47.88%	Yes
50.92%	No

Comment: Kids forget too much stuff if they have an entire summer off. from Portland by Brian

Comment: Absolutely. I would save money. Public school is NOT a public daycare service! from Auburn by Don

Comment: longer days wont work well from north yarmouth by dan

Comment: I feel a 4 day week with longer hours is to much to ask of our children. also for us who don't have subidy in daycare and pay full price will have to pay more. we have enough to deal with than to have to pay out more. also I feel our children will lose out in their education, its enough united states does not compete above other countries with our education levels being so low scoring.... from Windham by Paula

Comment: no because my kids walk home after they get off the buss. rate now my daughter gets out of school at 2:25 and she dont get home till 3:00. so if they dont get out till 3:30 or so then my kid will be walking in the dark at 4:00pm during the winter hours. and i think longer days will be to much on the kids, i have a son with learning problems, and at 2:25 hes ready to go home, i think longer days will cause more stress on kids an therfor more acting out and bad behavior. thanks for your time. from rumford maine by misty

Comment: Yes people have to change there lives to face up to the reality and get on board to approve this change. We all have to make sacrifices and this is one that would make a difference.. Go for the Changes. from Auburn/ME by Francois

Comment: I understand the need to reduce the states spending on fuel and heating costs, but making a shorter school week will just put more stress on families wallets, and keep the states children from getting a quality education, which is far more important for maines future, we need real solutions just not quick fixes that result in more consequences later on from portland, maine by Theresa

Comment: i do not thing this is a very good idea i can not believe every time maine has money problems they all ways want to cut somthing to do with the schools now they want to cut school time not very good for the kids how want to be somthing in life not a good thing to do STOP CUTTING EDUCATION PLEASE find somthing other then school to cut from farmington maine by richard

Comment: I think it would be a bad idea. My daughter doesn't even get off the bus until after 4 as it is. If they extended the day she wouldn't get home until after dinner! Then what about the homework? Are the kids suppose to stay up all night doing that, and still have to get up early the next morning and do it all over again?! from Gorham by Amanda

Comment: I home schooled for the last two years and we got our work done in 3 hours. The rest of the day was family time. In public school they are there for 8 hours,how much of that is study time? For those parents that don't have a flexible work schedule it would be hard for them to have school only four days- but it is NOT a day care!!! from Monmouth,Maine by Judy

Comment: l realize that the cost of heat is high, but! cutting back to 4-days, a wk. for Schools is wrong, it will gives students more time to go to the Mall& play on those Game machines..After-all they are our next Generation, & need a good education.l don't feel having longer Hrs. in a 4-day week.would help them, they only get more restless for a school day to end. Sadie D. Portland,Me.. from Portland,Me by Sadie

Comment: This would save money on fuel for heating, gasoline for buses, and electricy. I think it is a great idea. from Porter, Maine by Sandra

Comment: It's a Bad idea. It would cost parents more for daycare, teens would be unsupervised on the weekday off, some have jobs after school, and the day would be to long so you would lost on quality school time with no time at night for home work. from Gardiner by Don

Comment: I say pass it, Maine towns need the money, us tax payers have a lot of our money go to the schools. Some of us don't even have our kids in public schools and we are still paying them to do a tribal job at teaching our kids how to read and write. from New Gloucester, Maine by Philip

Comment: While it might save dollars for school systems, it would create scheduling conflicts for families and their way of life, as well as causing extra expense for them. The families are the one's who pay the bill for school systems as it is now. Why make it harder for us to pay for our schools. The there are the major changes we would have to make in our personal schedules and way of life. If a school system needs to cut expenses they should start looking at "trimming" and cutting salary's of some of their administration personnel and not just the "support staff" as well as expenses of the school system overall. I have yet to hear or see that happen. In the school system I live in, there is so much waste the tax payer doesn't see or know about because it is covered up, and yet it still goes on and they plead poverty. I find it really hard to sympathize with them at times. from Hollis, ME by Dave

Comment: Education is best served on a local level. The federal government should have no say and state say should be severely limited, as it is in the Maine State Constitution. from Harrison, Maine by Rev. Robert

Comment: Absolutely! It would save money on heating, on school lunches, on busing, on electricity, and wages to the people who work in the schools. Talk about a quick way to save alot of money!! from Lisbon Falls by Stephanie

Comment: I THINK IT WOULD BE TOO STRESSFUL ON STUDENTS AND TEACHERS TO HAVE A LONGER DAY. from Greene, ME by Wilhelm Scream

