Phoenix school district switching back to 5-day week despite teacher opposition

PHOENIX – Despite teacher opposition, a Phoenix school district is switching back to a five-day week after several years on a four-day model.

During a meeting Wednesday night, the Cartwright School District Governing Board approved a proposal to add Fridays back to the schedule for the 2026-27 school year by a 3-2 vote.

The decision was made after an hourslong debate about how changing the schedule would impact staff retention, parents and students.

Parents like Eric Rodgers asked the board to pause the decision until more information could be provided, citing concerns about teacher burnout.

“Who is accountable if you do not get the results that you think you’re going to get?” Rodgers asked during the meeting. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, there are a lot of unanswered questions. This is where democracy is beautiful, right? It also could be really ugly when our elected officials refuse to listen to the community that elected them in the first place.”

How much more will five-day week cost Cartwright School District?

Cartwright, which includes the Maryvale neighborhood, serves nearly 14,000 K-8 students at 20 schools.

The district first used a four-day model during the COVID-19 pandemic and made it the official policy in 2023. The shorter week was originally adopted to help improve the quality of education and decrease staff stress.

The district said returning to a five-day week will cost an additional $5 million yearly.

Superintendent Steve Watson said the cost will be covered by restructuring the district office. However, Cartwright’s finances are also dependent on enrollment, which affects state funding levels, at a time the district is losing students.

“We talk a lot about student absenteeism here in the state,” he told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday. “And the whole reason why we’re talking about that is because we need kids in school. And so this is just going to offer one more day for students to be with teachers learning.”

Many teachers say they might leave due to five-day week

The district recently surveyed employees about the possibility of switching back to a five-day week. Of the 950 staff members who responded, 60% said they would not return or consider not returning if the change was made.

Watson said that while departures are anticipated, it will let some staff members switch to full-time status and gain benefits.

“The bulk of the money that we’re spending to return is actually to support those employees coming back as full-time employees,” he said. “They will receive benefits. They will receive additional pay as they become full-time employees again.”

Furthermore, the five-day schedule will give students an extra 120 hours in the classroom each year, something Watson says will help with more than just learning in a district that serves a high percentage of low-income families.

“All of our schools classify as Title I schools,” he said. “So, we have students who have great need, and we serve them breakfast and lunch. And so that’s one of the reasons that the board voted the way they did.”

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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