Carlton School Board votes to adopt 4-day week

CARLTON — The Carlton district will adopt a four-day school week in an effort to provide solutions to students' changing needs, reverse declining enrollment and become a more competitive employer.

Following a series of public hearings, the Carlton School Board on Monday voted unanimously to adopt a flexible four-day school week for 2024-25. The district will apply for approval from the Minnesota Department of Education, due April 22.

“We've been talking about doing something different here in Carlton, and I find it very exciting,” board Chair Julianne Emerson said.

The plan will lengthen the school day by 25 minutes and terminate the district’s early dismissal on Wednesdays, allowing Carlton to cut Monday or likely Friday for students, creating a three-day weekend that results in an extra 25 days off per year.

By providing a flexible schedule, Superintendent Donita Stepan believes the district is taking an innovative and adaptive approach to issues facing youth today, who she says are plagued by exhaustion and strains on their mental health. By giving students an extra day off from school, she believes it will provide students the space to keep up with demanding schedules and time to recover mentally.

“I don't think it's fair to compare the mental health from 20 years ago to the mental health today," student adviser Amanda Radtke said. "It's not the same. These kids are bombarded with social media, with everything under the sun. They can't get away from things and having one extra day, I think, is something that could greatly impact them.”

Stepan is hopeful that providing a flexible schedule will attract students from neighboring districts and reverse declining enrollment trends at Carlton that have forced the district to consider consolidation with the Wrenshall School District.

Minnesota’s open enrollment law allows students to enroll in neighboring districts, so to remain competitive, districts must carve out their niche, Stepan said. She hopes a four-day week could lure students back to the district and attract new students.

Parents Michael and Amanda Smith are considering moving their children from neighboring Esko Public Schools to Carlton because of the new four-day week.

“We have a big emphasis on family time. It sucks sending your kid to school Monday through Friday all day long,” Amanda said.

Amanda has a degree in early childhood education and strongly believes kids shouldn’t sit at a desk all day. The Smiths hope that by having an extra day off school, they will have more time to spend together as a family.

Stepan said the schedule will be easier for parents, allowing them time to schedule appointments during the three-day weekend, and giving students and their families the flexibility to navigate their lives without conflicting with the district's schedule.

The same also applies to teaching staff, Stepan said. Though students would only have a four-day week, teachers and other staff would continue to work five days a week. However, the new schedule would also allow teachers to schedule appointments on their day without students, negating the need for substitute teachers, who are increasingly difficult to hire in rural districts.

For families that require the services that a five-day week provides, Stepan said the district would continue to provide child care through its Kids Care program, which she estimates would cost parents $4 an hour.

Though Kids Care has had past issues with staffing, Stepan is confident it won’t be an issue once the new flexible schedule is adopted because paraprofessionals will now be available on their extra day to work at the daycare. The district would also continue to provide breakfast and lunch for students on the extra day when school is out.

Parent Amiryssa Helland said she is considering transferring her child from Carlton to Wrenshall. She and her husband work two jobs and the four-day school week does not accommodate their schedules. Though the district promised to expand Kids Care, she is skeptical it will be able to do so.

“I can't afford to have my kid in another day care," Helland said. "I have two others. I've got two littles that are already in day care. What am I going to do? Pay for third? Which I'm already paying for in summer care. What else am I going to have to do? I can't afford it, especially now.”

The school posted an online survey asking locals their opinions about the proposed four-day school week. As of Monday night, the survey received 125 responses with 74.4% in favor of the proposal, according to Emerson.

The move to a four-day week will not impact possible consolidation with Wrenshall, which has a target date for 2026, Stepan said. Instead, she believes it could benefit the process.

“If and when consolidation actually happens," Stepan said, "the new school board, like they always do, will be approving a calendar for the academic year. That calendar that they'll have to choose from will be a four-day week or a five-day week. They'll now have experience with a four-day week if it gets approved. They now have some data to make a good decision if consolidation ever happens.”

The Lake Superior district, which includes schools in Two Harbors and Silver Bay, has had a four-day week since 2010.