Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Calendar topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate committee backs bill to require five-day school week amid debate over child hunger and local control
Summary
SB82 would require public schools to operate five days per week with narrow exceptions. Supporters cited child hunger and workforce impacts; opponents urged preserving local school-board authority and noted many districts already meet instructional minutes on four-day schedules.
Senator Mazzell told the Senate Education Committee SB82 would re-establish a five-day mandatory school week for public school systems and identified two narrow exceptions: districts already operating four-day weeks that are grandfathered and districts with an A performance score. She said the measure seeks to protect children who rely on school meals and to avoid economic-development complications for working families.
Danny Garrett, executive counsel for the Louisiana School Boards Association, said the decision about a four- or five-day week is an operational matter best decided locally. Garrett told the committee that about 11 districts currently operate a four-day calendar and argued those districts still meet state instructional-minute requirements. He warned that the bill would remove local autonomy for most school systems.
Sponsor proponents stressed food-security and workforce implications. Senator Mazzell cited a Louisiana Economic Development summary and a feeding-children statistic presented to the committee, asserting many children lack food on the fifth day away from school.
Public commenters included Carolyn Spikes Jones, a retired teacher who told senators she has arranged for hungry children to be fed at school and urged lawmakers to consider the needs of young learners. BESE member Ronnie Morris and several superintendents described work-based learning and student engagement but did not oppose the bill as written.
Committee members traded questions about how many districts would be affected and whether charter schools—already exempt—would remain free to set schedules. The committee adopted the sponsor’s approach and reported SB82 favorable; senators signaled the issue would continue to draw local debate.
