The sky-high cost of gas is prompting school districts in Florida to consider going to a four-day school week. Schools say they are searching for ways to save money because the state Legislature has cut their budget by 500 million dollars.

School districts have compiled a list of nearly 60 potential cuts, including eliminating after-school care and preschool programs, as well as operating four-day weeks. The school day would be lengthened so students would still spend the same amount of time in class.

The idea raises a lot of questions. It would force many parents to find daycare service for one day a week. It would force schools districts to renegotiate union contracts. It raises the question of whether students, especially younger ones, could maintain their attention over the course of a longer school day.

Wayne Blanton of the Florida School Boards Association says schools are considering drastic ideas to make ends meet. He says schools could save a lot of money on transportation if buses ran only four days a week.

"Remember most of our buses are run by diesel, which is even
higher than regular gas right now. That would save a lot of money. The Legislature this year cut our transportation funding by 22 million dollars at the same time that gas and diesel fuel, things like that, are going up."

One of the potential problems with a four-day school week is it would force many parents to find daycare service for one day a week. Blanton says, "Maybe we could work with the YMCA's and others to provide some programs. But it's a complicated issue that a lot of districts are beginning to look at, simply because the Legislature has cut our funding so much this past year."

Florida law requires school districts to hold 180 days of school. Blanton says there's also a requirement on the number of minutes each year, so he says by lengthening the school day students would still spend the same amount of time in class. Blanton tells us, "I think we could legitimately say the number of minutes would equate to the 180 days and we would have to get that resolved with the Department of Education and if these districts decide to move forward, we're going to have to do that."

Some school districts in Southwest Florida talked about going to a 4 days school week to save money, but have since dismissed the idea.