Richland R-1 School District to switch to 4-day school week
ESSEX, Mo. (KBSI) – The Richland R-1 School District in Essex will switch to a four-day school week starting in August.
“Like the rest of Missouri and to be honest the rest of the nation, we’re facing a teacher shortage. We are one of the lowest paid districts in southeast Missouri,” said Richland Superintendent Carrie Tripp.
Superintendent Tripp explains one of the reasons why the Richland School District in Essex will be switching to a four-day school week starting this upcoming school year.
She say Richland has long been a high performing school district, but has struggled to find teachers.
“We have several individuals who are teaching either under a sub certificate or teaching in an area outside of their actual degree area of study,” said Tripp.
She says she believes losing a day of instruction will not impact the students academically.
“Research just came out last month from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on four-day week and how it impacts student achievement,” said Tripp. “There is no measureable impact to the positive or to the negative.”
She says she’s heard from lots of parents both for and against the switch. She acknowledges some are concerned having to find childcare. Tripp says the district has looking into that.
“A large portion of the people who marked, yes, they would use childcare only had a student in either 10th, 11th or 12th grades,” she said.
FOX23 News reached out to parents about moving from five days of school to four.
Ashley Wilson, a parent of a sixth grader and 10th grader loves the idea of the four-day school week and is not worried about childcare for the students’ days off.
“For kids that have to go to the doctor a lot or have different appointments, they can do that on their day off which is Monday instead of missing school or people missing work to take them to their appointment,” said Wilson.
She believes it will benefit students and teachers in the district.
“It’ll save attendance of not only kids, but teachers as well,” she said.
Other parents said they are concerned the switch will cause their kids’ grades to decline, but they did not want to go on camera.
“If going home for three days and then coming in for four makes us more excited to be here from our littlest pre-k kid to our most tenured teacher and we can get that benefit out it, I can only imagine what positive can come from a change like this,” said Tripp.
Superintendent Tripp says she welcomes parents to reach out to her with questions. She says the switch will happen when kids go back to school in August and she will release those details in the coming months.
