ELDON, Iowa — One central Iowa school district is planning to shake things up this fall — by decreasing a school week from five to four days.
After years of talking over the decision, Cardinal Community Schools will do just that. Teachers and staff are excited about the change, but it has been met with some criticism.
Superintendent Joel Pedersen told Local 5's Chenue Her that enrollment over the last decade has increased by 54.9%, a "positive outlier" among rural Iowa school districts. He said the change will not only give teachers and staff more room to breathe, but it will also help students and families as well.
Parents are concerned with how this will impact their child care schedules. One parent wrote the move is a "day care nightmare." Pedersen said this wasn't lost during discussions and noted the district is actively discussing with other organizations to help families with child care issues.
Other districts in the state have already adopted a four-day school week. Waco Schools in Wayland has been on it since 2013.
The risk is already starting to pay off for the district, according to Pedersen. Some teachers have already re-signed their contracts, and more new teachers are also buying in.
"We are committed to listening to our parents and trying to help because we don't want anything to bog down the innovation of the four-day week," he said.
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