BIC board approves four-day school week

After a two-hour public meeting in the gymnasium, the Buffalo Island Central school board convened to vote 5-1 to begin a four-day school week in August 2021.

Board of directors voting for the four-day week included Stacey Thomas, Todd Edwards, Darrin McFall, Justin Hawkins and Eric Lyerly. Jason Stewart voted against the decision. Scott Colbert was not in attendance.

The well attended public meeting preceding the board’s decision was held to address concerns about the feasibility of converting to a four-day school week. Speakers included Superintendent Gaylon Taylor, Elementary Principal Kima Stewart, High School Principal Randy Rose and teachers Katherine Wren and Emily Collins. Taylor explained the mission of the proposal was to ensure that all students learn at high levels.

“During last year’s pandemic we had to pivot many times to find the best solution for our school,” Taylor said. “We are not afraid of change at this point. We worked through a process that seemed totally impossible at first, with intense training for our teachers and staff, in order to provide virtual and in-class instructions for our students. We learned and adapted as we went along.

“Our greatest resource was our teachers, and we learned to listen to them. They are directly in touch with the students. Surveys were done concerning a four-day instructional week, since we are already having a virtual Friday. I have come to see that there is overwhelming support for the change. There is a curve across America for this, with 1,500 schools making the change. There are already 13 districts in Arkansas with four-day schools. BIC has always been known for its academic excellence, so we had to look into this.”

Benefits for the four-day week listed the ability to attract and retain teachers, provide means for better development of the instructional week (total of 1,800 minutes), increase teacher and student attendance, increase student time with family, and have less time out of core classes.

“We have found it increasingly impossible to continue standards of higher education,” said Stewart. “We want all our students to achieve at high levels and are not satisfied with mediocre. Our parents are our stimulus for being here, as 80 percent of them said ‘yes' to four-day school. We were surprised at all the possibilities that extended days schedule could bring. This is not a final solution or a forever decision. We would be ready to pivot if we did not find this academically enriching to our students.”

The four-day school hours would be 7:50 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The five-day class hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.

“We are mandated to provide positive intervention with RTI (Response to Intervention), which is much needed,” Rose said. “Teachers don’t want to just put grades in when many students do not understand. They need a time for professional learning center, which four-day schedule would allow.”

“We need more time for research with professional learning committees, in order to help us find better teaching means,” Wren said. “The four-day school will have challenges but would provide something beyond what we have now.”

“Students will get more instruction and RTI is the best thing we can do,” Collins said. “Our students can get used to longer days and we hope to see increases in interest and productivity. They can have RTI every day with one more day to recuperate.”

Childcare on Fridays and early intervention programs were listed as main concerns by those attending the public meeting. Other concerns included finances for new programs, adding more integrated therapy, kids who work after school, using Fridays for class trips or enrichment experiences, meetings for clubs or special interest groups, and internships and college prep instructions.

“We have already looked into providing childcare through EOC, which is already on our campus, and Crowley’s Ridge Development Council, and possibly using people already working for us as paid childcare workers on site,” Stewart said.

The directors met in the high school library following the public meeting.

Superintendent Taylor asked each director to speak on the public meeting and thoughts of four-day week.

“If we go to a four-day week then it needs to be a four-day week for everyone,” Jason Stewart said. “There was a lot of discussions about things that could be done on Friday. We have several things that need to be worked out.”

“This would not work on the high school level,” Superintendent Taylor said. “Faculty would be docked for missing any of the four contracted days, so working on Fridays would be overtime.”

The four-day week was passed 5-1 for the 2021-2022 school year.

In other business the board approved one-time Covid-19 stipends out of ESSR funds. Certified employees will receive $3,400 and non-certified contracted employees will receive $1,000.

Childcare for Fridays during four-day school week will be a main topic for the next school board meeting.