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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
As the recession forces states to slash education funding, more school districts are considering cutting the school week down to four days as a way to save money.
The Los Angeles Times reports that only about 100 of the nation's 15,000 school districts now use a four day schedule - most of them small, rural school districts.
But that might change... some districts are now tossing around the idea to serve more suburban or urban areas, including suburbs of Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon, and even the country's fifth largest school system in Florida's Broward County.
Usually schools that go to four day weeks extend their hours 60 to 90 minutes per day. Experts say there's no proof as to whether the shorter week helps or hurts students.
But some worry that especially younger students will lose focus with a longer day. And many parents don't like the idea because it means they would have to find another child care option for that extra day. This is why schools are also considering other options - like ending sports, mandatory furloughs for employees and renegotiating union contracts.
Also, when you consider the below-average results that many U.S. schools are already turning out each year, it seems like less time in school is hardly the answer.
But education spending makes up the biggest share of states' budgets. Nationwide, the 50 states face a combined 350 billion dollar shortfall over the next 3 years. They are also planning to eliminate close to 600,000 jobs.
Here’s my question to you: In light of reduced education budgets, is a four-day school week a good idea?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
William writes:
Four-day weeks represent throwing in the towel on education. Younger kids will lose focus and the end of the day will be wasted for them. If money is saved, but minds, potential and futures are lost (not to mention safety, given the places some kids will be when out of school), do we gain anything? A seductive but very bad idea.
Kevin from California writes:
Great idea. We can repeal the child labor laws, and on their days off they can make Nikes to get acquainted with competing against their Chinese counterparts.
Yazz writes:
Have we not short-changed our children enough? In a country willing to give billions to rich companies 'too big to fail', cannot we all agree that our children are 'too vital to fail'?
Paul from Austin, Texas writes:
It is a good idea and does work. I lived in a city in Colorado that did and it worked fine. The only thing is the school day was a little longer and there was only a 6-week break in the school year.
Arthur writes:
Cutting the school week puts a tremendous burden on working parents and cuts relatively little cost. Why do it then? Who is the real beneficiary of a four day week? Surprise – it’s the teachers. They found a way to get the same salary and an extra day a week off. And as with everything else, they claim it benefits our children.
David from San Diego writes:
No. To compete in a world where our industrialized and semi-industrialized competitors already outpace us at K-12 education, we need more, not less, time in school. Saturdays would be a useful addition, as would a longer school year.
Brian from Sugar Land, Texas writes:
Hell no! Whadda are you trying to do? Kill all us single parents?