Green Forest board hears data on impact of 4-day week

Green Forest Schools Superintendent Matt Summers had an inkling that the district’s move to a four-day week would be a positive thing in many areas for students and staff.

One quarter of the school year down, and the numbers are backing up Summers’ predictions.

“In a nutshell, discipline is down, attendance for staff is up, attendance for students is up and the grades are approximately the same,” Summers said. “It’s nice to finally have some numbers.”

Summers presented the first-quarter report to the school board at its monthly meeting Tuesday, Oct. 17.

“We compared this year to last year, obviously comparing the five-day week to the four-day school week,” he said. “There’s been a lot of questions. Is it good for the kids?”

Discipline is down, the superintendent reported.

“We’re talking anything that requires a discipline slip,” he said. “Detention, corporal punishment, inschool suspension, outof- school suspension, anything along those lines.”

Summers reported that in the first nine weeks of the 20222023 school year the district had 358 total discipline incidents.

“The first nine weeks of this school year we had 321,” Summers said. “That’s an 11 percent deduction.”

Student attendance was up slightly. In the first nine weeks of 2022-2023 attendance was at 93.22 percent, Summers said. In the first quarter this year, the district saw a student attendance rate of 94.75 percent.

“Roughly a 2 percent increase in student attendance,” he said.

The four-day schedule led to a “major” change in teacher attendance, according to Summers.

“Last year in the first nine weeks we had 135 substitutes,” he said. “This year we had 108 substitutes and that’s a 25 percent reduction.

“So, teacher attendance is up, student attendance is up and discipline is down.”

When it comes to academic performance, Summers said there was really no change so far this school year compared with last in grades kindergarten through eighth grade.

“We’re just right where we were,” he said. “So to say there’s a huge increase in academic performance, that’s just not the case. To say there’s a decreased academic performance, there’s no data to support that, either.”

In grades nine through 12, the district saw a “2 percent increase at the high school,” in academics, the superintendent said.

“Even to our lowest students, those numbers are almost identical,” Summers said.

When it comes to how finances were impacted by moving to a four-day week, the district received mixed results.

“Part of the report was also a first-quarter financial report and the board had requested that,” Summers said. “We went and looked at our operating funds and we compared some items to see how the four-day week impacted financials.

“Some were surprising and some numbers weren’t.”

The main numbers the district compared were in utilities and fuel.

In the first quarter of the 2022-2023 school year, the district spent $41,000 on electricity, Summers said. During the first quarter of this school year, the district has spent $62,550 in electricity.

“That’s up and we thought that would be down a little bit,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s an increase in what we pay in kilowatt hours or what. I need to do a little more research on that.”

The district spent $10,000 on natural gas the first quarter last year compared with $9,100 so far this year and $19,300 on water so far this year compared with $14,800 the first quarter last school year.

“So, again, I don’t know if the water costs went up,” Summers said.

One area where the district did save was in fuel as buses are operating one fewer day a week than a year ago.

“We knew we would go down in diesel fuel,” Summers said. “Last year, first quarter, we spent $27,000. This year, first quarter we spent $14,600. Almost cutting it in half, which is kind of crazy.”

As is the story for all districts across the state, another dramatic increase in expenditures came in district property insurance, Summers said.

“It’s a one-time payment that’s paid July 1 each year,” he said. “Last year was $67,800. This year it is $138,000.

“The state did send money back to public schools to help offset that and our district received $21,500. As you can see, that’s not even close to covering that major increase.”

Overall, the first-quarter numbers are satisfying for Summers, he said.

“We wanted to evaluate what four day versus five day looked like in measurable areas and that’s the results,” Summers said. “… I’ve talked numerous times about ‘I feel like,’ or ‘I believe,’ those kinds of words. Well, now I’m giving you the numbers to back it up.”

MASTER PLAN PRESENTATION

Before the start of the regular meeting, the board heard a master plan presentation and got feedback from those in attendance.

“Many of these things are years out in the future but we talked about the direction we’re going,” Summers said.

The decision will be made soon whether to apply for state funds for any future capital projects, the superintendent said.

“We have to apply on or before Feb. 1,” Summers said. “We haven’t decided if we are yet, but that was part of the process, having a master plan. There is no fee to apply for that.”

Summers said the construction plans would include a new campus for grades 7 though 12.

“That would alleviate classroom space needs throughout the district,” he said. “We would apply on or before February 1, 2024, we would be made known how much and if we are approved in May 2025 and … if we needed a millage increase for the remaining funds that would go to the voters in the fall of 2025.

“… We’re talking many years down the road. But you’ve got to get the pieces in place to be approved for state funding and receive those dollars that are very vital to any project.”

Summers said the district has already purchased land around the entire block where the campuses are currently located with the exception of one home just to the south of the high school campus.

STAFF BONUS

Board action included approving a onetime $500 bonus for all full-time contracted employees of the district, Summers said.

“It will be disseminated in November before Thanksgiving break,” Summers said. “Total cost to the district will be $155,000.

“We’re very appreciative, especially in this time of the LEARNS Act and insurance going high and all the financial questions and concerns, that the board wanted to bless our employees with that. It’s something that’s very, very appreciated.”

OTHER ACTION

In other action, the board approved changing the dates of the next two monthly board meetings to Nov. 14 and Dec. 12 because of conflicts with upcoming holiday breaks.

In approved personnel action, the board approved the resignation of longtime district employee Anna Asbury, who will retire from her position as district treasurer at the end of the school year.

“She will be retiring at the end of the school year, but we’re moving very quickly on that to get someone in place,” Summers said. “It’s such a big job for the district but we’re hoping to hire someone who can work with her one day a month to help make that transition much easier.”

Asbury has worked for the district for 32 years, Summers said.

“She has been someone that has been very, very important for our financial processes, insurance, human relations, all the behindthe- scenes things,” he said. “A big loss for the district. We’re completely thrilled for her, but we’re a little sad for us.

“More than 30 years of service is something to hang your hat on, for sure.”