Marshfield school board: four-day school week still on the table

The Marshfield School Board met on the evening of Dec. 20 to discuss not only the real potential of a four day week, but other future changes which are also on the horizon. 

Marshfield Superintendent, Mike Henry, spoke on the dire need for substitute teachers, bus drivers and additional support staff for the district. Missouri DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) has offered several incentives and alternatives to acquire a certificate, however, the number of applicants and substitutes are still lower than the district would like.

“We have made some adjustments for our substitutes,” explained Henry. “We have seen our sub pool grow, but we are struggling with bus drivers and we are struggling with custodians. That continues to be something as a school district, we have to be creative and work around because we need every single person in this school district to make this work.”

Additionally, an incentive for current teachers may be on the horizon. A Teacher Retention Grant provided by DESE, will be available for teachers interested in pursuing a masters degree. Still, with limited funds only a number of teachers will have access to that opportunity. 

The topic of preparing students for the workforce made multiple appearances throughout the evening’s agenda. The superintendent discussed the district’s blooming partnership with JAGS (Jobs for America’s Graduates) and the fortuity that come with it.

“College is a great option for every student, but it is not the option for every student,” said Henry. 

The conversation continued in High School Principal Jeff Curly’s report in regard to OTC’s (Ozark Technical Community) vocational programs and how to better utilize that opportunity for his students. 

“We still have the college track of dual credit course, but we want to make sure we continue to look at all the different opportunities for students to be successful” adds Curly. “This is just another avenue to help our kids be productive citizens as they go through school and prepare for the future.” 

OTC currently offers 19 courses to Marshfield students and Curly aims to grow enrollment in several of those areas.

A large part of the nights discussion was dedicated to the benefits and challenges of embracing a four-day week. Superintendent Henry led the conversation and shared information he’s gathered from other participating districts and a recent survey that was emailed to both parents and teachers. The survey included very little detail in regards to the process, nonetheless, the four-day school week was supported by 70% of the 967 responses.

Potentially, the district would schedule teachers to work their regular five-day schedule, but utilize Monday’s as a teacher work day. The time would be used to reform their lesson plans and collaborate amongst themselves. Henry hopes that in giving teachers the opportunity to work solely on their curriculum on Mondays, it will create better work-life balance and quality lessons for students.

Challenges facing the district if embracing the reduced schedule include: length of day, childcare, quality of instruction, scope and sequence, tutoring and intervention, and extracurricular activities. Henry presented a number of solutions to these challenges, such as partnering with the Boys and Girls Club for child care. The new schedule has received overwhelming support from the board, however, the evening brought great discussion on the matter.

Henry is hopeful that if the board can navigate through the discussion and receive positive feedback from the community and local groups, they may be able to implement the four day week as soon as Fall 2022.