A now-scuttled proposal to introduce a four-day school week in New Brunswick’s anglophone schools has sparked debate about the potential benefits and challenges for parents and students.
The Department of Education says it formed a committee aimed at exploring changes to the school calendar that would provide teachers with more time for professional development.
The committee considered implementing a four-day schedule as a way to achieve that, but then decided to drop the idea after consulting the province’s anglophone school districts’ superintendents, said department spokesperson Diana Chávez.
“They decided not to move forward with that option and will instead be exploring more viable options that will be brought forward by the committee later this month.”
A four-day school week isn’t going ahead, but the proposal has already made its way down to members of some parent school support committees, where it received support from at least one chairperson.
“I think that it’s good,” said Melody Katz-Nardon, who chairs the parent school support committee for Prince Charles School in Saint John.
“I think it boosts even attendance because kids have that extra day to be home and rest if they’re not feeling well. [They’re] less likely to get sick because they’re less tired.”
Katz-Nardon said the four-day week would also give teachers one day every week to pursue professional development, or just catch up grading assignments and filling out report cards.
“And it won’t be disruptive to parents’ schedules because … they’ll know that every Friday they have to have their kids in daycare or have alternative care.”
Katz-Nardon said she hopes the department reconsiders its decision to drop the proposal.
Schedule would be challenging, says parent
The idea of a four-day school week raises concerns for Jodi Munn, a Grand Bay-Westfield parent of three who works five days a week.
Munn said her eldest child recently became old enough to babysit her two younger children and would be able to supervise them after school.
But she still worries one less day of structured class time a week could lead to more screen time for her children and put an unfair burden on her eldest child.
She’s also concerned about other parents who’d be forced to pay for child care for one full day each week.
“There’s not enough child-care providers, not enough daycares. Parents that work Monday to Friday would be scrambling,” she said.
Alternate proposal
CBC News made repeated requests on Thursday and Friday for an interview with Education Minister Claire Johnson about the proposal, but wasn’t granted one.
The proposed four-day school week was one of two options the department had floated for a pilot project that would begin next fall, said Roger Nesbitt, chair of the Anglophone School District South education council.
Nesbitt said an employee from his school district notified him the department was planning to enlist 10 to 12 schools across the province to take part in the pilot, with superintendents having final say on which schools were chosen.
Aside from the four-day week proposal, another option from the department involved keeping students home for two days every month in order to carve out professional development days for teachers.
The Department of Education did not confirm whether that option is still being considered.
CBC News asked all four of the province’s anglophone school districts for interviews with their superintendents, and they all declined.
‘No official stance’ from teachers association
The advocacy organization for New Brunswick teachers didn’t provide an interview when asked about the four-day week proposal.
In an emailed statement, New Brunswick Teachers’ Association president Peter Lagacy said the association is in discussions with the department over ways to give teachers time to complete non-instructional tasks that their current work schedules do not accommodate.
“Unlike a generation ago, today’s teachers must simultaneously teach while answering emails, tracking assessment and behavioral data, submitting reports and specialized plans, leading problem-solving meetings with other education professionals, and more,” Legacy said.
Lagacy said some jurisdictions have considered adopting “a flexible school calendar” to address the issues he cited, but didn’t offer specifics.
“While these discussions remain exploratory, we have no official stance but are eager to explore viable solutions with system leaders, parents, students, and partners.”
