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Newcastle Schools Add Friday Classes to Meet New State Mandate
Newcastle Public Schools will add seven Friday instructional days next fall to comply with a new state law requiring 173 school days, up from 166. The board approved the change Tuesday, affecting the district's four-day week.
NEWCASTLE, Okla. â Newcastle Public Schools will add seven Friday class days next school year to comply with a new state law that raises the minimum number of instructional days for Oklahoma districts.
The school board voted Tuesday to place the additional days in the first nine weeks of the fall semester, on Fridays leading up to fall break. The district already holds classes on the first Friday of each month.
The change is driven by House Bill 3151, passed during the most recent legislative session, which requires districts to provide at least 173 instructional days, up from the previous minimum of 166. Newcastle, which has operated on a four-day school week since 2016, must add seven days to meet the new threshold.
Superintendent Dr. Cathy Walker acknowledged the disruption the change may cause families in a letter to the community.
"I understand that changes like this affect more than just the school day," Walker wrote. "They impact family schedules, childcare arrangements, work commitments and the routines students and staff have come to expect."
The district had solicited public input on the next year's calendar before the board's decision.
Mariah Bolles, an educator and parent in the district, said she sees both sides of the issue.
"I'm a little bit torn because I can see how from a parent's perspective it would be easier with scheduling things if we had a consistent schedule," Bolles said. "But from the kids perspective I do think adding that extra day would be a little bit tougher for them."
Bolles said she is not convinced that more school days will automatically translate into better educational outcomes.
"Because I do think a lot of the growth that we see happens when we have parent input," she said. "Parents working on things, reading at home. So if we're in school a little bit longer I can't say that it's going to guarantee that."
The law takes effect in July of next year, but it includes a funding condition: the Legislature must appropriate $175 million more to the State Department of Education than in the previous fiscal year. Whether that funding materializes could affect how the mandate is implemented across the state.
For Newcastle families, the practical effect is a school calendar that will look different next fall, with seven additional Fridays in the first quarter. The district has not yet released the full calendar.