WINTERS, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Winters ID is considering moving to a 4-day week for the upcoming school year.

District officials say a committee recently met and formed two calendars – one based on a 5-day school week and one based on a 4-day school week, and after feedback from staff, the 4-day school week calendar got the most support.

When creating the calendar, the committee came up with solutions for issues such as what to do with students on the “off” day, providing meals, school day length, and more.

If the 4-day calendar were adopted, each school day would increase by 15 minutes. For example, elementary students would attend school from 7:40 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This means that students will be at school for 125 fewer minutes per year than they would if a 5-day calendar were to be adopted, but district officials say that is a minimal amount of time if it’s divided across all 153 school days.

The 4-day calendar would have school ending May 25, with graduation on May 26.

Students will also be able to attend the Winters ISD Afterschool Center for Education, which is usually open in summers, for 5 hours every Friday if need-be and the district will also provide breakfast and lunch to every Winters ISD student all year-long.

Winters ISD Superintendent Sean Leamon hopes that if the 4-day school week is adopted, it will help combat teacher and student burnout while promoting a more positive school environment and better mental health.

“Covid has had a major impact on students and adults over the past two years. This has been one of the hardest years in education statewide for everyone and we are going to continue to see the ripple effects for the next few years,” Leamon explains. “Our hope is to retain and attract great teachers, provide the best education for our students, and put WISD on the map as a district that does whatever it takes to achieve these goals.”

It’s unknown when Winters ISD will make an official decision on their calendar, but it is currently being considered for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.

Read more about the proposal on the Winters ISD Facebook page.