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Board approves one-year Palo Verde High four-day week pilot after heated debate over payroll and supports
Summary
The Tucson Unified School District governing board approved a one-year four-day school week pilot at Palo Verde High School on April 28, adding a full-time payroll position and monitoring metrics to track academic and operational impacts. Supporters cited credit recovery, internships and family needs; district staff warned of short implementation timelines and payroll complexities.
The Tucson Unified School District governing board voted April 28 to approve a one-year pilot program to move Palo Verde High School to a four-day school week, with Fridays set aside for tutoring, credit recovery and community-based transition activities. The board amended the pilot to add one full-time payroll position to support implementation and oversight, and approved a set of metrics the school must report back on.
Supporters at the meeting, including students, parents and teachers, urged the board to approve the pilot to give students more flexible time for internships, credit recovery and appointments. "I am speaking to you today to ask for you to approve the Palo Verde 4-day week pilot. I believe that many people from our school would enjoy a 3-day weekend," said Muhammad Idris, a sophomore at Palo Verde High, during the public comment period.
Principal Eric Brock told the board the pilot was driven by enrollment and student-support goals. "The main goal of moving to a 4-day school week is to improve our…
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