Four days a week works for rural schools
Iam writing in support of the fourday school week in rural schools. We live on a cattle ranch located 17 miles south of Mosquero.
My two children, a first grader and a third grader, attend Mosquero Municipal Schools. Our daily commute is half an hour over dirt roads each way. Since we live so far from the two main bus routes, I drive my children to and from school, which means I am on the road for two hours each day. The four-day week is beneficial and has worked well for this small rural school for over 30 years. Schools such as ours should have the right to choose what type of school week works best for our unique rural situation.
Kids who attend rural schools come from a large surrounding area. Children have a long commute to school from isolated ranches like ours. Having a longer school day makes these long travel times to and from school more worthwhile. Then, kids get to have Fridays off from this long commute. This saves the school money not having to run buses and operate school buildings five days a week.
In rural communities such as ours, the four-day week allows us to make doctor, dentist and orthodontist appointments for our children on Fridays without missing school. A simple doctor appointment takes an entire day when it is a 2½ hour drive to the closest town of any size.
If you are driving 2½ hours to a doctor’s appointment, you also need groceries and a couple of critical parts for the CAT loader. The CAT dealership isn’t open on the weekends, so all of these necessary errands become part of this Friday trip to town.
Having Fridays off also allows rural kids to help on family farms and ranches. We can plan bigger jobs that benefit from having all hands on deck (like branding, pregnancy checking and weaning) on days when the kids can join in. They do not have to miss school to take part of these family operations. This fosters a work ethic and link to an agricultural way of life that is part of the wholesome fabric of these rural communities.
Please do not take away the right of rural schools to choose what works best for us. Our academic performance and test scores have excelled with a four-day week. From my own personal experience, I grew up attending Mosquero Schools and was the product of a fourday week. I attended a small, liberal arts university with a good academic reputation and graduated magna cum laude. A four-day school week works well for our unique rural lifestyle.
Caitlin Ward lives in rural New Mexico.