Comment: no.....one factor would be the cost of daycare for younger children. If the kids aren't in school parents would have to pay for a daycare provider. from Bowdoin, Maine by Harvey

Comment: It truly amazes me that our country (the land of opportunity) has gotten into such a financial mess that we now have to consider changing the education structure of our children to pinch pennies. It is sure thing that Maine is looking for “couch change” to make ends meet. Enough is enough! We have spent ONE POINT SIX TRILLION dollars to just keep ourselves afloat. (Money already allocated for TARP and now the new funds requested by President Obama). That equates to $32 Million Dollars per state!!. So while the large companies are being given our tax dollars… they attend posh government functions and receive large bonus pay, our kids are AGAIN LEFT BEHIND! Get ready America, we are on our way to becoming a Power House “has-been”. Run for the border! from Biddeford/ME by Rob

Comment: What the heck, the kids aren't learning much in 5 days, why not cut it to 4. Cut teacher salaries while they are at it. from South Portland/ Maine by Lenny

Comment: I feel 5 days is sufficient...kids need an education...like the rest of us had...those that stayed in school that is. from Litchfield by Peggy

Comment: The kids have a difficult enough time keeping their attention span in the length of day they have now. They should not go to a 4 day week because it will hurt the students academically and physically. They will get too tired between the school day and the bus ride. from Sanford, ME by Sara

Comment: Sounds like a good plan. from Limerick,ME by Sandy

Comment: Sure! Who couldn't use a 3-day weekend?? from Kennebunk by Mary

Comment: caused hardship for families with small children having to pay more for daycare. from Gray Maine by Sherry

Comment: Absolutely YES !! As long as the kids are getting the same education and it saves us hundreds of thousands of dollars. Education is important, but we are all in bad recession so we need to do anything and everything to make sure we can all make ends meet. from Harrison, Maine by Cliff

Comment: It will end up costing the parents more money for child care and some of the children only get a 1 hot meals a day by anom.

Comment: It could be cost efficient from Bangor, ME by Harold

Comment: I believe change is always good. from N.G. maine by E

Comment: I think it's a great idea! They would have a 3 day weekend and who wouldn't like that!!! from Buxton, Maine by Laurie

Comment: to many pro,s&cons they should really think it thru. from oobme by jim

Comment: Less government control. Give power to comminity from Portland by Cole

Comment: Aside from the changes in work schedules that would have to be supported by employers for parents, this is too much to ask of our children and our educational system. Our teachers work very hard with less and less each year. As a teacher, I know this first hand. Creating a well rounded student that will be a productive member of society takes time and resources that are not being given to our kids. It's time that the "educators" at the state level start making decisions based on what is best of our students and the future of our state, not based on short-sighted, short-term quick fixes that are not the fault of Maine's kids. Stop punishing them for our government's mistakes. Let's give these kids a chance. by Sandra

Comment: School days are long enough for children to begin with. To have them sit in class a few more hours a day to save a few bucks is ludicris. from Auburn by Jen

Comment: This would impact after school activities (school and nonschool related), parents who need daycare for children, and provide less quality teaching time. from Yarmouth, Maine by Teresa

Comment: Definitely NO. Why can't they make cuts where the real problems are, in government. Taxpayers always get punished for mistakes made by incompetent actions within state government, and education seems to be the first thing they think about cutting. Cut the state work force, and adapt legislative salaries. They got us in this mess, make Them pay. from Portland, Me by Robert

Comment: At first I was ready to agree with a change but thinking it through fully I don't agree with a change. The change would definitely make an impact on all extra curricular activities---would athletes be dismissed early so they could attend their matches as they are scheduled now or would those events be pushed ahead to allow for the extended school hours? If you push them ahead, then some sports would have to be cut out because they are played during daylight hours (ex.--golf) or they would cost the schools more money because they would have to played "under the lights". I honestly don't think that "the powers that be" have really sat down and thought this through. They need to take another long and hard look at this before making any decisions. from Saco by Terri

Comment: I being a student do not think this idea is a good Idea. Granted you save money for that one day but you end up spending it with the extra hours we are in school. Most of the kids in school barely have enough of an attention span to spend extended hours in school. from sanford by Sarah

Comment: If they really want to save money, sports are the most expendable option and carry the least impact to families whose schedules would be disrupted. If sports are to remain in place all associated costs should be pay as you play. from Portland by Rob

Comment: students need so many hours in the classroom, plus i think the state would be paying out more money in child care for the parents to work.... from Portland by Paula

Comment: I think it will save money in a state thats budget is very low. And it would not effect the education. from Maine by Iris

Comment: I think it's a good idea, some schools really need this, when they don't have a big budget and yes, it would save on heat and other things. from ME!

