STURGIS, S.D.(KBHB) – The Meade 46-1 School Board met for their March meeting Monday night, where the board heard a presentation from Sturgis Brown High School teacher Eric Johnson on a 4-day school week.

There are a handful of districts across the area that utilize a 4-day school week – including Belle Fourche and Custer.

Johnson presented data that compared the pros and cons of having a 4-day school week, but says Academics is a big factor.

Johnson says a study from the RAND Corporation that included schools in South Dakota, indicated that student achievement improved in schools with 4-day weeks. However, Johnson says the improvement was slower than it would have been if the same schools had maintained a 5-day school week.

Other benefits cited by schools that have adopted 4-day weeks is the ability to schedule appointments and vacations to cut down on student absenteeism.

Additionally, adopting a 4-day school week aids in scheduling extracurricular activities because Athletic Directors can move some activities to Friday so that the school week would not be affected by weekday activities.

The school board took no action on the discussion only item, although public input meetings are being planned