<p>"Under pressure from high energy prices and shrinking funding, the idea of a four-day school week is getting a hard look as a creative way to save money and preserve academic programs.</p>
<p>No Pennsylvania school district now operates on a four-day calendar, but Coatesville in Chester County and a district near Pittsburgh are exploring it. To give students the same instruction time they have now, the day for Coatesville middle schools and the high school would be 45 minutes longer, and for elementary grades it would increase by 80 minutes..."</p>
<p>Interesting article that poses some challenging issues.</p>
<p>Two</a> Pennsylvania school districts weigh four-day week - Philly.com</p>
<p>Our school district here in Missouri sent home a parent questionnaire last year about a 4 day week. It asked things like did we prefer M-TH, or Tu-Fri & why…pros & cons for OUR family of a 4 day week…etc.</p>
<p>From a budget perspective, it saved a tremendous amount of money. Only 4 days of busing (which is free to the students in our area), 4 days of meals, 1 less day for higher heating(turn the thermostat down when not in session), just to name a few.</p>
<p>Our days would be lengthened. Some of the results from the questionnaire stated parents preferred Tu-Fri due to all the Monday holidays & Friday football games. Cons were that parents who typically did not need child care now would one day a week. There aren’t really child care options here and those that do it wouldn’t be able to take kids for one day due to licensing regulations & number ratios. Households here are typically 2-income and the grandparents still work too. </p>
<p>I haven’t heard any news on it this year.</p>
<p>Quite a number of rural districts run on a four day schedule in our state to save on both bus costs and heating costs. Generally people seem to get used to it, though it does make for some long days for kids due to the length of some of the bus routes.</p>