Hundreds of school systems around the country have adopted four-day weeks in recent years, mostly in rural and western parts of the U.S. Districts cite cost savings and advantages for teacher recruitment.

It’s a Monday in September, but with schools closed, the three children in the Pruente household have nowhere to be. Callahan, 13, contorts herself into a backbend as 7-year-old Hudson fiddles with a balloon and 10-year-old Keegan plays the piano.

Like a growing number of students around the U.S, the Pruente children are on a four-day school schedule, a change instituted this fall by their district in Independence, Missouri.

To the kids, it’s terrific. “I have a three-day break of school!” exclaimed Hudson.

But their mom, Brandi Pruente, who teaches French in a neighboring district in suburban Kansas City, is frustrated to find herself hunting for activities to keep her kids entertained and off electronics while she works five days a week.

  • Neato
    14•1 year ago

    I’ve seen articles like this before. The answer on why? Money. School districts are underfunded and can’t recruit teachers on a shoestring budget.

    Hundreds of school systems around the country have adopted four-day weeks in recent years, mostly in rural and western parts of the U.S. Districts cite cost savings and advantages for teacher recruitment,

    She has no interest in paying for the child care option the district is offering for $30 per day. Multiplied by several kids, it adds up.

    Straight up just cutting services and charging people a surcharge that their taxes already pay for.

    The district offers meals on Mondays, but not at every school. Starting in October, struggling students will be able to attend school on Mondays for extra help.

    That just sounds like school with extra steps.

    “You have to go back and look, you know, what do parents do during the summertime? What do they do over, you know, spring break or Christmas break?” he said, adding that schools already had weekdays off for occasions such as teacher conferences.

    They fucking suffer? They pay for summer camp. Or daycare services which are $$$. Or like me in the 90s, you’re a latch-key kid. And you end up seriously lacerating yourself at 9yo because you shouldn’t leave kids unsupervised.

    The change also provides another day to work on family farms

    Child labor is coming back into fashion.

    • HobbitFoot English
      3•1 year ago

      Yeah. Four day schools aren’t this great thing for kids, but ways to be shitty with education funding. I won’t be surprised if, in a decade, all high school classes in one district are taught full remote with the school just being a day care to watch the students.

    • @[email protected]
      1•1 year ago

      This absolutely feels like they are trying to add micro transactions to schools to make them more profitable… Fuck that’s horrifying.

      People really don’t want to have to pay a fair share towards be part of our small society when they have the bigger one they can play with stuff like this only exists to hurt and squeeze the commoner.