COUNTY LIFE
Two more county schools join the four-day week schedule
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Two more Montague County school districts will be moving to the four-day school week this year with teacher retention and recruitment the driving forces for this change.
Gold-Burg and Montague Independent School Districts join Prairie Valley ISD, which enters its second year of the four-day week. While other county districts have not formally gone to four-days, they are all using different methods to get a shorter week in some fashion while still getting the required 75,600 minutes for students.
Bowie has been releasing early on Wednesdays for several years, and Nocona has been releasing at noon Fridays. Forestburg also has a similar schedule releasing about one hour earlier on Fridays.
Rural school districts in Texas have been switching to the four-day week in the last couple of years, and now some larger districts are giving it a try including Mineral Wells ISD which has about 3,000 students.
National teacher organizations say the shortage in staff has hit crisis levels, and while there is no database to track this information local and regional educators gathering for training in the last few weeks have all shared stories of needing teachers at all levels.
Why are America’s schools so short-staffed? Experts point to a convergence of different factors starting with the pandemic-induced teacher exhaustion, low pay and a growing lack of respect for their profession across the board from parents and politicians to their own school’s boards.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Summer is slowly ticking away as the first day of school nears.
First day dates
Aug 6
Gold-Burg ISD
Forestburg ISD
Aug. 7
Bowie ISD
Nocona ISD
Aug. 8
Prairie Valley ISD
Aug. 14
Saint Jo ISD
Aug. 15
Bellevue ISD
See The Bowie News Back to School section this Saturday and next Wednesday with supply lists and other details to help you plan the start of the new year.
The Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash tribute concert drew an enthusiastic crowd on July 19 at the Bowie Community Center. Performed by Lisa Irion and Bennie Wheels, the show featured many of the classic songs by both artists. (Photos by Barbara Green)
For a fun night out make plans to attend the 22nd annual July Jam starting at 6 p.m. on July 27 in the Bowie Community Center West Hall
There will be a “chickin’ pickin’ fiddling fun time” as guests will be entertained by amazing fiddling tunes and enjoy a chicken meal.
Tickets are just $15 with the event starting at 6 p.m. The funds raised help provide awards for the championship fiddler competition during the Oct. 5 Chicken and Bread Days Heritage Festival. The contest attracts talented musicians from all over to visit downtown Bowie to test their fiddling skills.
The event, hosted by Bowie Community Development, will feature a unique array of items up for bid in the silent auction plus a wide variety of homemade jams.
Hosted in conjunction with July Jam is the July Jam Poker Cruise presented by the Piston Heads Auto Club. This event starts at 9 a.m. with a $5 per hand entry and is open to anything with a motor.
The 60-mile cruise with three stops starts in Bowie Plaza and ends in the same location. Half of the proceeds goes to the winning hand with $5 charge for each extra card for hand. Buy as many as each driver would like. The other half of the funds raised goes towards the July Jam fundraising event.
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