China Spring ISD continues conversation on possible 4-day week for ‘23-’24 school year

CHINA SPRING, Texas (KWTX) - Some of the most highly attended meetings regarding the four-day school week in Central Texas are in China Spring.

Two weeks in a row China Spring students, parents and staff packed the elementary school’s cafeteria to weigh the pros and cons of a four-day school week.

School leaders say they are short at least two to three substitute teacher’s everyday on most every campus. This is causing math teachers to fill in for English teachers, and vise versa.

By reducing their need for substitutes, district leaders say they can save money and improve the educational experience.

“The significance is that it’s that many more days that a highly qualified teacher is teaching your student,” said CSISD Superintendent Marc Faulkner during the meeting.

They also have hope that this new schedule will improve many of their current concerns like a drop in attendance, student and teacher mental health, and school funding.

In order to keep the meeting organized and timely, parents wrote down questions on a piece of paper that was then handed to the superintendent to read and answer.

Some of the questions included what parents who work five days are supposed to do and would this change how our students learn.

KWTX spoke with a couple of teachers who could not be on camera, but they did say they are in favor of the change.

With teacher retention and the substitute shortage top of mind, one school leader advocated for the benefits this will have for educators.

They say that retaining and recruiting high quality teachers and support staff is going to improve the quality of learning.

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