Spokane School District has adopted a four-day week starting this fall to boost staff recruitment and retention

SPOKANE, Mo. -- Spokane School District has adopted a four-day week starting this fall to boost staff recruitment and retention. The rural district can't offer the same salaries as larger neighboring districts due to size and lack of resources, according to the Springfield News-Leader report.

State lawmakers permitted this option for districts facing tough choices during an economic downturn in 2010, when state funding was limited.

Since then, 61 districts have transitioned to the four-day week. A record 28 districts, including Spokane, made the change this year.

Spokane Superintendent Della Bell-Freeman said the schedule change allowed the district to offer more benefits to current and future employees, presenting a competitive advantage: three-day weekends, fewer work days overall and more family and free time.

Teachers must stick more closely to their curriculums, Bell-Freeman said of the new schedule. And the district must make sure students are there and on time.

"You have to be very focused and very intentional about what you are doing," she said. "The message is: every day matters, every minute matters."