Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

VIDALIA, La. — In March, the Concordia Parish School Board must submit its next school year calendar to the Louisiana Department of Education. But before that happens, Superintendent Toyua Bachus said she wanted to go on the record saying she does not recommend that the school district continue to have four-day school weeks.

“This has been one of the hard things and I know I was not asked for a recommendation ever as it relates to a four-day week, but I’m still going to give one if that is OK with the board,” Bachus said during the school board’s regular meeting on Thursday.

She presented the board with a district questionnaire concerning the four-day weeks.

“I know there were some concerns last year that the data was changed … so I printed out the raw data for you. That way nothing can be changed or messed with. On the front page, I gave you the questions and response sheet with a simple yes and no.”

Bachus said there were conflicts in peoples’ answers that kept her up at night.

For example, “Question one asks you, do you want a four-day work week, yes or no. You’ll see a yes. But then you go back to question 5 and it will ask you, do you think a four-day work week is conducive for the learning of children and you see a no. You see a lot of no’s in that category, but when you ask about the four-day workweek, you see a lot of yeses. I call that a conflict,” she said. A survey of just school administrators showed that 100 percent were in favor of continuing to have Mondays off each week. However, lower elementary teachers were not in favor of it overall, she said.

Bachus said before the school district started having four-day school weeks last fall, she was apprehensive about it. Yet she looked into it with an open mind, she said.

“We all know that I wasn’t a big fan of the four-day workweek, but I did everything in my power to make it work, to learn about it, to do my best and be a team player. … Tonight, I have to do something that may not be the most popular thing. … I want to say that the four-day work week has been the best thing ever for my own mental health. I have enjoyed it. I’ve needed it. I’ve embraced it. And I’ll be honest with you, personally, I love it. But then when I asked myself was this truly what was best for the children? Unfortunately, that’s not my response.”

Bachus said one of her biggest concerns with starting the four-day workweek was whether it would improve staff attendance. With a staff attendance rate of around 70 percent at all schools except Monterey High School and Concordia Education Center — which both have excellent attendance — Bachus said attendance has not improved with a four-day work schedule.

Some principals shared that there had been high rates of illnesses among staff at their schools, Bachus added.

However, “When you’re only seeing a teacher four days a week and you miss one day with that teacher, that means a child is only getting instruction three days,” she said. “I cannot stand here as superintendent … and say I think a four-day work week is what we need right now.”

“Pacing instruction effectively to cover the necessary skills to students’ success” has also been difficult for teachers with a four-day week, Bachus said.

Bachus added she believes high schoolers are not being prepared for the workforce as most jobs work with a five-day schedule each week.

“I recognize that my recommendation does not align with the survey. However, my responsibility as superintendent is to do what I believe is the best in the interest of our students, and I firmly believe that a return to the five-day workweek will be able to support academic growth,” Bachus said.

“We all know that in March, we have to turn in our calendar. I look forward to working together to ensure the best outcomes for our students and staff. I know that me making a recommendation has never been the forefront of it, but I just want you all to know the challenges and the things that keep me up at night.”

The school board took no action on the matter of the school calendar at Thursday’s meeting.