Schools in Bisbee will switch to a four-day week starting in the coming school year as part of plan to save cash and teaching jobs.
The unanimous decision by the Bisbee Unified School District board upset some parents who came to this week’s board meeting but weren’t allow to address the panel before the vote.
“This will affect every parent,” said Rebecca Barten, who has a child in kindergarten in the district. “I’m not convinced that there was no other option. I wanted to hear about all the possible scenarios, not just what was said.”
District Superintendent Gail Covington recommended the shortened school week for the next two school years as a way to deal with falling enrollment and lower state funding that cost the district $595,000. The schedule could be made permanent after a review.
Closing on Fridays will save $500,000 per year and avoid the alternative — laying off 13 teachers, Covington said in a presentation at Thursday night’s board meeting. The school day will be lengthened by an hour to make up the lost instructional time.
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The district has four schools, an elementary, middle, junior high and high school. Covington plans to close the middle school and move some grades to other schools to save cash. Some principals, cafeteria workers and custodial staff would lose their jobs. The district is also freezing salaries and putting a cap on health benefits.
Covington acknowledged that working families would have a hard time finding child care on Fridays and said some parents may move their children to other districts.
The board will hold a public hearing next month on the proposed closure of Bisbee Middle School.
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