Anna Independent School District (AISD) switched to a 4-day school week for the 2023-24 school year, a decision the school board took in late January in an effort to improve teacher retention.
In 2022 school districts across the country raised concerns over a massive school staff shortage, including bus drivers, instructors and teachers. In an effort to address the issue, several districts came up with plans to retain staff without taking a toll on the budget. One option many districts considered was switching to a 4-day school week.
In November 2022, AISD conducted a survey consulting with the community and staff about changing the school week. The district says that the results of the survey consisted of 72% of parents and 87% of staff that were in favor of switching to four-day weeks. AISD prepared for the change by working with various focus groups, attending a panel featuring numerous districts that already moved to four-day weeks, researching the pros and cons and meeting with district leadership to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of such a decision.
Now that the new school year has begun, teachers and students will attend school for 45 extra minutes from Monday to Thursday, according to CBS News, and daycare assistance for grade school students will be available for $45.
"It really is what's best," Anna High School Principal Jared Miller told CBS News. "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."
According to the e-learning consultant Devlin Peck, while compensation is the number 1 reason why teachers leave the profession, burnout rates are increasingly worrisome. Devlin Peck found that K-12 teachers perform in the most burnt-out profession in the country and 37% of senior leaders in education experience signs of burnout.
According to Miller, the retention plan is working. Since the change, the district received more applications from experienced teachers, drawn by the new schedule.