Comment: Will employers switch to a 4 day work week as well? If not, will legislation be passed to help pay for day care? Probably not. So take your legislation and put it where it belongs, in a trash can. from Brunswick/ME by Angry

Comment: Absolutly! Half the time a least one day or a half a day is missed anyway for holidays, in service days etc. Parents can spend less on aftercare to compensate for an all day camp for art or sports etc. instead of trying to squeese it all in at dinnertime! from Biddeford, Me. by Christine

Comment: im 11 years old and i think that the day is already long and if anything thay should have it start earlier not end later. when i get home from school im pretty tired and if school was even longer i would be really tired from Auburn by Haylee

Comment: It makes economic sense for the school system to switch from 5-4 day learning weeks. The Junior and Senior's could babysit the younger children on the elimenated school day. from Portland by Chris

Comment: Having a longer school day will only make things tougher on students as well as teachers. I am currently going to school to be a teacher and personally I don't want to be teaching a longer day or extend into the summer... and if we switch to a four day week does that mean teachers will be getting paid less? Because as we all know teachers in Maine dont get much as it is! on top of that Maine's schools are having a tough enough time meeting Education standards, with only four days of school our education scores will just decrease.. instead of focusing on saving money by cutting back school we should be focusing on improving our education by cutting other areas in this state that cost way to much money. from Farmington/Maine by Kimberly

Comment: I think it would cause more problems, and children have a long enough day as it is. I think it would be too many hours, especially for younger children. from Falmouth ME by Diana

Comment: As proposed, its an option school districts could make and presumably it longer day/shorter week plan could be applied to middle and high school grades since younger students might find a longer day difficult. State might also consider granting school districts the option of an (appoximate) March 1-Nov. 30 school year to save heating costs. from Kennebunk by John

Comment: I think that the schools should be forced to go to 4 days When hard times hits anyone they make changes. No one likes changes but We need it and it should be passed and make the schools do it bottom line we need to save money. If no one is willing then the government should make then from sanford by Dennis

Comment: give the districts control, since many are having serious budget deficits. from raymond by ivy

Comment: I think the kids night time study habits will suffer. We should think of the kids! Have a poll through the schools and see what the student bodies have to say. from Union / ME. by Rick

Comment: Although the schools are looking to cut their costs, they are not thinking about the parents who have to pay extra money to have their child taken care of after school. I think it should stand that the children attend school five days per week. In my opinion, five days per week aren't enough as it is. from Sanford, ME by Christina

Comment: i think it leaves to much time on the hands of kids who are not elidgible to work, and the dropout rate will go up because they already tire from a 6 hour day from Casco, Maine by debbie

Comment: I am concerned about the potential negative impact this switch could have on our education system that already struggles to find the means (and time) to fully prepare our children to compete globally. from SACO, ME by KAREN

Comment: I think as long as the school districts have the option of choosing to do so or not makes it a workable option for districts to save money as long as the level of education is maintained. from Gorham, Maine by Shonn

Comment: A good nights sleep is vital to getting a good education. Between school, work, and homework in addition to activities our children and us parents who have long days as is don't need the inconvenience and risks which could affect their grades and college dreams. from Portland by Tracy

Comment: Actually it's not a bad idea,child care is available Mon-Fri wheather or not a parent works full or part time, when we have snow days people get to work and get through the day, just think, the extra day could also enhance practices for the up coming weekend sporting events, and minus extra days for parent/teacher conferences and teacher workshops (the 5th day could be used for those events) from biddeford by kelly

Comment: I think it's time to stop cutting back on our kids education!! and sports!!..I heard that the state spends of over 2million dollars in year in DON"T SMOKE IT"S BAD FOR YOU... add campaings. I think people get it and that cost could be cut instead of education....or better yet how about the Turnpike Authority cutting out their trips !! and redirecting those monies back to the state to help the overcome their bad record keeping...We need smart kids to help run the State of Maine's acounting department some day !! Cutting education is not the answer. from Lewiston by Claire

Comment: Lets stop making child education in America a matter of convenience. The rest of the world attends school 5 days a week year round. Maybe thats why they graduate thier children from High school at age 16 and most have Bachelors degrees before they are 20. America is forfeiting their chlidren's futures for the sake of the almighty dollar. Do you really think educators are going to cut spending under the guise of a 4 day week? I seriously doubt it. The liberals wouldnt hear of it. from Lewiston by Michael

