school week
Happy male teacher giving high-five to his elementary student on a class in the classroom.

Meanwhile in Texas: Town Announces 4-Day School Week After Cutting ‘Gay’ and Other Human Rights Time-Wasters

The world is running out of stuff. Soon Earth will be devoid of helium, chocolate, and sand. (You can kiss your balloon-filled beach birthday goodbye.) As if that wasn’t bad enough, we’re also dangerously low on used cars, condoms, and teachers. That’s why one Texas town is implementing a 4-day school week to compensate for one of their supply-chain quandaries. (Don’t ask what they’re doing about the condom shortage.)

In Jasper, a city near the Louisiana border, Superintendent John Seybold has been struggling to fill positions. From teachers to support staff to awareness of sexual preferences, Seybold’s pedagogical domain has been stripped of resources. And that shortage has taken a toll on existing staff, leading to burnout and depression.

“Teacher burnout has been an issue for a long time, but since COVID, it has seemed to expand,” Seybold explained. “The four-day week kind of makes it a little more manageable for them because there’s so much pressure placed on our teachers.”

In fact, a recent poll by Rand  Corporation found that 1-in-4 teachers across America are thinking about quitting their job by the end of the school year.

In light of teacher burnout and ongoing budget cuts, other states around the country are testing out the 4-day school week with mixed results. While test scores have fallen and food insecurity has risen in trial counties, more kids are discovering how much fun it is to hang around abandoned train tracks and deserted strip malls unsupervised.

However, Superintendent Seybold firmly believes the 4-day school week will reinvigorate teachers and consequently, fix the problems of a broken educational system. “As a school district, ultimately the best thing we can do for kids is put the best possible teacher in front of them every day.”

Well, not every day.

Cover Photo: skynesher (Getty Images)
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