Kellogg School District: Four-day plan not financially motivated

KELLOGG –– As the Kellogg School District continues to explore moving to a four-day school week, questions have come up concerning the district’s motivations and how the change would impact the district financially. 

During a public workshop last month, KSD’s school board was presented with a plan on how the district could transition to a four-day schedule. 

District administration and board chairwoman Alexa Griffin said the district's finances are not a motivator.

“Districts on a four-day operating schedule have not had significant cost savings when they made the change,” Griffin said. “To potentially save money would mean to cut back on our classified staff, hourly employees, and that is not something we intend to do. We want to retain teachers and staff alike, and that means making sure employees keep their hours and benefits.”

The plan calls for longer days, and fewer days off during the approved school year, which would allow teachers to meet their contractual obligations while possibly providing more time to lesson plan. 

“We are looking at this as a potential for recruiting and retaining great teachers and staff,” Griffin said. “Far too often, teachers are using personal time for prep and planning, and having little time for professional development. Having students one less day would allow for better training and collaboration, and more time to develop their syllabus.”

During the workshop, all four of the district’s school principals reported numerous cases of burnout among their staff, which can lead to staff absences and an increased need for substitute teachers. 

Schools that have moved to a four-day schedule have reported few student absences, which helps increase funding due to Idaho’s average daily attendance (ADA) funding model. 

“This could potentially be a positive in our ADA over time, and we don't expect to see any loss in funding due to the change to a four-day week,” Griffin said. “A recent piece of Idaho legislation now allows districts to receive the money for facilities even if they operate four days a week. We are awaiting final figures for what we will receive but are looking forward to planning for our buildings.”

The agenda for the Kellogg School District’s May board meeting has not been set, but the four-day schedule could be voted on this month if the board feels they have enough information to make a decision.