The Mingus Union High School board decided to postpone any action on forming a committee to discuss and research a move to a four-day school week during its meeting on Thursday, Sept. 14.
The board chose to delay the formation of the committee until a new superintendent can participate, as current Superintendent Mike Westcott announced he will be retiring in June.
An exploratory group formed in January 2022 included 17 teachers and school administrators who conducted preliminary research and distributed a parent survey.
During a board meeting on March 9, the board approved the formation of an advisory committee to explore the pros and cons of a four-day school week. The committee guidelines were then set during an April meeting.
Residents were given an opportunity to voice their opinions on the four-day week. One resident wanted consistency throughout the valley, believing that all the schools should commit to a fixed school week length. Resident Dawn Stockbridge said that in her experience as a parent, the four-day week would provide a valuable opportunity to learn work and life skills, as well as spend time with family.
Westcott argued that considering the four-day week in tandem with the search for a new superintendent would be problematic.
Board member Misty Cox moved to suspend the formation of the committee until a new superintendent can participate.
Board member Carol Ann Teague wanted to set a firm date to prevent the committee’s formation from being postponed further. As the board made an error while amending the motion, they were unable to set a date to revisit the matter during the August 2024 board meeting.
The motion passed 4-1, with Teague dissenting.
The board also discussed the formation of a textbook selection committee to establish guidelines in order to provide a recommendation for English textbooks with ESSER III grant funds.
Since the books will be purchased with ESSER funds, they must come from a pre-approved clearing house and show that they are evidence based. ESSER defines this as showing that the books can have a statistically-significant effect on improving learning and has evidence to show their effectiveness.
The board unanimously approved the formation of the textbook committee, which will consist of the school principal, assistant principal, two or more department members, two or more students, two or more parents or community members and two board members, who will be Carol Ann Teague and board member Austin Babcock. An interim report will be due on Nov. 9, followed by a 60-day review period and a final report on Jan. 11.
