CATOOSA, Okla. — If Catoosa Public Schools' superintendent and advisory councils from students and teachers get their suggestions adopted, the district will soon switch to a Tuesday-Friday school week starting in the 2025-26 school year.
Superintendent Robert Schornick announced in a Dec. 12 Facebook post that the current format of Monday-Thursday, in place since 2016, is not working out.
Schornick lists reasons like families scheduling appointments for Mondays, student transport for Friday events, teacher planning, and matching what other four-day districts in Green Country have as top factors..
"So far we've been doing fine...I said I'm a gig worker. So my schedule is pretty flexible," Cherokee Elementary School parent James Butanda told 2 News. He's indifferent about the plan.
- Previous coverage >>> Catoosa schools to change to 4 day wks
"I really like Monday through Thursday," fellow parent Heather Neal said. "It's worked out very, very well. I have a seventh grader. She's been Monday through Thursday for six years."
"Every other Friday I get my grandson who goes to school here at Cherokee and because all the other kids are at school, we go to the movies," Kimberly Faxon added.
Faxon said switching to having Mondays off will take time away from her grandson, but understands if it's needed.
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Online, the announcement has ignited passionate opinions on both sides.
One parent says Fridays are her family's appointment days. Others see school on Fridays as a great choice. Some wish for a return to a traditional five-day week.
"I mean, there's always gonna be some kind of confusion or some kind of complaint about, 'Oh, can't do that this way.,'" Butanda said. "They're trying to do the best they can in order to make everybody happy."
The superintendent said he'll present the proposed calendar earlier than usual, at the first district school board meeting in January.
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