Last year in Oklahoma, the number of school districts that had gone to four-day school weeks nearly doubled.
As KFOR reports, 20 percent of public schools in Oklahoma are now only open four days a week, due to a crippling budget crisis in the state. Some officials in the state have said they think four-day weeks are a good idea, because of all the money it frees up in the budget.
But while closing one extra day per week may be saving districts a lot of money, many critics say it’s hurting students in the long run. And that can’t be good in a state where students aren’t performing well compared to other states.
State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister has said of the four-day weeks, “We have no evidence that says that this is helpful, that this increases student outcomes.”
However, the extra day off does soften the blow for teachers in Oklahoma who haven’t received a pay raise in almost 10 years.
