Sean C. Morgan
Supt. Don Schrader wants local residents and Sweet Home School District staff members to tell him what they think of the four-day school week via a survey that he is placing on the a district’s website this week.
He presented a draft version of the survey to the School Board Monday night for comments, and the survey was then posted Tuesday morning at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8VW6RRP.
The district went to a four-day week this school year, saving more than $400,000. Under the four-day week, students attend a longer school day four days per week, and teachers participate in staff development every other Friday.
Schrader told the board he would prefer a five-day week with regularly scheduled staff development days if state funding comes in at the highest level of funding proposed in the legislature, some $6.9 billion statewide.
He asked the board for comments on the survey.
“I’m not going to send it out till everybody’s happy,” he said. An invitation to take the survey will be sent to several different groups. Staff members will receive emails with a link to the survey on the district’s web page, while the district will send notes home with the link.
Among the questions on the survey, it explains that moving back to a five-day week, the district would need to consider other budget reduction strategies, such as furlough days, staff reductions, program cuts, raising class sizes and suspending textbook or computer purchases.
Then it will ask which schedule the person taking the survey prefers, a four-day week or a five-day week.
Another question asks the person taking the survey to prioritize a list of 10 items, including a full school year, extracurricular programs, electives, class sizes, technology, professional development, athletics, facility improvements, improved classroom resources and textbooks.
The survey also asks about the effect of the four-day school week, whether teachers are able to cover curriculum effectively, whether students have more homework, securing childcare, how students use their day off and the impacts of the longer school day.
It asks about the overall impact of the four-day week.
The board asked for a minor change in specific questions, and agreed with a minor wording change proposed by the superintendent.
Present at the meeting were board members Mike E. Adams, Jan Sharp, Chanz Keeney, Dale Keene, Chairman Jason Redick, Mike Reynolds, David VanDerlip and Jenny Daniels. Kevin Burger was absent.
In other business, the board:
n Adopted a four-day week 2013-14 school calendar. The board could alter the calendar if it later decides to operate a five-day school week.
Students will start school on Sept. 3, with conference days scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 and April 3, 2014 to April 4, 2014.
Christmas break will begin on Dec. 23. Students will return to school on Jan. 6.
Spring break will run from March 24, 2014 to March 28, 2014.
The last day of school for students will be June 12, 2014.
n Accepted a “clean” annual independent audit from Pauly Rogers and Co.
“Definitely, I think our schools are doing a good job,” said Business Manager Kevin Strong.
n Met with House District 17 Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, who reported that the legislature is a long ways from being done. She serves on the Ways and Means education subcommittee and noted that her committee is looking at proposed education budgets of $6.1 billion by the governor to $6.5 billion.
She told the board that the state is building its budgets around savings it will find in reforming the Public Employees Retirement System, although numerous bills take numerous approaches to reform. It remains unclear what reforms will get through the legislature, and many will face legal challenges.
“The elephant in the room is PERS,” Sprenger said. “Every conversation revolves around PERS. I think the responsible thing to do is not kick the can down the road.”
A committee report under the previous governor said that PERS is unsustainable, Sprenger said, and the current governor says the same.
Regardless of whether the program is good or bad, “we have a program and promises that have been made,” Sprenger said.
She asked whether it can just continue the way it is, and she has found no one who believes it can.
“I definitely think there will be PERS reform,” she said. She just doesn’t know how much or what.
Legislators have discussed increasing taxes to help increase revenue, but she prefers not to raise taxes. Instead, she told the board, she wants to see job growth, creating more taxpayers.
When she is looking at legislation, her concern is that it grow jobs or at least avoid hindering employers from hiring, she said.
n Approved several policy revisions, including a policy governing the use of communications devices and social media by staff members.