While there is little research to determine the potential impact of this change, The Principals’ Partnership claims a four-day school week does not positively or negatively affect student achievement and offers the following pros and cons:

Pros:

• Student drop-out rates and disciplinary referrals decline
• Student and teacher attendance improves
• Longer classes with fewer transitions increase efficiency of instruction at all grade levels
• More time for extracurricular activities and personal business, such as doctor appointments
• School saves on utility bills, substitute teacher pay, buses, and building maintenance

Cons:

• Child care issues for working parents
• Concern about how younger students will hold-up during long school day

According to the Wall Street Journal’s, Schools’ New Math: The Four-Day Week, “Teachers who still work the same number of hours over four days, instead of five, generally don’t see a reduction in salary. But staff who can’t make up the lost time, such as bus drivers and cafeteria workers, are often hard-hit, losing as much as 20% of their pay.”

Despite news that The Los Angeles Unified School District may lay off as many as 2,400 teachers and 2,000 other personnel to deal with a budget shortfall for the upcoming school year, polls show voters unlikely to pass budget-related measures in tomorrow’s election. This means the state’s K-12 schools and community colleges may face up to an $8.6 billion cut over two years. “We think about having a world-class education system,” says O’Connell. “These cuts would bring us a Third World education system.”

According to The Associated Press, education advocates say the budget cuts would further weaken a public school system that lags behind other states by almost all achievement measures. In its annual national survey released in January, Education Week magazine gave the state a C grade overall and a D for its student achievement — 38th overall. California ranked 47th in per-pupil spending, with an average $7,571 per student in California compared with a national average of $9,961.

The California Teachers Association (CTA) supports propositions 1A-1F.