This week, Del Norte, the smallest high school in the Albuquerque Public Schools system, put forth a revolutionary idea for their upcoming fall semester: a 4-day school week. Fridays would become optional for students with at least a 2.5 grade point average, have seven or less absences and less than four tardies. While the debating has just begun on whether APS will actually allow the school to implement the plan, I back the concept all the way.

Not to bore people too much with my own high school education, I will simply state that much of my time was spent sitting at desks wondering what else I could be doing. My teacher's lesson plan usually filled up a half an hour, leaving fifteen to twenty minutes of class time to work on problems, catch up on other school work or screw around. My school district was considered one of the better ones in the state. Only during my final senior semester did I experience an abbreviated schedule which allowed me to leave at 1:30 p.m., and I wondered if I would have appreciated the place more if I didn't have to be there so much.

Back to the present, Del Norte sent ballots home with students for parents and children to vote on the concept. The results were telling on two fronts. Of the ballots counted, 90 percent of students and 80 percent of parents voted Yes on the four-day class schedule. A 65 percent or higher approval was required for school calendar changes. This seemed to show that parents overwhelmingly approve, but there was a second consideration. Of the ballots sent home to parents, only 22 percent were returned. This was a much more telling statistic in my view. Only a quarter of parents and students actually communicated with each other about education. Maybe the kids never gave the ballots to their parents, maybe the parents didn't bother to fill it out or maybe a lot of families don't really care about their children's upbringing.

This goes back to the original point. If families don't really care about their child's education, do are schools need to spend their resources to baby-sit five days a week? Four seems to be enough.

The doors would not be barred and locked on Fridays. Rather, it would be a mandatory catch-up day for kids falling behind, a chance for teachers to get 90 minutes of professional training to improve their skills on a weekly basis (normally teachers get 13 hours per semester), and an opportunity for dedicated students to focus studies in computer labs or college enrichment courses. There is the reward that everyone attending gets out at noon on Friday.

This new concept still must get the official okay with the Albuquerque Board of Education, and some are skeptical. Using poor grammar, board member Robert Lucero stated "I'm not saying we're not going to let them do it, but I still have my concerns. We may give them a year and look at the results. Of course, the board can nix all of it."

Some people are worried about school drop out rates, but if students have one day less that they have to go, they may actually look forward to the days when they do attend. Others are worried about juvenile delinquency, but I think more high school kids might actually get jobs if they have that extra free day.

Obviously, a lot of speculation is going on about whether this will work, but with the way our schools are going in general, a serious shake-up like this is just what the system needs. Everyone stresses that we need to improve education, the president stresses that we "leave no child behind" and kids stress that they are too stressed. Every year, a handful of kids come to school with guns and shoot at teachers and students. One less day at the factory may help calm those jittery and neurotic adolescent nerves.

For what it's worth, I say give Del Norte a chance at the 4-day school week. I wish somebody would have thought of it twelve years ago.

Chris Jungle currently works two or three 12-hour days a week.