School District Moves to 4-Day Week

Four-day school weeks are becoming a more popular option for school districts in Kentucky.

Starting next month, students in Jackson County will get every Friday off. Teachers will work half a day.

Jackson is the fourth school district in the state to implement a four-day week and the first to do so primarily for financial reasons, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Webster County, Ky., made the change in 2003.

Not only do teachers and students love the shorter week, but the school has saved enough money to offer full-day kindergarten instead of half-days, Webster Superintendent James Kemp told the newspaper.

In its first year, Webster saved more than $150,000 in transportation, overtime and workers’ compensation costs and substitute teacher pay. It saved an additional $167,000 by cutting a handful of jobs, eliminating some bus routes and making other cost-cutting measures.

To make up for lost time, Jackson will start schools 15 minutes earlier and end the day 45 minutes later.