School board discusses ventilation, four-day week

The Havre Public Schools Board of Trustees met Tuesday night to discuss a variety of issues including long-term strategic planing, possible improvements to school buildings that could increase airflow and ventilation and an update on the calendar committee’s work on an important community survey.

HPS Superintendent Craig Mueller said members of the calendar committee met Monday and made progress putting together a survey to gauge public support for a modified four-day school week that could be proposed to take effect in the next school year.

Members of the committee did not make final determinations as to the exact shape this alternate schedule would take, as they are still early in the process, but they have put together a survey for community members and parents to provide their perspective on the matter.

A similar survey was already given to Havre Public Schools staff members, the results of which indicated significant support for the idea with 85 percent responding that they were in favor of the change and less than three percent saying they opposed it with the rest unsure.

Mueller said the public survey may be ready as early as today and will be available on the Havre Public Schools website at https://www.blueponyk12.com .

The board also participated in the first in a series of strategic planning meetings that night, which focused on long-term goals for the district, and what the vision for the school should be.

After this meeting they also discussed possible ways to use Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund dollars to improve various systems in school buildings in an effort to increase and improve airflow, a matter which has become increasingly important due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

See more on the strategic planning meeting in Thursday’s edition of Havre Daily News.