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Mesquite ISD backs off four-day school week proposal

The district administration will present a different calendar, with extra breaks, to the board Monday night

Mesquite school leaders backed away from a proposal to move to a four-day week.

The district was among the largest in Texas to consider cutting down the academic week in an effort to recruit and retain more teachers. The choice has so far mostly been limited to small and rural districts.

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The “extreme teacher shortage” in Mesquite ISD can lead to unfilled positions, a large number of uncertified educators and larger class sizes, according to a district webpage explaining why they considered the switch to a shorter school week.

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But community members raised concerns about how closing schools to students each Friday would impact those who rely on campuses for meals. They worried about child care challenges that could lead to students being unsupervised. More than 38,000 students are enrolled in Mesquite schools.

Based on concerns about the negative impact on learning, Superintendent Ángel Rivera told the board he will not recommend a four-day instructional week, according to spokeswoman Brenda Gonzalez.

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A new proposed calendar will be brought to the trustees Monday evening. The administration wants to extend the school day by 15 minutes to allow for extra breaks during the school year and enable the district to finish the year before Memorial Day.

“The new draft calendar will seek to address the issues of teacher workload, planning time, professional learning and work-life balance,” Gonzalez said in a statement.

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About 40 Texas districts are on a four-day week, with more than a dozen launching the schedule this school year, according to estimates from the Texas Classroom Teachers Association.

Anna and Terrell ISDs recently adopted the four-day instructional week for next academic year.

Staff writer Valeria Olivares contributed to this article.

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