What Ely's switch to 4-day school weeks means for families, teachers and support staff
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Starting next fall, Ely Public School students will have a long weekend every weekend.
The school board approved a switch to four-day weeks this month amid budget shortfalls.
Anne Oelke, superintendent and principal, told MPR News it’s the third year of reductions for the district.
“The first year, we tried to keep those reductions as far away from students as possible. Second year, we had to dip in a little bit closer to students. And now we're in the third year, and the four-day week has been on the list because we need to cut $600,000,” Oelke said.
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Savings come from reduced busing costs; the district runs its own buses, so money comes from reduced wear and tear and wages. Support staff and cafeteria wages are also going down, she said.
“We came to about $200,000 of annual operating cost savings,” Oelke summarized.
As other nearby districts have made the switch, Oelke said, anecdotally, student and staff attendance have both risen. She’s planning on pre- and post-school year surveys to gather student and staff feedback.
