ATHENS, Texas — Four-day instructional weeks will continue at Athens ISD.
A three-year pilot program for the Monday-through-Thursday classroom schedule launched in the fall of 2019, aiming to retain and recruit the best possible educators for classroom instruction. During the Athens ISD board meeting Monday night, trustees approved the 2022-23 calendar which continues the four-day instructional week past the pilot stage.
“When we began this in 2019, it was not a foregone conclusion that it would continue beyond the third school year. Our intention was always to collect data and listen to community feedback,” AISD Superintendent Dr. Janie Sims said. “Over the past few months, that’s what we’ve been working to do.”
In November, Sims hosted several community business leaders at a luncheon, during which she urged attendees to speak freely about their experiences and that of their employees in regard to the district’s schedule. The feedback was positive.
Read more from our newspaper partners, the Tyler Morning Telegaph.