Three Rivers shortens school week

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- With gas prices expected to reach $4 a gallon this summer, student commuters are feeling the pinch. In response, some colleges are scaling back to a four-day school week.

At Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, every weekend will be a long weekend for students this summer.

"That saves one full day of driving," said Dr. Larry Kimbrow, executive vice president of Three Rivers. He estimated a majority of students drive 30 miles or more each way to get to class. "Some are coming as far as an hour away," he said.

Classes will be extended from 55 minutes to an hour and 10 minutes. Students and faculty will maintain the same number of contact hours as a traditional schedule.

The college tried the four-day week on a pilot basis last summer and decided to make it permanent this year. Response has been so positive university officials are considering doing the same for the fall and spring semesters. Kimbrow said a five-day week schedule would continue to be offered as well.

"For example, with college writing, one section would meet on Monday-Wednesday, one on Tuesday-Thursday, and one on Monday-Wednesday-Friday," he said. The board of trustees would have to approve such a move, he said.

Southeast Missouri State University has operated on a four-day-a-week summer schedule for years, according to Dr. Fred Janzow, vice provost. Staff members still work a five-day week.

Multiple colleges, and even some K-12 districts, across the U.S. are moving toward a shorter school week. A school district in Minnesota made headlines this month when the school board approved an alternative schedule, intended to trim transportation, food and utility costs.

Similar schedules are already in place in Florida, Arkansas and South Dakota, among other states. Proponents say the four-day week improves attendance, discipline and test scores, while opponents cite concerns about child care during the fifth day.

Missouri law requires public schools run at least 174 days and that students attend 1,044 hours during the school year.

"Our law does not prohibit a four-day school week, but it would be difficult for a school district to create a workable schedule," Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education spokesman Jim Morris wrote in an e-mail.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

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