4-Day school calendar tabled during Dierks School Board meeting

Thursday night, Dierks Superintendent Jody Cowart presented two school calendars for the 2022-2023 school year.

Option 1 was a traditional 5-day school calendar. The first day of instruction would be August 15 and the last day of class would be May 29.

Option 2 was a 4-day school calendar with students attending Tuesday through Friday. The first day of school would be August 16 and the last day of class would be May 18.

Cowart said the calendar is not based on days but instructional minutes.

Cowart said a public meeting at as held on Monday and 40 to 45 people attended the meeting. He said 70 percent of the parents who responded to the parent survey preferred the 4-day week option, while over 70 percent of the certified staff preferred the 4-day option.

Cowart said the district would offer specialized instruction from 8 am to noon on Mondays.

Cowart also stated the certified and classified PPC committees recommended the 4-day option.

Following a motion to approve the 4-day option, two board members voted for the motion. Two board members votes against it and the issue was tabled until next month.