Bigfork trustees say not enough support to pursue four-day school week after teacher, community testimony

The Board of Trustees of Bigfork Elementary School and Bigfork High School heard an hour of testimony on Jan. 15 about a proposed four-day school week and determined there was not enough trustee support to continue pursuing the change.

Teachers Cynthia Wilondek, Amber Britt and James Meyers presented sample four-day calendars and options for “Flex Fridays.” Members of the public and staff offered mixed views: some speakers raised concerns about student access to interventions and equity, while presenters argued the schedule could be managed with adjustments.

The discussion mattered because districts statewide have experimented with condensed calendars as a cost and staffing strategy. Whitne Doneen cited a University of Montana report, saying schools with four-day weeks showed “lower academic achievement scores and higher costs,” and urged the board to proceed cautiously. Amber Britt, one of the presenting teachers, acknowledged community worries but said “there are many solutions” to mitigate problems. Principal Brenda Clarke said she opposed the change, stating it was “not in the best interest of students.”

Audience members asked for operational details. Dawn May and Andrea Ross requested clarification on how Flex Fridays would work for supervision and programming. Britt Carlson asked whether lunch periods could be lengthened as a mitigation, while Aubrie Kallenberger said elementary teachers were open to the idea but worried about maintaining intervention services. Shane McDonough said he used AI to summarize research and that the evidence “could be argued either way.” Several commenters, including Dan Lovell, spoke against adopting a four-day week.

After presentations and public comment, Principal Mark Hansen thanked teachers for their research and said there remained “things to figure out.” During board discussion trustees concluded they did not have sufficient support to keep pursuing the proposal at this time. Chairperson Paul Sandry said a future workshop may be scheduled to address remaining agenda items, including academic nonprogress and attendance and the district’s longer-term future. The meeting adjourned at 4:59 p.m.

No formal motion or vote on the four-day week was recorded in the workshop minutes.