Tough economic times force school district to adopt a four-day week

via Yahoo!:



Back to school: Shaky economy hits kids
By LIBBY QUAID, AP Education Writer
52 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Hard times and higher fuel prices will follow kids back to school this fall.

Children will walk farther to the bus stop, pay more for lunch, study from old textbooks and wear last year's clothes. Field trips? Forget about it.

This year, it could cost nearly twice as much to fuel the yellow buses that rumble to school each morning. If you think it's expensive to fill up a sport utility vehicle, try topping off a tank that is two or even three times as big.

At the same time, costs for air conditioning and heating, cafeteria food and classroom supplies are mounting, all because of the shaky economy. And parents have their own tanks to fill.

The extra costs present a tricky math problem: Where can schools subtract to keep costs under control?

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In rural Minnesota, one district is skipping classes every Monday to save fuel. On the other days, classes will be about 10 minutes longer.

"I think it's a great opportunity," said Candice Jaenisch, whose two sons and daughter will be making the switch. "You're cutting expenses that really don't affect school." ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080818/ap_on_re_us/schools_hard_times

in non-safety (police, fire, EMT, hospital) related areas.

during commutes.

That would be a worthwhile thing, dontcha think?


...and employers would still get 40hrs/week out of their employees.... employees would get a 3-day weekend.... companies would save 20% of their electricity costs and such....

because they'll have to worry about what their kids will be doing on that Monday when the parents are at work and the kid is not in school.

Employers had better be accommodating.

Yeah, right.

to thousands of houses that will need to be heated, cooled. That SUV holds between five and eight people, the bus holds 42 or more if I remember correctly, and transports students at a lower per head cost most likely.

If the kids are home one day more, how is that going to using SUVs? Kids don't have to be driven everywhere, just because they are home instead of in school.

cutting a full day's worth of each class...so they're losing X minutes of each class per week. Is that right?

Monday, August 18, 2008
By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Hoping to help families during a rough economy, the Pittsburgh Public Schools this school year will offer free breakfasts to all district students, plus free lunches to all students at 41 schools and early-childhood centers.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08231/905126-298.stm