The Crystal City School District will shift to a four-day school week at the start of the next school year.
Currently, Crystal City students attend classes Monday through Friday. But, when students resume classes on Aug. 25 for the 2020-2021 school year, they will attend just Tuesday through Friday.
Crystal City will be the third Jefferson County school district to make the switch to a four-day week. The Grandview R-5 and Sunrise R-9 school districts made the change in August, at the start of the current school year.
Crystal City Board of Education members voted 5-1 on Jan. 21 to make the move to a four-day week. Those who voted for the change were Ken Holdinghausen, Linda Schilly, Dala Beekman, Lonnie Compton and Mandie Osher. Board member Patrick Cherry cast the only no vote, and Cindy Coleman was absent from the meeting.
“I just felt like there wasn’t enough data to (support) the move,” Cherry said.
Superintendent Steven Barnes said surveys returned by district residents supported the change.
He said the switch makes sense for other reasons, too. “I think surveys we sent out were one component (for making the change),” Barnes said. “Students, staff, parents and community members who turned in the surveys were for it.
“There are some financial advantages. One of the bigger advantages is professional development opportunities for teachers. We also hope to see improved attendance and improved student performance.”
Barnes said the district could save an estimated $25,000, not including utilities, by switching to the four-day week. The bulk of the savings would be the result of hourly employees working fewer hours under the new schedule, he said.
In addition to reducing the number of school days, the district will extend each of the four weekly school days by 40 minutes. Crystal City students currently attend classes from 7:40 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. Under the new schedule, school days will run from 7:40 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.
By extending the school day, students will attend classes for roughly the same amount of time in the new schedule as they do now. The district has 540 total students this year, Barnes said.
As part of the change, the district will offer day care or study time on Mondays when classes are not held.
“We don’t have any specifics, but we will have an informational flyer and enrollment form for ‘Care Day,’” Barnes said. “It’s for all grades. There will be a variety of programs.”
He said the new schedule will not affect teacher salaries.
“The amount of hours put in by teachers will remain the same because of the extra time added to class days and the professional development days,” Barnes said. “The professional development days won’t be every Monday, but we’ll have one PD day a month.”
Barnes said he believes staff and students are looking forward to the switch.
“We’re excited for this new opportunity and are committed to working hard to make sure it’s successful,” he said. “Our plan is to evaluate this move as we go forward. My personal feeling is we’ve got to give it two years, maybe three, to see if it’s working.”
Meeting set for Feb. 4
to discuss ballot measure
The district will hold an informational meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 4 in the Crystal City High School library about Proposition KIDS (Keep Improving District Schools), an 80-cent tax-shift measure that has been placed on the April 7 ballot.
The proposition, which requires a simple majority for passage, would allow the district to move the 80 cents currently in the district’s debt service levy to its operating levy. While the shift would not require a tax increase, a debt service levy is temporary and expires when the debt is paid off. By shifting the 80 cents to the operating levy, on the other hand, it becomes a permanent tax.
The district’s current overall tax rate is $4.8573 per $100 assessed valuation.
Barnes said passage of the proposition would allow the district to use the tax money switched to the operating fund to make facility improvements, including safety and technology upgrades. It also would allow the district to address “pretty serious HVAC problems” in district buildings, he said.
“It simply gives the school district flexibility to use monies in different ways,” Cherry said. “If it doesn’t pass, the district will be in a tight spot.”
The Feb. 4 meeting is open to the public. “It’s a Citizens for Proposition KIDS kickoff meeting,” Barnes said. “They’re forming the committee to join the campaign.”