Garfield County seeks waiver to adopt four-day school week; state committee forwards request
Summary
Garfield County School District Superintendent John Dodds presented a community-backed request to waive state rule R277-419 so the district can move to a four-day school week; the committee voted unanimously to approve the waiver and forward it to the board.
Garfield County School District Superintendent John Dodds asked the Utah State Board of Education committee to approve a waiver from R277-419 so the district can adopt a four-day school week.
Dodds told the committee the district organized broad community outreach across its geographically dispersed communities — including Boulder, Antimony, Tropic and Panguitch — and surveyed stakeholders before deciding to pursue the waiver. He said the district collected national research on four-day schedules, shared pros and cons with constituents and emphasized protecting instructional time as a priority.
The committee discussed concerns about potential instructional losses under four-day schedules and the need for objective criteria for waivers. Several committee members, while noting personal hesitation about reducing weekly instructional days, praised the district’s process and asked staff to monitor outcomes and share results.
Board member (motion maker) moved to approve Garfield County School District’s waiver request from R277-419 and forward it to the full board. The committee voted in favor; the motion passed unanimously.
Superintendent Dodds said smaller "frontier" schools in his district that have already used a four-day week showed improved climate and maintained or improved test scores where instructional time was protected. The committee asked the district and state staff to continue monitoring academic outcomes.
The committee’s action means the waiver will be included on the full board agenda for final approval. Committee members asked for ongoing reporting on measures of student achievement and implementation details as local districts proceed.
Ending: The committee approved the waiver and moved the item to the full board. Staff and the district agreed to track results and report back in future committee updates.
