Lyon County school trustees discuss 4-day school week

In a series of meetings with parents, students and school employees, two Lyon County school trustees discussed the proposal of switching to a four-day week.

"These discussions at the schools have been wonderful," said board member Theo McCormick. "I've filled pages and pages with suggestions."

McCormick and school board president John Stevens, who both represent the Dayton area, held town hall style meetings at each of the schools in their area to gauge the public's reaction to the four-day school week.

The idea surfaced during a nearly four-hour school board meeting last week with about 300 community members in attendance to find ways to cut the budget by an estimated $4.5 million. It is on the agenda for next week's board meeting, but Stevens and McCormick wanted to hear from their constituents first.

At the final of those meetings at Sutro Elementary School on Thursday, the trustees took a straw poll of the nearly 30 people in attendance. More than half were in favor of adopting the shorter week if it meant saving money and retaining teachers.

However, only one was in favor of changing the schedule if not as a cost-saving measure.

The biggest concern from parents was where their children would go on the day without school.

The Boys & Girls Club could be the solution, but it would need some planning, said Bob Hastings, a representative from the Dayton club's advisory board.

"We were caught off guard kind of as all of you were," Hastings said. "We haven't been able to look at it and crunch all the numbers, but we would be looking at ways we could step in and help."

Other parents worried their children wouldn't be able to participate in after-school activities, particularly in Carson City. The trustees said the 55 extra minutes added to each day would likely be tacked on the mornings.

For middle and high schools, that already start at 7 a.m., an hour earlier may be too much, some parents argued.

"If I have to wake up my middle schoolers and high schoolers that much earlier in the day, it's not going to pleasant for everyone all around," said Nikki Anderson.

Stevens said he's been researching other school districts that have made the switch. He said he thinks it would not be practical to implement it by next year.

"If you really want it to succeed, you implement it with an implementation team over time," he said.

Stevens echoed what educators across the state have been saying in light of record cuts to education proposed in Gov. Brian Sandoval's budget.

"We refuse to balance the budget on the backs of our kids," Stevens said.

The Lyon County School Board joined Clark County in refusing to build a budget around the proposed cuts. Instead, it submitted a budget based on last year's numbers.

"That means we're making a statement," Stevens said. "We hope they hear us and take education more seriously."