HUMBOLDT — School board member Sandy Whitaker said she’s received more calls about a plan for a four-day school week than ever in her 20 years on the Humboldt board.
Most calls were concerned parents who asked her to vote against the plan. On Monday night, she did.
The board voted 5-2 to stay with a traditional five-day week, approving a calendar for next year with a schedule similar to the current term.
Board member Ashley Johnson voted against the five-day week. She believes the district would be better served with a four-day week that was supported by a majority of staff, students and parents, according to a recent survey.
At some point, she thinks the district will need to consider the option again to attract quality teachers in a post-COVID era.
“I don’t feel the discussion is over,” she said. 
ABOUT 45 parents, teachers, staff members and others attended the meeting.
Two people spoke before the vote. One, Cindy Jaro, is a parent representing others opposed to the four-day plan. The other, Scott Brady, is a teacher and president of the teacher’s union who spoke in favor of a shorter week.
The leading argument in favor of a four-day week is to attract teachers to the district, Brady argued.
Statewide, there are currently 1,693 educational job openings and fewer students are graduating with a teaching degree.
He served on committees to interview teachers; over the past three years, they interviewed a total of six teachers for four positions. At times the committee felt they had no choice but to hire someone regardless if they thought that person was a good fit.
“Is that really what we want for our students?” he said. “We can either ignore those facts and continue to settle for a warm body or we can react and do everything we can to attract the best teachers to come here.”
Jaro argued the change would increase pressures on students who are already trying to balance the demands of school, homework and extracurricular activities. It would be difficult for students to take college classes on a four-day schedule, and she fears students would not be prepared for the rigors of college. The district’s test scores remain low and she does not think a shorter week would improve the situation.
“In my opinion, we’re at rock bottom (with test scores). I feel this change is digging a hole that most are likely not going to come out of. A vote of support for the shorter schedule is just standing over the hole and kicking dirt in,” Jaro said.
She also is concerned about the impact on students who do not have a good support system outside of school. It could be challenging for some families to find daycare, and older students are more likely to be left home alone.
