Four-day school week considered in rural county

ELY -- The White Pine County School District is considering adopting a four-day school week to help save money.

Superintendent Bob Dolezal said the move could save the district more than $100,000 in the form of fuel and bus driver costs. He says it also would save energy and eliminate the need for substitute teachers on Fridays.

The district plans to invite parents to meetings in the coming weeks to discuss the idea. So far, Dolezal said he thinks the "positives outweigh the negatives."

He said he got the idea from Colorado, where about one-fifth of the schools there are using four-day schedules. He said the county could make the change as early as the fall.