Four-day school week under consideration

Lake Roosevelt schools could move to a four-day school week in the 2025-26 school year, and an informal survey of the community showed a majority of respondents support the idea so far.

Superintendent Rod Broadnax presented the school board Monday with the results from the voluntary six-question survey he put out to the public on the district website and Facebook page, asking people’s thoughts on how a four-day week would impact families, student learning, attendance and other metrics. 260 people responded.

To the big question – “Do you feel that the Grand Coulee Dam School District should move to a Four Day school week?” – 57% of those who took the survey said yes. About 25% said no, and 17% said they would like more information.

Just over half of respondents said they believe the change would benefit academic learning or have no effect. And a full 70% said the change would not create any new or additional childcare issues for their families. 

Survey respondents could also leave comments in their own words, though the individual comments were not provided to the board at the meeting and were not available in time for this story.

“When you look at the comments, a lot of questions surrounded the athletic department, games, practices, times, food for students,” Broadnax said. “That fifth day: Would that be a day where we would have childcare? Those type questions are what were asked.”

Broadnax emphasized that the survey was just step one, and that he will be sending out further surveys and information. He also suggested that the student representatives on the school board develop a survey to get thoughts and questions from other students.

The student reps brought up concerns about the challenge of earlier mornings and longer days (days would be about 7.5 hours) and echoed concerns about how it would work for athletics. 

“Every student I’ve talked to, they say they don’t want it, that they think it’d be too hard with athletics and stuff,” said A.J., one of the two student members of the board. “I feel like the routine that the school has built over the past two years has been really good, like getting home on time, you know, not having to wake up super early. A lot of the students think it’s a good idea, just not for our community.”

Broadnax said more information would be forthcoming as he looks at how other districts have designed their schedules, and receives additional feedback from students, staff and the community at large.

Nespelem School already has a four-day week. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Colville Tribes, the largest employers in the area also work a four-day week.