North Iowa Community Schools are going forward with a four-day work week. The idea has a number of advantages for the students and teachers according to North Iowa Community School District Superintendent Joe Erickson
The school board took a long time in making the decision. They wanted to see how it would affect retaining or hiring teaching positions in various areas where competition for those personnel is intense.
Some positions are harder to fill than others and this is because of the academic discipline where specialists in this area are harder to find.
Despite being one of the largest districts with regard to actual land size, the North Iowa Community School District has one of the smallest student populations in the area. This poses a problem when recruiting teachers to live and stay in the rural district area.
Erickson and the district have to rely on finding those individuals willing to live and work in a rural setting, even those wanting to make the switch from a metropolitan or suburban setting to rural life. This means that the district utilizes social and electronic media to find potential candidates.
Students will not have less class time but will be able to have more opportunities to work one on one with teachers and aides due to the added length of the school day. It also allows for more student time to do homework or research information at the library or online.