Comment: We need to improve the quality of education in this country. In Japan, the kids go to school 7 days a week and on holidays. Here, SAT scores have fallen significantly since I was in high school. The question should be, what can be done to make education better, not whether or not to give the kids a 3 day weekend. I'm sure they're all for it! from Scarborough by Karen

Comment: Are educators supporting this legislation? Where is the research supporting this regarding how it affects learning? How can schools make up the difference in hours without longer days. Kids can't endure longer days with positive results. And are sports and child care more important than education? We need to make sure our priorities make sense in the long term. from N. Yarmouth by Julie

Comment: NO! THE TROUBLEMAKERS WILL HAVE AN EXTRA DAY CAUSE TROUBLE 7 DAYS WOULD BE BETTER from GREENE by MIKE

Comment: Though I understand the possible savings that would be involved, I think it would be a hardship for working parents. Child care is very expensive and in this economy it would really add a burden. by Fleurette

Comment: I would not have a problem with a 4 day week. Having worked for the school system here in Portland, I know that on Wednesdays the children only go to school for half a day and there is not alot of learning time as we had to have lunch during this time as well. I always thought that they might as well not bother going as there was not enough learning going on. from Portland by Cheryl

Comment: Children will be too tired. The quality of learning will be compromised; when will the children do homework or study? When will they have time for school events? What about time with the family? Family life has been disrupted enough over the years. from Augusta by Darlene

Comment: The weekdays are long enough as it is with limited time for homework and sports...the kids would be exhausted, which will decrease their learning ability. Also, an extra day of all-day daycare would be a financial issue for some households where both parents work full-time. And for the children who are too old for daycare, but too young to work??......potential for trouble in their extra day at home while their parents work! from Buxton by Barb

Comment: NO! Terrible idea. 1)After-school programs would be hindered or eliminated 2)Parents would need childcare 3)The kids would not be able to absorb/retain the additional information that would be squeezed in. from Portland, ME

Comment: I don't think this is a good idea. Our students are already behind compared to other countries. I don't see how trying to cream the same amount of schooling into shorter weeks is going to help our kids be smarter or learn better. This is not a "cut" we should be making. from Standish by Stephanie

Comment: Saving money this way is not worth the cost in lower educational standards for our children. I believe that students of all ages benefit from 5 day a week of structured learning be it in school or home. Attention spans are too short and trying to squeeze 5 days of work into 4 days will only yield less retention and more behavioral problems. from OXFORD COUNTY, MAINE by WENDELL

Comment: i think it's an awesome idea from sanford, maine by mark

Comment: We have to do something to rein in expenses. Private schools do it, what is the problem. Grow up we all have to tighten our belts. We have to stop the "Not MY" backyard, pet project whatever mentality. from Gray, Maine by Jan

Comment: Yes and I also think the state could do the same with their office hours to off set day care costs for parents. It would also save more money. We ALL should doing our part. from Buxton by Donna

Comment: I think it would be a great saving in fuel, maintenance, and other thing. Great idea. from Harrison by Arnold

Comment: i have 3 special need's children.they will have no play time.they will get off the bus when it's dark.no i dissagree from portland maine by michele

Comment: i'm a working teenager, i dont beleive that that we should have a 4 day week with loger hours because some teens have chores that need to be done before dark. it would be more stressful on the teens if they did this. from sumer by michelle

Comment: I can't believe that an employed parent or employer for that matter, would have much support for this idea! from Topsham, ME by Michael

Comment: The day feels long enough already, extending it will cause students to loose interest in what they are doing. If they are not interested in what they are learning, then they will not absorb as much information. I know this because I am a student, and everyone I know thinks that the day is long enough as it is. from Scarborough, ME by Christian

Comment: I think it's a wonderful idea as long as parents are able to work a 4 day week as well! Cost of daycare will increase! from Brunswick, Maine by Bryan

Comment: As a mother that can't afford daycare to begin with, I would then have to take another day off from work causing more fincial problems for an already struggling household. from Maine by Heather

Comment: The school day is long enough and kids are always falling asleep in classes, how wold this work out cramming more education into a day? from Maine by Jared

Comment: This would seriously interfere with after school jobs for students and after school activities. Also, it would be an extreme hardship on parents who require baby-sitting. from Norway, ME by Ruth

