SAN MARCOS CISD
A four-day school week would excite most students, but does the same feeling apply to parents? The San Marcos CISD Board of Trustees held a regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 18, 2024, at San Marcos High School to discuss various topics, including a potential shift to a four-day school week. The discussion was informed by the results of a recent community survey, which garnered the highest response rate in district history, according to Andrew Fernandez, SMCISD chief of communications and technology.
“We received 5,307 unique responses,” Fernandez said. “This included nearly 2,800 parents, 1,400 students, 952 staff members and 179 community members. The high response rate from students was achieved through QR codes displayed at the high school and middle schools.”
The survey revealed strong support for a fourday school week, with 84.9% of respondents in favor if childcare was provided on the fifth day. Support varied across groups: parents were 76.9% in favor, staff were 90.5% in favor, students were 87.3% in favor.
Regarding preferred scheduling, 71.6% favored taking Fridays off for a Monday to Thursday school week.
Childcare needs were also evaluated. Among 3,300 parents who answered, 27.9% indicated they would require childcare on the fifth day, while 72.1% said they would not.
The board also reviewed concerns about spring break scheduling. Historically, the district has aligned its break with Texas State University. However, this year’s schedule did not match neighboring districts, creating challenges for families and staff. Survey results showed a split in preferences: 59.5% favored aligning with neighboring districts and 40.5% preferred alignment with Texas State.
Fernandez emphasized that the discussion is in its early stages, and no decisions have been made.
“We wanted to gauge the community and see how they felt about a four-day school week,” he said. “There are still many questions we need to answer, including how academic performance would be affected and how to address childcare and staffing concerns.”
The board acknowledged that implementing a four-day schedule in 2025 might be challenging due to the time needed for research and planning. Several trustees expressed concern over the impact this might have on school performance.
SMCISD Miguel Arredondo said he was vehemently opposed to the proposal, adding that the school used for comparison has only been using the system for three months. He felt this was not enough time to gather data for comparison.
“Quite frankly, I don’t think we’re doing a good enough job today with the five day week that we have to even consider going to four days,” Arredondo said. “To spend staff time devising a childcare program for … x number of families is again … in my opinion, a gross misuse of resources.”
However, SMCISD Trustee Jessica Cain expressed interest in continuing the exploration, citing strong community support.
“We want to create a thorough FAQ for students, families, and staff before moving forward,” Fernandez added. “If this is something we pursue, another survey will follow.”
The board plans to revisit the topic as additional information and feedback become available.
