Kennard ISD Votes for Four-Day School Week
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
KENNARD – Kennard Independent School District (KISD) board of trustees voted 6-1 to implement a new four-day school week next year featuring a Tuesday-Friday week with Mondays off
The move comes after most other districts in the area have also opted for the revised schedule, with Crockett ISD joining the plan earlier in the week. The state of Texas recently began mandating the number of minutes required each year for instruction rather than the number of days, opening the door to local districts to distribute those minutes as they considered best.
KISD Superintendent Malinda Lindsey had been working on the program for a while, doing research and holding public forums. There were still some people against the measure, some expressing concerns over lesson plans and impact on students. At a regular KISD school board meeting held Thursday, March 16, the public was able to speak on the issue with a majority in favor, arguing the district would work on any potential side-effects of the plan, while making the district more competitive to potential educators.
KISD opted for a plan with Mondays off, while other districts have gone to a “Fridays off” plan. The district published their new calendar online, which features an instructional day from 7:15 a.m.-4 p.m. Passions were high at the board meeting, with some calling for unity no matter what the outcome and others reprimanded by KISD Board President Terry Pilkington for not commenting on matters not on the agenda, as is required.
When the time to vote came, there was some confusion among the board members on the actual number of minutes included in the new calendar versus those required by state law. The board chose to table the matter until this week in order to make sure the calendar was compliant.
At a special meeting called Thursday, March 23, the KISD board reconvened to discuss and vote on the new calendar with a 6-1 vote to approve. KISD Superintendent Lindsey said the district wants to provide the community with the best possible teachers.
“We feel this is a good opportunity to continue to recruit highly-qualified teaching staff,” Lindsey said after the vote. “And we are excited to continue to plan and begin implementing a four-day week next year.”
With a national shortage of teachers and many local schools soon to offer the four-day week to new and existing teacher, many Kennard parents and teachers realized the district could be at a disadvantage in recruiting and retaining good teachers.
Lindsey acknowledged there is still work to be done, not only to iron out details of Mondays off but to allay the concerns some teachers and parents have.
“We will continue to educate everyone on the process and what we’re doing to provide the support that we need in the areas of concern,” Lindsey said.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
