Klamath Falls may try 4-day school week to save money

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Klamath County School officials are considering cutting the school week to four days to save the district $6.3 million annually.

The Herald and News reported that the shortened week is one of many money-saving measures school officials are considering.

District Superintendent Greg Thede says that a $5.8 million cut to his $60 million budget and nearly 20 layoffs last year prompted the district to form a committee to study the option of cutting Fridays from the school week.

He says that school days Monday through Thursday would be longer to meet state hourly requirements.

"I think we've seen all over the state, programs getting cut, class sizes going up, employee groups having to make concessions," Thede said. "These times we're going through right now are unprecedented. It's tough."

But there are concerns from the Klamath Falls Association of Classified Employees, the union that represents classified staff, such as teaching assistants, cooks, custodians, secretaries and bus drivers.

Union President Linda Braden says one less day in the week will mean a day less of work for 380 classified staff.

Still, Thede said the district will move forward with a shortened school week if it would save a significant amount of money.

Linda Kehr, a teacher at Ferguson Elementary School and member of the four-day week committee, said teacher workload wouldn't be dramatically affected, adding that teachers would use Friday to attend mandated teacher-training sessions.