Fremont School District RE-2 Considers 4-Day Week

FLORENCE -Fremont School District RE-2 is joining the list of districts facing possible budget cuts.Apotential 6.35-percent reduction in state funding means the district would have to shave about $800,000 from next year’s budget.Those cuts could mean some big changes for the district’s students, particularly with a change to a 4-day school week.”We have parents on both sides and we have staff that are supportive and some that are not supportive of the 4-day week,” says Superintendent Cyndy Scriven.

Scrivenestimates a shorter week would save the district 1.5-percent in areas such as transportation, maintenance and food service.

“Some of those people would have their salaries reduced by 20-percent because they would only need to work 4 days instead of 5,” she says.

While cuts would still be possible with the teaching staff, Scrivensays the switch would not affectthose employeesas much.

“We still have to educate students a certain amount of hours,” she says.

Parents are split on a potential change. Ryan Fleming has three children in Fremont Elementary School. He got experience with a 4-day week when one of his children attended Calvary Christian School in Canon City.

“It worked out and he seemed to really love it and enjoy it and really thrive through it,” Fleming says.

Fleming adds that while a 4-day week presents some scheduling conflicts for parents, it is better than some other options.”I’d hate for them to start cutting programs and cutting activities and things of that nature–the lunch program or any of that other kind of stuff,” he says. “This seems like a better alternative.”

But the 4-day alternative might have to wait. Next year’s school calendar needs to be adopted in the next 30 days. Scrivenwants more time before making a decision.

“I would like to have a lot more input andI think the board would also before we make such a systemic change,”she says. “I think we’re getting pretty late in the year to make that kind of calendar change.”Some official decisions could come as soon as the next school board meeting. Thatmeeting is scheduled forMonday, April 12th at 7:30 p.m. in the district’s Technology and Instruction Building at 403 W. Fifth St. in Florence.