LUMBERTON, Texas — Parents and students at Lumberton Independent School District can expect big changes for the 2023-2024 school year.
The district has adopted a 4-day hybrid school year starting in October.
The Lumberton ISD school board voted to adopt a 4-day hybrid school year in March to address staffing shortages.
This schedule change has brought in more applicants according to Superintendent Dr. Tony Tipton.
"The minute that that passed we began getting more applicants for jobs, then we've had in years." said Dr. Tipton.
Dr. Tipton has been on a mission to recruit more teachers since 2020.
"Not only a teachers shortage, but there's a staff shortage. There's a shortage of bus drivers, there is a shortage of councilors. You know, less and less teachers are going through teacher prep programs at a young age in college like I did," said Dr. Tipton.
The 2023-2024 schedule will be a trial run for the district.
When students go back to school on August 3, 2023, they will still have a 5-day week.
But starting October 8, 2023 there won't be any classes on Friday.
Then in April 2024, the district will go back to 5-day weeks.
"So we're not a true 4-day like some have done," said Dr. Tipton.
Lumberton ISD students think that the new schedule will make a difference.
"For sure I think the teachers really need a break. I know that at Lumberton a lot of times we would have to go sit in the cafeteria because there was no subs, or like we had teachers who had to be absent a lot. So I think it'll be really good for the school district," said Keziah Herndon, an incoming junior.
The school year is nearly two weeks away and already more educators are signing on to teach at Lumberton ISD.
"You know for jobs sometimes we have one applicant or none. This year, in those cases even in the hard to fill areas, we were getting five, six, seven, ten, fifteen applicants," said Dr. Tipton.
The new schedule might also allow students to use their free Fridays to get a head start on the next week.
"Hopefully I'll stay active, so some things around the house. Help out my family and like maybe try to study. And have more time to get prepared for the school week. Rather than like going through the weekend and having fun, and getting thrown back into school, so I think it'll be good," said Herndon.
District officials will see what works, and what doesn't work, to help determine if this hybrid schedule should be kept for the following school year.
"Whether or not the experiment works, whether or not it winds up being successful. Whether or not people wind up liking it or not, I can say from the start it has really jump started our recruitment, like never before. So one thing that we had hoped would happen from it has already happened," said Dr. Tipton.