I saw this article a few days ago, but (since this is finals week) haven’t had much chance to blog. It’s about schools trying to cut expenses by going to a four-day week:
Cutting out one day of school has been the key to preserving educational programs and staff in parts of Kentucky, New Mexico and Minnesota, outweighing some parents’ concerns about finding day-care for the day off.
One school district saved $65,000 in transportation costs alone. (Average annual teacher saqlary is under $50,000.) And there’s additional energy to be saved by turning stuff off in the unused buildings on Fridays.
The article’s about K-12 schools, and there’s a legitimate argument against moving to a four day week there: What about parents who have to work five days a week and who suddenly have to find – and pay for – child care for their kids on Friday? This isn’t an unsolvable problem (as the article notes), but there is a better place for a four day school week: community colleges.
The typical community college student drives to class each day – sometimes a hour each way. That’s a lot of driving time for classes that meet 5 days a week. With the advent of $4 per gallon gas, it’s also expensive. Not to the school itself, but to the students – who already have to put up with soaring textbook prices and rising tuition.
My college seems to be ready to experiment with the four-day week, although it remains to be seen if they’ll want faculty members and staff to come out to the campus to sit behind a desk on Fridays.
Students already love the four-day week idea. Who wants to be in class on Friday, anyway? 🙂
Our college has tossed around the idea of the four-day week because of the budget reductions we are facing in our state. We had to reduce our budget 4.5 % last year and are looking at an additional 14% for the upcoming year. We are at the point of having no place to cut but close classes and lay-off faculty. It’s ridiculous because prisons are funded way more than education and when you look at those who are incarcerated and the percentage that are HS dropouts, you would think someone would wise up that if you put the money on the other end (education) you wouldn’t have to put so much into the prisons!
I think almost all community colleges are feeling the sting of stingy state legislators this year. Our college, though, seems to see this as a tool to boost enrollment.
Guaranteeing students that they’ll have at least one weekday without classes might be good marketing – at least to hear my students talk about it.
There’s no reason why they couldn’t get it to work out, but people have to remember that it’s not like you get a day off scott-free. That day gets pushed into the other four, but not necessarily evenly. So some days may be really packed. I also imagine it would help the faculty – at 2-year schools you probably don’t have many TA’s to do the grading for you, so having the extra day to use at your leisure would be a plus.
There’s no reason why they couldn’t get it to work out, but people have to remember that it’s not like you get a day off scott-free.
I think the faculty realizes this – it’s an issue of working longer on Monday through Thursday to get the same number of courses taught in a shorter period of time.
We faculty might be more used to the idea simply because we already teach the same courses in different time frames. My school has eight, ten, and five week semesters, for example.
I also imagine it would help the faculty – at 2-year schools you probably don’t have many TA’s to do the grading for you, so having the extra day to use at your leisure would be a plus.
We have smaller classes than a typical university, but you’re right – there are no TAs. The problem with grading work in-office is simply that it’s continuously interrupted by the 18 million other things that the school wants faculty members to do – like make out schedules for students. Said students typically show up in droves during finals week, when grades for classes are due.
In fact, I expect to be mobbed the moment I get back to my office this morning. 🙂