Jasper ready to roll out 4-day school week in fall
Calendar change will extend school year from Aug. 10 to June 2, but school days won’t be any longer
Jasper ISD is doing things differently next year with a fourday school week.
Superintendent John Seybold said in an email that since the school board approved the new model in March — along with stipends for teachers and staff — the district has seen more than 100 employment applications, a “significant” increase for a district with just over 2,300 students.
The move has garnered attention on social media as well as attracting national interest and was covered by “Good Morning America” and USA Today last month.
The calendar was developed by the districtwide Educational Improvement Committee — as it is each year — which is comprised of teachers, staff, parents and community members. The design was inspired in part by other districts’ four-day school week models, Seybold said.
“We looked at Liberty, Athens, Colmesneil and Devers (ISDs) who have been doing four-day school weeks,” he said. “(We) spoke to several people from those districts about the positives (and) negatives and what changes they were making for (academic year) 22-23 and reported that back to the DEIC.”
Jasper County is about 75 miles north of Beaumont.
Seybold said the district collaborates frequently with Liberty ISD and had heard that the four-day school week helped the district in recruitment, which has already proven to be true for Jasper.
The calendar development process began in November and included four meetings, two surveys, as well as input gathered from the community and all of Jasper ISD staff members, Seybold said.
In a survey of community members conducted through a community-wide email and posted on the district’s social media, out of 438 responses, 64 percent were in favor of the four-day school week.
In the second survey targeting JISD teachers, 84 percent were in favor of the four-day model.
The change will extend the school year, which will now begin Aug. 10 and end June 2. However, it will not lengthen the school day, Seybold said.
According to the 2022-23 school calendar, beginning in the first week of October, students will not have to attend school on Fridays — except during state assessment days — and teachers will come in on Fridays once a month, along with other designated days, for professional development.
But not everyone is pleased with the change.
A common concern expressed on social media came from parents who were worried about how they were going to find child care for the days when their child is not in school because it will still be a traditional working day for parents.
Seybold said the district is working with the YMCA of Southeast Texas to develop a program for Fridays as well as after-school to help students and parents alike.
“We are still working out the details with them at this time, but we are excited about the opportunities they will bring our students,” he said.
Seybold said that the district is also looking to extend programs that it has with Southeast Texas food banks for students who are food insecure.
Other comments on social media said the change was a mistake and would make “kids lazier,” but Seybold refutes that notion.
“We have great teachers that inspire our students, and we are wanting to retain those and recruit more — that’s the bottom line,” he said. “I think kids becoming lazy is not an issue stemming from the school.”
Seybold said each school district should to listen to its staff, parents and community to do what best fits their needs.
“I think several Southeast Texas schools are looking at this model for next year in addition to the others that have already moved in that direction,” he said.
“We have great teachers that inspire our students, and we are wanting to retain those and recruit more.” Jasper ISD Superintendent John Seybold