Five school districts OK'd for another year of four-day weeks

The state will let five rural Minnesota districts keep their four-day school weeks next school year.

Blackduck, Lake Superior, the consolidated MACCRAY district (Maynard, Clara City and Raymond), Ogilvie and Pelican Rapids all received permission to keep their shortened weeks for at least one more year. The extensions come as lawmakers discuss whether to give school boards the power to set the length of their weeks.

"Each of them had requested three years, but the commissioner approved one year because of the uncertainty of the outcome of proposed legislation that's being discussed right now," said Education Department Spokesman Josh Collins.

School districts say four-day weeks help them save money. The department, though, has discouraged the move, saying the shorter weeks don't improve student achievement.

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