4-Day Instructional School Week
Press Release for April 28, 2025 Public Hearing
4-Day Student Week Survey Results
All Data
Parent Data
Community Data
Staff Data
4-Day Instructional School Week Flyer
Folleto de la semana escolar de instrucción de 4 días
Boys & Girls Club Q & A
Preguntas y Respuestas del Boys & Girls Club
April 8, 2025 Letter to Inform Stakeholders
Carta del 8 de abril de 2025 para informar a los interesados
April 8 Press Release
Comunicado de prensa del 8 de abril
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is a 4-day school week? A 4-day school week means students attend school for four days instead of the traditional five. In Washington State, the school days must still meet the required instructional time, so student days are longer. In Washington this option is called the Economy and Efficiency Waiver.
2. How does the Economy and Efficiency Waiver work in our state?
The Economy and Efficiency Waiver is a program offered by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) that allows school districts to apply for a flexible school calendar. This waiver helps districts offer a 4-day school week, aiming to improve efficiency and reduce costs without compromising the quality of education for students.
3. Which schools can apply for an Economy and Efficiency Waiver?
Only schools with fewer than 1,000 students can apply for this waiver. About 55% of schools in Washington State are eligible to apply for this waiver based on enrollment. There are 30 available slots based on a law that limits the number of schools that can use this waiver, and about 21 slots are filled at this time.
4. How common is the 4-day school week in Washington State?
About 7% of schools in Washington State have been approved to use a 4-day school week in 2025-2026. 18 Washington State schools used the model in 2024-2025. Nationwide, nearly 900 school districts were using a 4-day schedule in fall of 2023, up from 650 in 2019. About 50% of states have school districts using a four-day school week. Some states with more than 20% of their school districts adopting a four-day schedule include Oregon, Idaho, South Dakota, Colorado, and New Mexico.
5. How do schools apply for the Economy and Efficiency Waiver?
Schools must submit an application to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), which reviews and approves applications on a first-come, first-served basis. Schools must also provide data on student learning and efficiencies after the change and reapply every three years.
6. Has Manson School District decided to apply for an Economy and Efficiency Waiver?
No, Manson School District has not yet decided whether or not to apply for the waiver.
7. Why is Manson School District considering a 4-day school week? The district is exploring this option to improve student academic outcomes based on increased professional development and planning for teachers, improve student and teacher well-being, enhance recruitment and retention of staff, and potentially reduce operational costs. Our new strategic plan, which will be completed in June of 2025, will mean training and planning time for teachers is more critical than ever as we work to meet and exceed district student achievement goals.
8. What are the benefits of a 4-day school week?
Benefits include:
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- More time for staff professional development and collaboration leading to increased student learning (6 days of professional learning and planning for teachers in a 5-day model and 15 days of professional learning and planning for teachers in a 4-day model)
- Over 30 more instructional hours per year for students
- More predictable schedules for families with no late starts or half days
- Better staff retention and recruitment
- Improved student and student attendance as families and staff use Fridays for appointments and trips
- Cost savings
- Increased family time and vacation flexibility
9. How long would the school days be under a 4-day schedule?
Student days would be approximately 7 hours and 45 minutes long. Estimated school hours would be from 8:00 AM to 3:45 PM.
10. How many instructional hours does Manson currently offer?
In the 2024-2025 school year, Manson School District offers about 1,055.33 instructional hours over 180 days.
11. How would instructional hours change under a 4-day school week?
Under a 4-day school week, Manson would offer about 1,087.5 instructional hours over 150 school days, an increase of about 32 hours compared to the current schedule.
12. How would teacher work hours change with the 4-day school week?
Teachers would not work fewer hours. Total teacher work hours would remain the same, but professional development, planning, and collaboration time would be added on non-school days (about once per month), with teachers also working longer hours on student days.
13. How would other employee hours change under the 4-day school week?
Current classified employees (such as office staff, paraprofessionals, and bus drivers) will maintain their current hours, so there would be no reduction in payroll for these staff members.
14. How many half days will there be in a school year? All of our current half-days and late starts used for professional development, conferences, and other scheduled shortened days will be eliminated.
15. Does moving to a 4-day week save money?
The savings from moving to a 4-day school week range from 1% to 3% of a district’s budget. For Manson, this would translate to savings between $125,000 and $375,000. Savings typically come from reduced substitute costs, utilities, fuel, and food services.
16. Why is this financial saving important for Manson?
As Manson is facing declining enrollment, this means we will receive fewer state dollars. Cost savings help sustain current staffing and programs.
17. What are some challenges of a 4-day school week?
Challenges may include:
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- Childcare challenges for younger students on the fifth day
- Supervision challenges for older students
- Longer school days (8 am – 3:45 pm Monday-Thursday)
18. How will families who work find childcare, especially affordable childcare?
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- Older students, family members, and friends might be available for childcare.
- The Chelan Community Center Boys and Girls Club will offer childcare for about $25 per day/student (a bus can be provided for transportation). This will include meals.
- State Assistance for Childcare at the Community Center is available for those eligible.
19. Will there be food available to students on the selected day off? Meals will be provided to students who need support the day before the proposed day off.
20. How will teachers fit all the curriculum into 4 days? Teachers will modify their curriculum to fit within the instructional minutes. Manson will exceed the state’s weekly required minutes and yearly required hours of instruction.
21. Won’t this longer day be too much for the Elementary kids? Elementary students will be given more content but provided with brain breaks and movement activities throughout the day.
22. Would transportation to the school be available? Limited transportation (bus routes) would be available on Fridays. There would be a route provided to the Chelan Community Center if families choose to enroll their child in the programming there. In addition, there would be limited transportation to and from the school for scheduled activities.
23. Friday Potential Student Activities:
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- Coaches can hold practices and other activities.
- Library activities.
- Potential for a non-profit agency to provide a Friday event or activity.
- College visits/field trips financed by Gear UP.
- Interventions and tutoring supports provided by Communities in Schools.
- Internships/Apprenticeships can be provided for older students.
- Some students may work on Fridays.
- SAT/ASVAB/FAFSA/WAFSA/Scholarship Support time would be available.
- Youth sports could be scheduled for practices on this day.
- THRIVE Teen Center Partnership could be expanded to Fridays.
- Activities at the Chelan Community Center Boys and Girls Club.
- Community service opportunities
- Club and activity events
24. How will this affect school sports?
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- More sporting events can be organized on the proposed day.
- The Athletic Director will begin adjusting schedules to move longer sports trips around the proposed day off so students will miss less school and be well-rested.
- Practice times might be adjusted on Fridays to an earlier practice time.
- We will carefully review and possibly adjust departure times for athletics contests Monday- Thursday to keep students in class as much as possible.
25. When will the decision be made? The board plans to decide by the end of April, allowing ample time for planning and implementation if the 4-day week is adopted.
26. How can I provide my input? Parents and community members are encouraged to participate in the surveys that will be distributed. Your feedback is crucial to this decision-making process.
27. When would the 4-day school week begin if it’s adopted?
If approved, the new schedule would begin in Fall 2025.
28. What does research say about learning in a 4-day model?
Research on the 4-day school week is growing, and while the impacts are mixed, schools with less than 30 hours of school time per week tend to see less academic growth. For a detailed look at the research, visit Research on 4-Day School Week.
29. If you have any other questions or want more information, feel free to reach out to Manson School District. We are committed to keeping our community informed as we explore this potential change!