the idea of four-day weeks a “multi-layered situation.”

“I think what is always a concern when you’re dealing with this is loss of instructional time,” she said. “We’re always worried about that, obviously, especially coming out of a pandemic where we lost an immense amount of instructional time. But I would also say you could have a district that has a six-day week and still not get a quality education if all of that time is being eaten up by things like [standardized] testing.”

“It’s a pretty mixed bag on the research, so it’s important to proceed with caution.” – Holly Eaton, TCTA

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The way Hill sees it, it’s important to ask whether this idea is treating a symptom or a root cause. Some districts have had positive employee feedback about the change, but there are many more quality-of-life issues that need to be addressed, as well as higher pay.

Teachers often push for protected non-instructional time to plan and collaborate with colleagues, so a four-day week could potentially help improve working conditions, said Holly Eaton, director of professional development and advocacy with the Texas Classroom Teachers Association. Some participating districts have chosen to add time to each of the school days to make up for the day off. Other districts, meanwhile, are instead extending the school year.

Eaton also mentioned a notable distinction: This wouldn’t mean a four-day work week for teachers, who would presumably clock in on the fifth day. And some districts may provide options for the children of working parents who would otherwise need to find daycare.

However, one study of a recently minted four-day school district found a drop in student achievement and teacher retention, Eaton said. Nearby home values also slumped. Part of the problem may be that the district didn’t raise teacher salaries to make pay more competitive.

“To me that sort of says: It can’t be a silver bullet if you’re trying to address teacher shortages,” Eaton said. “It can be one facet of a probably multi-pronged approach.”

In addition, advocates may tout the move as a cost-saving measure, but Eaton said research suggests that districts usually just save below 3%.

“It’s a pretty mixed bag on the research,” she said, “so it’s important to proceed with caution.”

Texas AFT’s Hill mentioned that many of her organization’s members believe they don’t have a voice in decisions regarding their own profession. It’s encouraging to see districts like Mesquite asking for their employees’ thoughts via surveys, she said.

Public education is in a “very interesting moment,” she continued. The Texas Legislature is considering bills that could shape the state’s school system for better or worse: While some lawmakers are pushing for teacher pay raises, others are gunning for school vouchers and privatization.

“It’s this weird tension right now in the education space. On one hand, you want to give us money, and on the other hand, you want to take that money away,” she said. “We really do have two paths here. … And we will see in May which one we choose.”