No School on Fridays in Hawaii

on October 23, 2009 at 7:09 AM

At a time when President Obama is pushing for a longer school year, at least one state in the country is making its students spend less time at the books. Starting this week students in Hawaii -- Obama's home state -- will have a four-day school week, every Friday off.

Lizzysapices posted about this in the private group Moms UNCENSORED.

It's over budgets, of course. The school district can't afford to pay the teachers more, and in fact they have reduced their pay. Teachers wouldn't sign a contract that gave them less pay for the same amount of work, so 17 furlough days throughout the year was the compromise. That's a 163 days school year instead of the standard 180.

No one loves this idea of course. Everyone in Hawaii is worried that education will suffer, even more than it already has, though they say they are going to try to "cram" in more learning into the time left. Hawaii is ranked 47th in the nation for reading and math.

"Now they will be sending less educated individuals out in to the demanding world," says Lizzysapices. " The standards have just been lowered. And what is this doing for the economy? You'll have families paying increased day-care costs or leaving their too young children home alone because they can't afford day-care."

Would you leave the district or send your kids to private school if your school instituted a four day week?

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About the author Cynthia Dermody

is The Stir's Managing Editor who has trophies in her home for her skills at the Irish Jig. She makes cupcakes with as many fattening ingredients as possible, doesn't comb her hair for months at a time, and was probably a faerie in a former life.