Anna Independent School District has officially transitioned to a four-day school week.
The new schedule means that students and teachers will convene for classes from Monday to Thursday, with each school day lengthened by 45 minutes.
The district is one of several Texas ISDs adopting the new shortened schedule, including Mineral Wells, Chico, Jasper, and Palo Pinto.
This decision, aimed primarily at improving teacher retention, has stirred various reactions among educators, parents, and policymakers.
For instance, one analysis across 12 states published in the academic journal Economics of Education Review concluded that the schedule resulted in some “reductions in both math and English/language arts achievement.”
Meanwhile, attendance rates have declined and misbehavior in the classroom has surged in the aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Yet, as previously reported in The Dallas Express, smaller school districts have been struggling to fully staff their schools amid a nationwide teacher shortage.
Anna ISD, which has just eight schools and under 4,000 students enrolled, decided to test the new schedule for three years after a survey found 72% of parents and 87% of staff approved of the measure.
Anna High School (AHS) Principal Jared Miller has suggested that the move will actually improve students’ grades and yield favorable results in terms of mental health.
“It really is what’s best,” Miller said, according to CBS News Texas. “You get that and you have a three day weekend and our teachers are mentally prepared for Monday morning. They’re a little bit fresher and same with students.”
The early signs are promising: The district has noted an influx of applications from seasoned teachers attracted by this new timetable.
Glenn Price, an AHS theater teacher, referred to the new schedule as a game changer, citing his own experience with burnout while working for another district.
“Teachers spend a lot of time not only raising their own kids but raising other people’s kids,” Price said, according to CBS News. “[The new schedule] allows us to take a break and really remember why we love what we do.”
To assist families on Fridays, Anna ISD has partnered with the YMCA to offer daycare services for students up to grade 7 at a fee of $45 per week.
The need for parents to find childcare solutions during the work week is one of the concerns raised by those wary of the new schedule.
This includes Sen. Donna Campbell (R- New Braunfels), who proposed Senate Bill 2368 — ultimately stalled in committee — banning school districts over 7,000 students from adopting the four-day week schedule.