On December 14, 2024, the Wapello Community School District Board of Directors began considering a shift to a four-day school week after Superintendent Mike Peterson informed them that Winfield-Mt. Union was exploring this model. Other southeast Iowa districts, such as WACO and Cardinal, had already adopted the four-day week, and many districts across Iowa were also evaluating its benefits and drawbacks. Given the board's interest, they tasked Superintendent Peterson with forming a committee to further investigate this possibility.
The exploratory committee included: Board President and parent Brandon Marquardt, Board Member Kerri Horton, Superintendent Mike Peterson, High School Principal Steve Bohlen, Elementary Principal and parent Brett Nagle, Director of Instruction Shannon Salazar, Activities Director and parent Brandon Brown, School Business Official and parent Eric Small, Special Education Teacher Taren Samuels, Social Studies Teacher Jake Fraise, Paraeducator Brandi Smith, Kindergarten Teacher Delores Wykert, Family Consumer Sciences Teacher Karin Mairet, Junior High Teacher Sam Hellberg, 5th Grade Teacher Dawn Shipman, 6-12 Guidance Counselor Kelci Eakins, and Paraeducator and parent Brittani Beeding.
Over the next few months, the committee met several times to review data from districts that had already implemented the four-day school week. They also consulted with educators who had transitioned from a five-day to a four-day schedule. Additionally, the committee conducted an anonymous survey to assess the interest of parents, students, and staff. The survey results indicated a strong interest in further exploring the four-day school week option.
After reviewing the survey results, the committee continued to examine data from districts that had adopted the four-day school week. They found that the financial benefits were minimal. Districts that implemented the model reported only slight savings, which were not the primary reason for the transition. While there were some cost reductions, they represented a small fraction of the overall budget. Given this information and considering what had been successful for other districts, the committee decided it was time to address questions from parents and guardians.
To facilitate this, two sessions were scheduled in the Wapello High School Auditorium on April 22 and 24. Each meeting had an estimated average attendance of around 50 stakeholders. Both sessions featured the same presentation, which is detailed in the slides provided below.
In preparation for the public meetings, the committee spent time coming up with answers to what we thought some of the hot topics may be. Many of these topics were asked about during the meeting.
What about hungry kids on the “off” days? - Off days are really not any different than summer, Christmas, spring, or any other day off we have currently.
Our food pantry is open to all Wapello students and families and we can tailor our order to better meet the needs of having an extra day when students are home.
The churches also provide the backpack program that can be requested for families in need. Food is sent home every last day of the school week.
What about childcare on the “off” days? Districts who have implemented 4-day weeks have indicated that child care has not been as large a concern as people anticipated it would be. Our families already need to have child care for our current early dismissal days. Under a 4-day plan, it would be a full day of child care instead of a portion of a day.
How will this affect extracurricular activities? - All these activities will still happen. We have considered the idea of an activity bus for the students that live outside of the town of Wapello. This is something that we will have to keep in mind depending on the needs of the students.
4-Day school weeks aren’t preparing kids for the “real world” of work. - When our students move on from High School into possible college or the workforce their schedules will be different everyday. There are many careers that are not 4-days per week, some are 5, some are 7 and some, depending on what field you are in, are 3. In addition, many careers involve varying shifts (1st, 2nd or 3rd). As educators, parents, and guardians, we have to educate our kids on the different professions and the work environment that comes with each individual job.
Won’t our students lose out on educational time? Won’t there be less schooling taking place? - The state requires students to have 1080 hours of instruction. With the longer school days, those requirements will still be met in a 4-day week. Teachers will also have an extended day beyond student hours so they will have a comparable amount of hours with an extended 4-day week as they do now with a 5-day week.
Which day will be the “off” day? - The typical 4-day school week for Wapello would be Tuesday-Friday.
How long will the day be? - Our draft calendar is based on 8:00-3:45
Here is what the draft calendar looks like in its present Form - Reminder: this is a draft version only and for informational purposes:
How was Monday determined to be the best day to not have students? The majority of holidays throughout the school year already fall on a Monday. Building a 4-day schedule around Tuesday-Friday eliminates much of the disruption that Monday holidays would cause.
What is the status of the potential pilot program? There will be no pilot program this year.
What about makeup days for heat/winter weather? A 4-day calendar makes it easier to accommodate missed days. Rather than adjusting things at the end of the year, one of the Mondays could be switched to a student day.
Will there be a cost savings? Districts who have switched to a 4-day calendar report little to no actual cost savings.
How will hourly staff be affected? Our hourly staff are now salaried, so there would be no reduction in pay. The exception could be food service and transportation.
Have Morning Sun families been surveyed? Not at this point. However, a survey is being developed.
What will be the effect on student achievement? The research on this is mixed. Some districts report improvements in student achievement. Some districts report no change. Some districts report a decline in student achievement.
Have districts who switched to 4-day weeks reported an improvement in teacher recruitment? Districts with 4-day weeks report an increase in the number of applicants per open position. Certain positions remain difficult to fill, due to an overall lack of qualified candidates.
We have compiled some interesting articles dealing with the four-day school week.
REL Ask A REL | What is the impact of a four-day school week on student achievement?
Cardinal schools on second year of a 4-day school week
Research suggests the impact of four-day school weeks varies across student groups and locations
Embracing the Four-Day School Week | AASA