Glades County considering shift to 4-day school week

The Glades County School District is considering a shift to a four-day school week, with many parents showing support for the idea.

The proposal, initially brought forward by teachers, has sparked interest from educators both within and outside the county.

"We have had our phones ringing off the hook from teachers from neighboring districts, as well as districts far away, saying, 'Are you going to have openings?'" said Superintendent Alice Beth Barfield of the Glades County School District.

WINK News reporter Amy Galo traveled to Moore Haven to discuss this potential change with the superintendent, teachers and parents.

The district has been a longstanding part of the community, even before Glades County was officially established.

"We have actually been a school system longer than Glades County has been a county, and a lot of people are like, 'How did that happen?' But that is true," said Barfield.

Despite the district's long history, attendance issues have become significant.

"We have, in our district, 663 students that have over 10 days or more of missed school days, and those are full days, and we have over 54 students who have missed over 30 days or more," Barfield said.

Many absences are due to the long distances students and teachers must travel for medical appointments.

Vicky Rodriguez, a mother in the district, shared her challenges.

"Oh, my God. Every appointment I have to drive, like, hour and 40 or something like that," Rodriguez said.

Galo asked, "When you do an appointment, do they miss school?"

Rodriguez replied, "Yeah, all of them. I have three of them."

To address these issues, the district sent out a survey to gauge parent opinions on a four-day school week.

"We have approximately 60% or more of our parents were in agreeance for the four-day work week. Then there was about 20% that were undecided because they had more questions," Barfield said.

A primary concern is childcare, as there are limited options in the area.

"A lot of people may have a problem with that. As far as child care, and our town really doesn't provide a lot of child care," said Teresa Hough, a grandmother in the area.

Another concern is the potential increase in the length of school days.

"We're looking at changing the daytime, the day schedule by increasing student time about 40 minutes a day," Barfield explained.

Tammy Humprhies, a reading interventionist at Moore Haven Elementary School, believes the change will benefit students.

"I think it will give the kids a better family life balance," Humprhies said.

For teachers, the shift could provide much-needed personal time.

"Fridays, we're here working," said Michael Allen, a 4th-grade math teacher. "Saturday is really our true only day off, and Sunday, we're spending it getting prepped, back ready to go, so getting that extra day will help, like, reset us as individuals and be ready to come in."

Barfield sees potential benefits for teacher retention as well.

"If there's one little thing that can trigger a spark for teachers to be that more passionate then let's do it," she said.

The Glades County School District continues to evaluate the potential transition to a four-day school week.