February 15, 2025
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4-day week for schools rejected Commissioner says law doesn’t allow for waiver

AUGUSTA – Education Commissioner Susan Gendron said Thursday that several school districts have asked about a waiver to allow a four-day school week to help mitigate the skyrocketing costs of energy, but she has had to say no.

“There are no provisions in the law that allows me to grant a waiver,” she said in an interview. “The law requires them to meet 175 days a year.”

Gendron said other states have had schools move to a four-day school week in response to the increasing cost of energy. She said districts in Maine are facing a similar situation with some rural districts having high transportation costs on top of heating costs that also have been growing faster than anyone predicted.

“I suspect that we will have to revisit the law in the next session,” she said. “I suspect we are going to have to look at doing a lot of things differently.”

Gendron said energy costs are a growing part of the operational costs of schools across the state. She said some units are looking at schedule changes they can accomplish within existing law that would ease the energy burden.

“The last time we were faced with this some school districts took longer winter breaks,” she said. “Instead of taking a week around the holidays, they took two weeks. They took longer breaks in the winter and did not take one in the spring, and they saved money by doing that.”

Gendron said schools also will take a close look at lowering thermostats and restricting access to heating controls. She said while some schools have installed modern control devices for heating and lighting that save energy, some have not and will likely move to take those steps this fall.

“We have also just issued a RFP [request for proposals] for transportation software that will be made available to all school districts to plan their transportation routes,” she said. “That will help all schools reduce costs.”

Members of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee met Thursday and heard several warnings about the effect of energy costs on both the state budget and on state revenues. There is broad agreement that governments at all levels will have to look at doing things differently to respond to the higher energy costs.

“We certainly should look at this as we see energy prices continue to rise,” Rep. Sawin Millett, R-Waterford, said, referring to four-day school weeks. “There was an experiment in this area back in the early ’70s, and there were savings.”

Millett served as Education Commissioner under Gov. James Longley and said a Waldo County school district got special permission to use a four-day week after the 1970 energy crisis that was brought on by an oil embargo.

“There are many things we need to look at and balance,” said Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston. “School districts will need to look at the balance between any impact on education programs and what it will mean. I think we should consider this, but there needs to be public hearings and a lot of discussion.”

Rotundo, the Senate co-chair of the panel, said energy will likely be the issue that dominates the next Legislature. She said schools are only one government institution that will be hard hit by higher energy costs.

“I don’t think this is a short-term problem. I think we are in for a long-term change in the cost of energy that will have to be dealt with,” said Sen. Karl Turner, R-Cumberland. “Of course we should look at a four-day week.”

He said while there is no doubt America is hurting from the surge in fuel prices, he said Europeans have paid far more for gasoline for years than Americans. He said a friend in England told him the cost of a gallon of gas is now $9 in that country.

“I see changing the school week as a pretty serious public policy change,” said Rep. Jeremy Fischer, D-Presque Isle, co-chairman of the panel. “It needs a public hearing and public discussion. We want to make sure children learn and they just don’t punch a time clock. This is certainly something the Education Committee should be looking at.”

He said there already have been budget problems for many school districts across the state and that many districts will not be able to absorb increased fuel costs.

Gendron said she already is required to make recommendations to the next session on any changes in state education laws needed to meet changing conditions.

“I think you can be sure I will have some proposals,” she said.


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