Why It Matters
Idaho’s Pocatello-Chubbuck School District will continue operating on a five-day school week and a trimester calendar after trustees rejected proposals to change both schedules.
What Happened
Trustees unanimously voted Tuesday against adopting a four-day school week and against moving from trimesters to semesters. The four-day proposal would have made Pocatello-Chubbuck one of Idaho’s largest districts using that schedule.
Trustees also discussed possible changes to how Fridays are used, but the board took no action on those ideas. Two trustees proposed examining hybrid schedule models, though neither motion received a second.
By the Numbers
- Five days: the school week the district will retain.
- Trimester: the academic schedule that will remain in place.
- Four days: the proposed school week trustees rejected.
- Two years ago: when the Nampa district changed to a four-day week.
- Five decades: the period Bill Osborn referenced while questioning broader adoption of four-day schedules.
What Trustees Said
Raymond Knoff said trustees agreed they wanted to continue examining available scheduling options. Megan Furniss said the discussion lacked enough input from families whose children qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Osborn argued for keeping the district aligned with most school districts nationwide. He questioned why more districts had not adopted four-day weeks during the past five decades if the model was as effective as supporters claimed.
Finances were not part of the discussions about retaining the five-day week or considering hybrid models.
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