The Sonoita School District Governing Board approved the adoption of a four-day school week at their meeting on Dec. 3. This will be a three-year pilot program. The new schedule will be implemented at the start of the 2025/2026 academic year.
The motion to adopt the new schedule was passed by a vote of 3-2, with Ginny Cosbey and Nancy Webster voting against the new schedule, and Tony Fennell, Harry Dotson and Megan Thomas voting in favor of the measure.
Under this plan, the number of days that the students will be in school is being decreased from 180 to 152.
“We don’t want to go past Memorial Day, and we really don’t want to start much sooner than July 28,” Superintendent/Principal Dan Erickson told the Board members. “We’re cutting into that summer break that’s traditional to Southern Arizona.”
There will be no increase in the length of the school day, in large part because, according to Erickson, busing is provided by the Patagonia School District, and there would be scheduling conflicts.
Before the vote, Erickson addressed the Board, saying that he was in favor of the new calendar. “Academic excellence and growth are achievable within this structure,” he said.
The rationale for this plan, according to the proposal, includes improved student and staff morale, reduced absenteeism and cost savings. Teachers would receive the same pay for the four-day week that they currently earn under the present schedule.
The school had circulated a survey asking for respondents’ input on the proposed four-day schedule. They received 90 responses to the survey, which was sent to taxpayers in the Sonoita School District, as well as to teachers and students’ families.
Governing Board President Harry Dotson said his vote in support of the proposal was, in large part, due to the survey results. “For me, the single biggest thing is that Dan did considerable work to solicit input from the various stakeholders of the district,” Dotson said. “I think we have a responsibility to listen to and respond to the voice of the constituency.”
“I’m still very torn,” Board member Tony Fennell commented before voting in favor of the schedule change. “The constituency does overwhelmingly say, at least those that responded, ‘Hey, do this,’ [but] we heard a lot of comments from others that are the other way.”
“I’m not voting against our teachers,” Board member Ginny Cosbey said during the comment period, explaining why she was opposed to the four-day week. “I’m voting for our children.”
After the vote, Cosbey expressed her concerns about the new schedule. “You lose a day a week,” she said. “I hope it works for the kids. If it doesn’t go well after the first year, they are committed to three years. The kids are going to lose.”
Erickson, who came to Elgin School this year from a school that operated with a four-day week schedule, also discussed developing a program called the “Friday Academy” which was implemented at his former school.
“We targeted students who needed extra help,” Erickson said. “It also put a little extra money in the teachers’ pockets, because they could work and get paid $30 an hour above their regular salary.”