Saving Fuel, Minimizing Our Carbon Footprint, and Helping the Environment

With all the talk lately about the rising cost of fuel which has affected the price of food, commodities, living and all other aspects of life, there is an increasing interest in saving money, the earth and minimizing fuel consumption. The state is currently considering implementing four day work weeks in state offices to save millions of dollars annually. I've been contemplating the benefits of this for the district.

With the constraints and cuts to the budgets of all departments already, why not be the first district in the state to go to a four day school week? By simply increasing class times a few hours on each end of the day, millions of dollars could be saved by having the buses, buildings, machines, lighting, and other daily necessities shut off one day a week. If adding hours wouldn't work, what about reducing the number of days taken for breaks during the year. Since students and staff would already be getting a three-day weekend every week, cutting breaks down to a minimum wouldn't be a problem. Besides, think of the ripple effect this would have as parents and student drivers stop driving to and from school one day a week. That adds up to over a month of savings every school year for everyone involved. The effect is exponential when you start calculating everything that is affected in a positive way. With some adjusting of times, consideration for the environment, and concern for the staff who are already struggling to stay afloat in these strenuous times, a happy medium would be reached.

I think it is imperative that we start thinking now about the benefits of such an adjusted schedule. It would show intelligence and consideration for our planet, our district staff, our parents and students and would be a touchstone for other schools to follow across the state and country. I think it would work, don't you?