by INFORUM
Pelican Rapids approves four-day school week
July 19, 2010 at 7:00 pm in INFORUM
PELICAN RAPIDS, Minn. School board members here on Monday approved a four-day school week to begin this fall. Continue Reading
Pelican Rapids approves four-day school week
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It will give them all day Friday for homework.
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It will give them Monday, not Friday. Class’s will be from Tuesday to Friday.
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If that made any sense, which it doesn’t, we could give them 5 days off and only have class 2 days per week and they’d get even more homework done.
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Its great to see Pelican Rapids is looking at saving money, I wish all government agencies would consider reducing their expenditures and make money saving ventures, hopefully this plan does not compromise the educuation of the Pelican Rapids children.
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This is a stupid solution. Now parents either can’t work on Friday or have to pay for additional childcare. Very few young families or child-planning couples want to move into that situation.
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I think when this is implemented they get Monday, not Friday off due to the amount of athletic events that take place on Fridays. Anyway, this has been done successfully in many states but its a huge drag on parents who have to scramble to find childcare for their kids while they work. But in the end it saves gas, electricity, food and labor costs and I’m sure the kids wont complain.
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I can’t imagine the strain this will put on working parents. I know communities as a whole need to think outside the box every so often, but in the long run, is it really good for the community in terms of the additional stress it will put on many families?
I guess I just feel fortunate I don’t live in MN currently. (regarding the state’s money situation, that is)
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So the real reason the schools exist is to provide day care. Now that explains a lot of the attitudes. You complain about school taxes. When the school tax steps to make meaningful cuts in costs, you still complain. Home school your kids or don’t have any. Or attend school board meetings or run for the board. Some people (Republicans) only complain but never have any solutions. I suspect the school board has been considering this for several months. If people didn’t say anything before now, I think they should sit quiet.
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Awful lot of generalizations and assumptions there.
A healthy and convenient school system is important for the continued growth of any city. It’s not about “providing daycare”. Fact is many parents simply do not have the ability to deal with a 4-day school schedule. Now, do you think they would decide to move to Pelican Rapids and not have kids, or simply move somewhere else? Use some common sense.
I’m a Moorhead resident, so my only interest in this is that it seems to be a disturbing trend. I personally have family and friends accross the country who have to deal with 4 day school weeks, and I wouldn’t say any of those districts could be considered successful.
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I’m not sure how much this will actually save, but I’m guessing that a LOT of schools in the area will be watching to see how it goes. It is too bad that some folks have to make this a “party” issue. I work in a local district, vote conservative, and have many lib friends. We all work hand in hand to look for solutions. While we may differ in our views of HOW to change, we all agree that we need to find answers and not just complain.
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You’re absolutely right, it would be nice to keep the “party” issue out of this, but it would be even better if we put more emphasis on the “union” connection. Unions across America blindly support this to, uhh, save taxpayers money! Uhh, yeah! They’re the most significant force behind this movement. Kind of like how our parent/teacher conferences now-a-days are no longer parent/teacher, it’s the kid’s resaponsibility to write and present the entire poresentation while the teacher sits and watches. It’s for the benefit of the kids! Uhh, yeah for the kids benefit! Let’s not be totally ignorant here. There are many influences besides financial in why this process is being changed in some areas. And frankly the left does tend to blindly support most all union positions? So even though I won’t get on a soap box over a connection there, I will point my finger directly to the unions. This is where the public needs to be aware of who is behind most of this effort and fabricating much of its rationale.
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Why do you just assume that Pelican Rapids kids already have a huge disadvantage when it comes to education? That is a pretty bold statement. And by the way, I think it is safe to say…we do not want to become like Barnesville. We like our home/small town feel.
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Obviously, some of the readers/voters/individuals around the area do not understand the situation this school is going through. They have tried to pass levies, but unfortunately each time they were turned down. The school board wants to do what is best for the student, unlike some members of the community who are scared they may have to pay $17 more on property taxes (Hint, skip a night of drinking and you have it paid for.) Yes, this will cause problems with daycare, but we are a small community, and most have relatives in the community who can watch their children for one day or older siblings and friends who will be willing to help. The school board had to make a tough decision: cut more teachers, classes and sports or try and see how a 4 day school week will go and still being able to provide a good education for their students. If you voted no to the levy and have a problem with a 4 day school week…it’s your own fault. If you are not from the area…keep your disapproval to yourself, we don’t need more negative attitudes bringing down a good community.
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For a cash strapped district that has attempted to pass a levy just to maintain the level of services it currently provides~this is one of the few options available. While I might not like it, and yes our family will need to juggle to figure out different ways to work our schedule~the alternative of larger classes and fewer class options won’t keep kids coming to the district or help my kids learn.
Surprisingly there are more teachable minutes in the school year with this schedule according to the information presented by the school board, and the projected savings is estimated at just under 100K.
Most of the posts I read on this website are so busy pointing fingers at the other side that little is done to improve the situation. I would encourage all MN residents to contact your legislators about making school funding a priority so that all children regardless of their location in the state have access to quality educations.
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I went to a school in MN that implemented a 4-day school week for 5 years. From the time I was a 7th grader through my Junior year I had every Monday off. From what I remember hearing, we were one of the only schools in the area operating in the black. This was during the 80′s and times were different of course. Speaking firsthand, I don’t remember the days feeling too long or not having enough time to do my homework. It was definitely a good experience for me.
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Big Red Hiney.. I was going to give you a “like” until I got to the part where you ignorantly chose to generalize and knock the republicans.
Many people do seem to confuse school with daycare.. I assume these people have daycare for the summer months so 1 day a week through the school year should still be considered a savings.
What the important topic should be is the education aspect. It doesn’t seem as if this school had a lot of options. I hope it is sucessful and think it very well can be if implemented properly.. I feel there is so much time wasted in schools with 5 day weeks right now anyway. If this were my school district, I would just make sure my children were topping everything off at home.
I grew up in a town of 700 and remember my hometown school closing down after my 1st grade year and merging with a town 15 miles away. I would have loved to have stayed in that small town school and probably would have really liked the 3 days off as well! haha These small towns have something that gets lost when you go bigger..
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Tom Emmer wants more consolidation and more closure of small, rural schools. “Emmer said the state might consider consolidating some of its nearly 500 school districts.” … this was from the July 2 issue of the Star Tribune.
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They have done a year with the four day weeks up at Warroad. Talking with other teachers and coaches, the response has been generally positive. The district has saved significant money. Attendance and morale are very good–most kids and teachers are able to schedule the appointments for medical/dental on their day off. Most people are very positive about it. The school has not received any complaints from parents, and probably in part due to the way it was implemented.
One bad thing that was noted by the teachers I talked to: If a student misses a day of school for whatever reason, they miss a lot of class. It is also not easy on the elementary students, especially those under age 10 or so.
Warroad also runs a latchkey/enrichment program Fridays. Their biggest savings is that the buses do not run Friday, meals, and parts of the building do not need heat/lights on Fridays.
I think what is missed in all of this is “is it good for kids?” Saving money is always a positive, but will it impact the education of kids?
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