Teacher Shortage Leads Mesquite ISD to Consider 4-Day Work Week

Houston Elementary School in the Mineral Wells Independent School District started the school year in a position that made school leaders everywhere jealous.

“We started the year without any openings, which in this day and age is a big deal,” said Jacy Roach in an interview at the beginning of the school year.

More than 40 school districts around Texas have switched to 4-day weeks; the schools offering this are having a much easier time keeping their teachers in the classroom.

It’s mostly worked in rural areas but has crept into the suburbs. Now, the Mesquite ISD is announcing a plan to possibly do the same thing. 

The district doesn’t want to talk about the plan ahead of Monday’s board meeting, but in an episode of “Soup with the Superintendent,” Mesquite ISD’s new leader told us how hard it was to compete for teachers.

New Mesquite ISD Superintendent Angel Rivera joins NBC 5’s Wayne Carter for lunch to share his plan for the district.

“Our biggest challenge is teacher compensation. I felt like all the superintendents were playing chess. Who’s going to unveil their compensation package first so I can one-up them?” said Angel Rivera, Superintendent of the Mesquite ISD.

There’s always the concern about how parents of young children could work and have their kids home while they’re at work. Mesquite surveyed parents and talked about opening one school for parents who needed sitters, something they’ve done in Mineral Wells.

But Mesquite ISD’s survey showed a majority of parents said they wouldn’t need it. 

Still, it’s opened the door to discussions of the steps districts are taking to try to keep teachers, even at the expense of inconveniencing parents.

“When teachers tell you they’re burned out they’re tired what that is code for is I’m being asked to do everything and then I’ ‘m being paid whatever I’m being paid,” said HD Chambers, of the Texas School Alliance, a group that represents some of the largest school districts in Texas.

Chambers said it’s not just money, but all of the pressure we put on teachers, and schools have to try to alleviate it.

Little Elm ISD tried to move to a 4-day week but the parents there weren’t happy with the idea so they moved away from it. They still are struggling to fill open positions and are going back to the drawing board.  

Whether Mesquite ISD has the support to pull it off remains to be seen, Monday night.