PWCISD to go to four day school week next year

PERRIN – After discussing the idea with the district executive committee, parents and community members, Perrin-Whitt CISD board members recently voted unanimously to go to a 4-day school week beginning in August.

Superintendent Cliff Gilmore said the reason for switching is to be competitive with other districts in both retaining and getting teachers.

“We can’t match pay with Jacksboro and Mineral Wells,” Gilmore explained. “We had to do something.”

The district’s improvement committee met to discuss the plan, a community meeting was held in early March to get suggestions from the community. A survey was also distributed to parents. Gilmore said of those that responded, 70 percent were for it and only 13 percent said a definite no.

A proposed Calendar idea was brought to the board. Gilmore said the board also met with Woodson officials which already had gone to a four day week. Woodson’s superintendent, principal and a teacher and the board talked for about 90 minutes about how’s it’s going.

“There were a lot of negatives but also a lot of positives to it all,” Gilmore said.

The board voted unanimously to go to a fourday week beginning with the first day of school Aug. 10. Gilmore said the school week will got Monday-Thursday except for the weeks of home football games which will be Monday-Friday. Gilmore said that was done to allow for pep rallies and to have some bit of regularity to the schedule.

The school day will run approximately 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.. Gilmore said there may be some adjustments to the times yet to come. Students and teachers will still have the normal holidays except for President’s Day.

“There’ll still be a week at Thanksgiving and time for Christmas,” Gilmore said. “None of that has changed.”