Mullin ISD to go to Four-Day School Week

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The Mullin ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a 4 day a week calendar for the 22-23 school year at a special board meeting on May 9.

According to research from the Center for Reinventing Public Education, 550 school districts in 25 states have a four-day week. So, while not a new concept, it has just recently grown in popularity in a growing number of rural Texas towns.

Upon talking to school leadership in area schools who have previously adopted four-day calendars, the consensus has been the same, according to Mullin ISD. Most have seen an increase in staff retention and student enrollment, a decrease in student and staff burnout, and an overall positive culture shift within the organization. Mullin hopes to follow suit.

A survey completed by the Mullin community resulted in 81% of the stakeholders in favor of the four-day week. Those against it cited concerns regarding child-care and loss of instructional time. To combat these concerns, Mullin ISD intends to offer enrichment activities on days off for those students in need of additional support as well as for PK – 6th grade students in need of child-care.

While the school day will only increase by 30 minutes, the daily schedule has been restructured to maximize all instructional time. Additionally, one day a month will be used for targeted staff development opportunities for teachers.