Chattooga County Board of Education member Brad Hayes spoke with WZQZ News about the recent request by the board of education for Supt. Jared Hosmer to present options for either a four-day or five-day school calendar at the next meeting of the board.

Hayes says that the request for a four-day calendar came from board member B.J. Montgomery who cited public support for the four-day calendar.  That request was followed up by comments from board member Spencer Hogg, who attended school in the system with a four-day school week.

Hayes says that the recent decision by the Board of Education to do virtual learning on Monday’s and Friday’s for a period of time to cut down on the number of COVID-19 cases in the school system seems to have been the right decision.  Hayes cited reports from WZQZ News about the decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases in the county school system over the past several weeks.

As far as the four-day calendar on a permanent basis, Hayes is skeptical   Hayes stated that the original decision to go to a four-day calendar was a “temporary fix for a temporary problem” when the county school system was facing budget shortfalls.

Hayes says that the benefits of a five-day school week include, shorter instruction days for students and the fact that longer days mean that children must be dropped off the bus later in the evening.  Hayes also believes that it is easier to recruit teachers with a five-day calendar.   Hayes says that teachers still work on those “off” days and if they are working at the school buildings – the cost savings for heating and air are not as evident.

Hayes also added that it is difficult to gauge the success of going back to a five-day calendar from test scores, because of the coronavirus pandemic.  The school system has not had a “normal” year because of COVID-19 since going back to a five-day school week.

The board of education is expected to vote in the near future on either a four-day or five-day week for the 2022-2023 school year.