Cartwright board approves return to 5-day school week after hours of public comment

The Cartwright Elementary Governing Board voted Jan. 14 to move forward with returning the district to a traditional five-day school week for the 2026-27 school year after hours of public comment and a presentation from acting Superintendent Steve Watson.

Watson told the board he recommended more instructional minutes for students, citing national and state research and local testing data he said showed additional seat time would improve proficiency. "I think it's probably pretty clear that I actually think more time in school is good," he said during the presentation.

The board heard roughly two hours of public comment before the vote. Teachers and related-services staff repeatedly warned that moving from a four-day schedule to five days could reduce access to medically necessary therapies for students with individualized education programs, increase staff attrition and worsen compliance risks for special-education services. "Many of my students with IEPs receive medically necessary therapies during the school day," said an SLPA during public comment, urging the board to consider provider availability.

Supporters of a return to five days said increased instructional time is necessary to raise proficiency and give students more consistent structure. "Education is the way to change lives," said a community member who urged the board to expand school time so students have more opportunities.

Board members asked multiple times for more transparent, itemized budget scenarios and for parent-survey data before making any permanent change. Watson said staff had prepared multiple budget projections for different options and would provide additional documentation but that the administration recommended the five-day calendar to increase instructional time.

After the discussion, the board made a motion on the calendar question and carried it. Several board members explained their votes on the record; the chair declared the motion carried and the district will proceed with planning to implement the change for the next school year.

Next steps outlined by the administration include finalizing the calendar, communicating changes to families and staff and returning to the board with an implementation plan that includes transportation and staffing projections. The board did not finalize every operational detail during the meeting.

The next regular governing board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 4 at 6 p.m., when the board may revisit timeline and implementation details for the calendar change.