Calendar Survey

On Dec. 13, nearly 1,226 parents/family members in the Keokuk Community School District received the survey via the email provided to the district by the parent/family during registration, 12 were undelivered and 584 were left unopened. The district also sent 835 texts and three were undelivered. Also, more than 300 staff members received the survey via their work email. The survey was sent out again on Dec. 16 after some feedback was received that some parents didn’t receive the message. The alerts explained that the survey would close the evening of Dec. 17.

Participation: 
– 607 total participated
      – 333 Parents
      – 244 Staff
      – 30 chose to not answer the question of staff or parent

– Four-day week, with a spring break
– Four-day week, without a spring break
– Five-day week, with a spring break
– Five-day week, without a spring break

Note | See the entire survey below.

The favorite calendar option was the four-day week, with a spring break with 229 of the 607 that chose this option. The least favorite calendar option was the 5-day week, with no spring break, option with 226 respondents selecting this as their last choice.

Staff & Parents ranked in order:
1) Four-day week, with a spring break
2) Five-day week, with a spring break
3) Four-day week, without a spring break
4) Five-day week, without a spring break

Staff choices ranked in order:
1) Four-day week, with a spring break
2) Four-day week, without a spring break
3) Five-day week, with a spring break
4) Five-day week, without a spring break

Parent choices ranked in order:
1) Four-day week, with a spring break
2) Five-day week, with a spring break
3) Four-day week, without a spring break
4) Five-day week, without a spring break

The four-day option is being considered as a way to recruit and retain staff, improve open enrollment numbers, and support student and employee mental health, all while maintaining a focus on strong instructional hours. This information was provided in the calendar survey.

STAFF | KCSD principals identified staff to participate on a calendar committee and discuss priorities and interests of staff (numbers were based on the size of each building; meaning it was based on the number of licensed staff and associates). Sixteen staff members participated on the committee and draft calendars were developed, based upon the feedback. Committee members also reviewed the draft of the survey and provided feedback and then met with their respective buildings to explain the process and answer any questions. 

PARENTS | Staff committee members identified parents who might be interested in participating on a parent calendar committee and those parents were invited via email and asked to bring another parent of their choosing for a possible committee size of 20. The superintendent and business manager/school board secretary met with the parent committee to review the draft calendars and gather feedback on priorities and interests.

National & Regional | Dr. Kathy Dinger, KCSD Superintendent, attended a national conference on the four-day school week in October 2023, hosted by economists at the University of Oregon. Also, the four-day week calendar has been discussed throughout AEA superintendent meetings this year and during business manager meetings. Click Here for national research on a four-day school week posted by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). According to the NCSL, twenty-four states have at least one school district using a four-day school week schedule, an increase of over 600% since 1999. Also, approximately 850 of the nation’s school districts use a four-day schedule, up from 650 in 2020. 

Additional Resources can be found at this link.

The conversation about the 2024-25 calendar will continue at the next School Board meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, at the Keokuk Community School District’s Central Office at 500 N. 20th Street in Keokuk.

The tentative schedule for a possible four-day school week would be an additional 35 minutes per school day, which would be Tuesday through Friday or Monday through Thursday (based on each school’s current release times). Teachers would participate in professional development for a full day on every other Monday. The school district would construct the new schedule with a focus on maintaining strong instructional hours required by the state. The number of instructional hours would not be reduced as a result of the proposed four-day week calendar.

The KCSD Family Liaisons, who are staff members that assist district families with resource needs, believe that this could be an opportunity to collaborate with community members and organizations to assist with additional childcare.

The KCSD Family Liaisons, who are staff members that assist district families with resource needs, will work with community partners that have additional resources to address food insecurities and look at expanding the weekend meal bag offerings.