Jeff Davis Parish school officials say they need more time to consider what a four-day school week would mean to the school district and to research how other school districts have handled scaling back classes to a four day week instead of five.

“We need to make sure that we have all the information and all the research done before we make decisions involving the curriculum and what a four day curriculum looks like,” Superintendent John Hall said. “If we don’t get the academic component and the pacing of lessons right, then that is going to affect student achievement.”

“Our first priority is going to be to make sure all academics stay the level they are at and not have a decrease in student achievement because of a four day week,” he continued.

In discussing the change with other school districts, Hall said he found most needed three to nine months to plan and implement the change before moving forward.

Hall said there are a lot of unanswered questioned that need to be answered before the School Board considers going to a four-day school week. He said factors that need to be addressed before moving forward should include how to handle curriculum, athletics, transportation, food service, accounting and payroll.

“I’m sorry if I disappoint anyone, but I don’t think I can have this ready by next year,” Hall said. “Our team needs a lot more time. We need the school year coming up to make it right. We have a lot to lose. If we don’t get our curriculum right and we rush into it, our students are going to lose and that’s the most important thing to consider.”

The calendar has already been set for next school year based on a five-day school week, he said.

“It would be a big relief to us if we could just go into this a little slower and get the right data so we can do it right,” Hall said.

The School Board is also considering surveying the public to gauge feedback on the potential four-day school week. However, board member David Doise said further research and more thoughts are needed before getting feedback from the public.

“i think it would be important for us as a board to give Mr. Hall and them the time, but maybe we need to get a committee together to decide how we are going handle the surveys and who we are going to send them to,” Doise said. “Personally, I don’t think just sending them out to teachers or home with the kids that we have in school today for those parents. We have a lot of young parents coming up with kids, as well as grandparent and foster parents.”

Board President Paul Trahan said the community needs to have a better understanding what a four-day week would look like in the parish before any surveys are distributed.

“We need to make it clear to with the community that there will be a longer school day,” Trahan said. “The current survey just says extended day and I want to make sure that the community understands that the average school that has a four-day week stays until 4 p.m. If that is what the community wants, that’s fine, but I don’t want anyone to be in shock when the school calendar comes out. I want all the facts out there before someone takes a survey and gives their opinion.”

He said there are a lot of variables and every school setting is a different situation, so all facts need to be out there before someone takes a survey and gives their opinion on it.

“We need to know what our community wants first because I don’t want Mr. Hall and his team grinding out a bunch of information or trying to figure something out that may not even be a problem,” he said “If the community says they don’t want it, then it’s a dead issue.”

The School Board began discussing the four-day school week last month at the request of board member Summer Lejeune, but has not taken any official action on the measure saying more research and public input is needed.