Comment: My child is in k- she is gone from 8:00 to 3:00. BY the time she comes home she gets cranky and days where she is hungry. she has a snack then its time for dinner. The days would be to long especially for the younger kids. Also there showers and homework, or reading time. I work 12hrs and its long my child going to school for 10hrs would be to tiring for everyone in the family. from Maine by Brenda

Comment: Might as well. With all the holidays and teacher workshops, so many weeks are only 4 days anyways. from Norway by Alan

Comment: no I don't. they are not learning enything now. when jr. high kids don't know who johnson or j.f.k.was or werelondon is. Do away with the sports and driving school .that would save money. from waterville,me by barbara

Comment: No I think it would be bad for us students, I'm a full Time high school student and I haveto get to work by 3PM and I would lose my job, I have car insurance to pay and I have some maintenance to do to my car. How in the world can I afford it if the school days make me an hour late to work every day, I would be hurt badly from Dayton Maine by Steven

Comment: What happens to working parents? There also has to be an alternative to provide day care. from Appleton,Me by Everett

Comment: students need the chance to participate in extra curricular activities which occur after school. students are bombarded with hours of homework day to day. They need a chance to have a well rounded education for all... Mind, body and spirit. from Gray, ME by Michelle

Comment: i think we shouled have longer school days because then we wouled get more done cus we wouled have longer classes and we wouled get to sleep in on fridays instead of geting up at 5:30 to 6:00 from lebanon maine by brittany

Comment: This totally messes up the kids for real jobs when they graduate, time at home to do homework, their parents when both work and have to pay childcare and merely gives the teachers more time off throughout the school year! from Durham, Me by John

Comment: THATS JUST CRAZY THINKING, KIDS HAVE A HARD ENOUGH TIME FOR THE 6 HOURS THERE AT SCHOOL NOW,KIDS NEED THERE SLEEP AS WELL AS ACTIVITIES/SOCIAL LIVES. CUT IN OTHER AREAS NOT EDUCATION.,THAT SHOULD BE THOUGHT OF LAST!!!! OUR KIDS NEED AN EDUCATION.. GET RID OF SOME OF THE SUPERINTENDENTS WE ONLY NEED 1 PER SCHOOL DISTRICT NOT 2-3.. from HARPSWELL/MAINE by MICHELLE

Comment: This is a BAD IDEA. It's beyond me why people would want this to pass, it's just more trouble for the students and their parents. I'm tired everytime the State has a money crisis the fingers are all pointed to the schools. from Biddeford, Maine by D

Comment: One of the most short-sighted proposals I have ever heard. from Windham/ME by Craig

Comment: For most children they would benefit from the four day week and would probably do better at school. Whereas special needs children are used to a scheduled routine and most are ready for the day to end at 3pm. These would be the children who wouldn't benefit from this change and their needs need to be considered in this decision making process. from Acton, Me by Rebecca

Comment: kids will get to tired being at school that long. kid needtime to just be kids. from brunswick by jay

Comment: I feel that the local school system should have the option to go to a 4 day school week. That's all this legislation is doing, giving them the option, not mandating it. from Bath, ME by Melissa

Comment: NO. If they're cutting back to 4 school days, then they need to cut back adminstrative pay to 4 days as well... that includes superintendents, principals, teachers, janitors, school bus drivers, etc. In cold weather, the buildings and buses still need to be heated and maintained, so where is your savings? If 4 school days- assign homework for the standard 5 day school week, those kids need to keep learning. What's this going to do to parents who can barely afford daycare- they're going to struggle even more- this is NOT a good start or lesson for ''kids''. from North Haven & Turner by Erin & John, Frank & Jon

Comment: Longer school days would not be productive for children learning as their attention span will weaken as well as having children coming from home from school, especially young ones, in the dark is a bit worriesome to me. from Richmond, Maine by Ashley

Comment: if it saves the state some money and not cut the sports programs then yes from Rumford by Brande

Comment: Absolutely not. Extending the school day is only going to take time away from the students that they may need to get homework done; which inturn will eventually affect their grades in a negative way. from Biddeford by Jeff

Comment: the school's should be open 5 day's a week the kid's need to go to school 5 day's a week so keep it as it is 5 day's a week from portland by kim

Comment: it will hurt the children with disibilites tat need the schooling from me by mary

Comment: We need to start saving some where instead of continuing to cut programs. from Lewiston by Denise

