A 2009 Education Commission of the States (ECS) policy brief found that about 120 school districts in 17 states have moved to a four-day school week in an attempt to save money. ECS has now followed up with a second report on the savings to school districts from such a change. Contrary to expectations, ECS concludes that (1) such a change produces, at most, a savings of 5.43% for the average district and (2) districts that have moved to a four-day week have experienced actual savings of only 0.4% to 2.5%.
Why are the savings so small? Educator pay and benefits are the largest single expense in public education, typically comprising more than 60% of a district’s total budget and none of the districts that adopted a four-day week reduced pay and benefits. Thus, their only instructional savings are lower expenses for substitute teachers. After instructional expenses, the largest pool of available savings is operations and maintenance, including heating and cooling, janitorial services, and supplies. Achieving such savings requires closing school buildings on the fifth non-instructional day, but most districts do not. Instead, they keep buildings open for teacher training and student extra-curricular activities.
