Anna ISD hopes the 4-day week will help with student achievement and teacher retention

ANNA, Texas. Anna’s Independent School District is currently one of the largest school districts in North Texas that is experimenting with a four-day school week.

Classes will run Monday through Thursday, and there will also be “Boot Camp” days on Fridays for students who need additional instruction for state testing.

“You are either a leader or a follower. If you are a follower, you spend two or three years trying to catch up with other people,” says Anna, ISD Superintendent Michael Como. “The main focus should be on the success of the children.”

In this fast-growing area, there has been talk of a four-day work week for nearly two years now. The Board unanimously decided to move to this model after a series of studies and surveys.

The district told the WFAA that parent surveys of the plan showed 72% approval of the plan and 87% educator approval.

This is a big step for a small district with over 5,000 students. Of course, some detractors on social media say the plan will negatively impact families with “working parents” and families with “low-income families.”

The county said there were ample opportunities for the public to share their views on the issue in December and January.

“We really believe that the level of education we are going to provide will replace their concerns over time,” Como said.

The Monday-Thursday work schedule means families will have to make some decisions on Fridays, especially families with working parents. The superintendent told the WFAA that this is the reason the district moved quickly to give families enough time to plan until early August.

“My parents called last week. Yesterday, many parents were worried about where their children would go,” said Rachel Gadi from the local AnnaKids Academy kindergarten. Gadi said she already had a line for Friday.

The county said it had discussions with the YMCA to provide Friday day care services for families interested in the service. The WFAA has contacted the YMCA and is awaiting a response.

Como’s other hope is that the plan will attract and retain educators who need more flexible hours. The superintendent said that educators rarely have time to schedule meetings and the like, which leads to most of them taking Fridays off.

“I have to have the highest quality employees that I can attract and retain, and we think that is one way,” the superintendent said.

The county stated that this would add about 35 minutes to each day and a full extra week on the back end.

Students like Jr. Carly Redwyn don’t know how to feel yet, but they say a free Friday might help.

“I already have a job so I can work harder than I do now,” said Redwin, who balances studies, sports and work.

The superintendent told the WFAA that the three-year pilot program was never designed to cut costs. Como said the district will re-evaluate whether the model is working by seeing if test scores remain high and if more teachers remain.