"Pleasantville, Ia. — Pleasantville schools will be the first in Iowa to hold classes four days a week, a plan supporters say will help cushion the blow of budget cuts and preserve the small district's independence.
Students will take Mondays off for three months in the 2010-11 school year - officials say they aren't ready to alter the whole calendar - and the other four days will be a half hour longer each.
The plan was pitched to spare teaching jobs in the 650-student Marion County district, where a drop in enrollment and a tight state budget mean deep cutbacks lie ahead.
But its approval by state officials marks a major shift in Iowa, where four-day school weeks have been viewed as a gamble despite their growing appeal nationwide."
Students will take Mondays off for three months in the 2010-11 school year - officials say they aren't ready to alter the whole calendar - and the other four days will be a half hour longer each.
The plan was pitched to spare teaching jobs in the 650-student Marion County district, where a drop in enrollment and a tight state budget mean deep cutbacks lie ahead.
But its approval by state officials marks a major shift in Iowa, where four-day school weeks have been viewed as a gamble despite their growing appeal nationwide."