AUSTIN — Texas lawmakers appeared skeptical of a bill that would end the four-day school week for independent school districts.
Senate Bill 2368 went before the Senate Committee on Education on Wednesday.
Authored by New Braunfels Republican state Sen. Donna Campbell, SB 2368 requires a minimum of 175 instructional days per school year and at least 75,600 minutes of operation, including time allocated for instruction, intermissions and recesses for students. A four-day school week typically has 144 school days.
“This move has unintentionally caused hardships on working families and does not seem to improve student outcomes,” Campbell said. “In fact, it looks like from research that’s been done that it seems to have some negative effects on children.”
Campbell cited a national Rand Corporation report that found that student outcomes were negatively impacted, stating that “the test scores for (four-day school week) districts improved but did so more slowly than they would have if the same schools had maintained a (five-day school week).”
Four-day school weeks have become increasingly popular in rural Texas communities.
At the start of the 2022-23 school year, 41 school districts in Texas have adopted a four-day school week of the more than 1,200 school districts in the state. The school year prior, there were 14 school districts, Campbell said.
Jeannie Stone, superintendent of the Dallas County Learning Community, said she is in favor of the bill because she is concerned that as the trend continues to move toward four-day school weeks, it will negatively impact student outcomes over time.
Stone cited a 2021 study in Oregon that found that the four-day school week shaved off one-sixth of the usual gains that a fifth grader makes in math, equal to about five to six weeks of school.
“First and foremost, the biggest concern is for student achievement,” Stone said. “I think that we’re looking at this situation on how to recruit teachers, and this needs to be a student-centered decision that we look at carefully.”
But Texas rural communities that have adopted a four-day school week said it has helped with recruiting and retaining teachers, as the state continues to face a teacher shortage.
Paula Patterson, superintendent of Crosby ISD, told lawmakers that in the last six weeks, the district has received more than 600 applications for teacher positions, many of whom are master or veteran teachers.
Campbell admitted that it is a hard balance, questioning the benefit of an extra day in the classroom if there is not a qualified educator available.
Other concerns with the four-day school week include child care on the fifth day as some parents work, particularly students with special needs and access to meals through the National School Lunch program.
But, communities have come to embrace the change with districts working with the community to address any concerns, Patterson said.
The Rand report also found that the communities that have adopted this schedule reported highly valuing of the extra time that the four-day schedule allowed the family to spend together.
State Sen. Brandon Creighton, a Conroe Republican and chair of the committee, and state Sen. Royce West, a Dallas Democrat, said they were predominantly concerned with the state impeding local control.
“I’m just not understanding when we’re trying to micromanage that from here in Austin as opposed to allowing people closer to the issue to do what’s in their best interest,” West said.
State Sen. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, said at least 15% of the ISDs in his district have moved to four-day school weeks, each working with the community to resolve any potential issues or complaints regarding services.
He added that he believed the state accountability system, which rates districts A-F based on student outcomes and other criteria, will ensure student outcomes do not decrease.
“I think that the system is in there to make sure (districts) are doing the things that achieve the best education results,” Springer said.
The bill remained pending in committee.