The Bayfield School District is joining several districts in Southwest Colorado moving to a four-day school week next year.

School board members approved the change to next year’s calendar with a 4-1 vote this week, with Matt Turner voting no.

With the new calendar, classes will not be in session on Fridays. The school year will start earlier, on Aug. 16, and end later, on May 25.

Starting and end times are planned for 7:45 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. at Bayfield High School, 7:55 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the middle school, 8 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. at Bayfield Intermediate, and 8:10 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. at Bayfield Primary.

Those times might be adjusted, said Interim Superintendent Leon Hanhardt. Intervention and enrichment programs will be offered on Fridays, as well. Teachers will be expected to work Fridays on planning, curriculum and staff development.

The district’s calendar committee recommended the four-day week, although members did not vote unanimously on the concept, said Tara Henderson, an English teacher at BHS who was co-chairperson of the committee.

Some members of the committee reported earlier that a four-day teaching week will help with teacher recruitment and retention.

“I do think it’s going to get competitive,” to hire teachers for the next school year, said Board President Mike Foutz, noting that the district was not able to fill some teaching positions this year.

The calendar committee held public meetings about the proposed change, but there wasn’t enough parental involvement in the decision, Turner said. The district will be paying more for what he called child care on Fridays.

“This is going to hurt the district in the long run,” he said. “It’s a very, very huge issue that has divided the district a lot.”

Hanhardt said the concept has been discussed for three years in Bayfield. The Montezuma-Cortez district has been on four-day weeks for several years and voted Tuesday to continue them for the next three years, according to The Journal. In Colorado, 60% of all school districts have moved to four-day weeks, including Mancos, and the idea has been studied by other districts in the area.

Responding to a request for comments about the four-day week, some Bayfield parents say child care on Fridays will be difficult.

“I do not think there are enough community resources for needy families,” said Nicole Black, the mother of district students. She said the district did not reach out adequately to parents asking for their opinions.

Jennifer Chamblee, who operates a home day care center in Bayfield, said there is a lack of local of child care in Bayfield.

“I find it absolutely ridiculous,” she said. “The majority of families have to work five days a week to get by here, or anywhere for that matter.”

In other action, the board extended the contract for Hanhardt to serve as interim superintendent through the end of June.

Hanhardt was assistant superintendent this school year until earlier this month, when Superintendent Kevin Aten’s contract was terminated. Hanhardt previously was the principal at BHS.

On the personnel agenda at Tuesday’s meeting, administrative positions were listed for assistant superintendent and dean of students at Bayfield Middle School.

Foutz said the board can consider offering Hanhardt a one-year interim superintendent contract at its March 8 meeting.

Normally, a full-blown search for a new superintendent can take six months or up to a year.

Foutz said he’s not sure if he wants to see the district conduct an extensive search, noting that Bayfield has had eight superintendents and interim superintendents in the past 10 years.

“That’s a poor track record,” he said, adding that the changes have placed the district in “a state of flux” for several years.

Board member Amy Davlin noted Hanhardt has been with the district for eight years.

The board approved extending the interim position through June on a 5-0 vote.