Comment: I think a 4 day school week would be detrimental to the students. 1)It would lengthen the school day from 6 hours to 7-1/2, which creates a few concerns:a)less time to do what could (and would) potentially be more homework daily. b)less time for extracurricular activities such as sports, community activities such as girl/boy scouts, big brother/sister commitments to younger children, debate teams and such. c)the children get out at approx. 3:00 now, changing that to 4:30. That reduces time for the children to spend time with their families and friends, which I feel are crucial to forming someone's personality, sense of responsibility and family as well as general social skills that are required to get one through life. 2)It takes away what part of a 5 day school week was designed for.........to help prepare them for the 5 day work week that is the norm in the life that they will move into once out of school. 3)The obvious concern of care for the children if both parents (or even worse, the single parent) trying to survive in this economy as they have to work 5 days aweek. Daycare and babysitting is expensive enough as it is, to add a whole day to that financial and responsibility burden on the parents would be absurd. 4)What would this do to the length of the school year once snow days are "made up"? Due to society and all of the righteous people out there these days snow days are taken way too often with little justifiable cause. I'm sorry if I rambled but I feel very strongly that this is not the solution. from Auburn, ME by Ken

Comment: I am a first grade teacher, and parent of 3 school-age children. It is unreasonable to expect children, especially at the lower grades, to sustain a level of rigor/attention/ energy that would be required with the longer school days. Children come to school exhausted as it is! What child care solutions would there be for this model on a continuous basis? It's a challenge now for parents (many of whom are concerned about keeping their jobs and can't take days off) to find child care or take family care days themselves on an irregular basis; are there enough one-day-a-week openings for school-age children at quality facilities? Thos places are usually booked with preschool-aged children during the day. What about high school students who need to work after school to pay for college? I hope this legislation will be truly child-focused and consider that high standards are demanded of our students; please, lawmakers, don't make it any more challenging for our schools to meet those expectations when budgets are being slashed, class sizes are increasing, and supplies/ materials are scarce!!!! from Windham, ME

Comment: Our private school has been practicing 4 day weeks for years. It seems to work well and does save on the traveling and overall energy costs I am in favor of the vote. from New Vineyard, ME by Lauralee T.

Comment: While this would save the schools some money on transportation, the burden on working families who need daycare would be too much. from Brunswick/Maine by Jerry

Comment: they are taking away so much from our children for mistakes that they are making my concern is, our children are being penilized for errors on their part. they have already cut busses after school activities and now school week? not to mention the many parents especially single parents that rely on the after school day care so they can work , this is absouluetely riduculous... from me by anonoymous

Comment: more concentrated study time and It would save money, through heat, food service, etc. from Sanford by Betty

Comment: In todays Economy I would think this would be the wisest thing to do. When things get better then everyone can go back to fiveday week. Thank you, Bruce from Gardiner, Maine by Bruce

Comment: Even though economic times are bad at the moment, they will turn around. There's no compelling reason to go to a 4-day week. If the schools want to cut costs, I recommend this: - Focus on the basics: reading, writing and arithmetic. - Cut back on art and other non-essential studies. The purpose of school is to provide skills to be used in adulthood. - Eliminate "health studies" and stop handing out birth control to minors. The cost of pharmaceuticals given out for free are surely taxing on the budget. - Scale back on sports and after-school programs from South Portland / ME by Jim

Comment: Yes, being a student i know that if you have school, the rest of the day is pretty much a waste since there is not much time do things like hang out with friends. If you have 4 days then it would make it so that you would have more completely free days to do the things you want to do. from Cape Elizabeth Maine by Sam

Comment: but only for middle school and high school kids. They can stay home alone on which ever day the schools decide to be closed. Daycare is so expensive (i know, i have 3 kids) and to pay for one day is rediculous. It will be overwhelming for the daycares too. from New Gloucester/Maine by Christine

Comment: Where have we spent our tax dollars? Were suppose to be teachers our new leaders, not take the education that our tax dollars pay for.There is definately some bad decision making here... There are way's to cut the budget,surely not this way.. Our kids need the education they get enough time off now...We should cut school extra activities and pleasure time,less fieldtrips as such from Gray Maine by Tammy

Comment: Why change and make them stay in school longer so they can have another day off and for some families they would have to find daycare for that extra day. SO you wouldnt have families saving any money. why dont you just cut some jobs to save. I really dont think its a good idea. Some kids walk home from school so you want them to walk in the dark if they are in school later. Not a good idea either. from Waterboro,Me by Heather

Comment: As it is my 10 year old is on the bus for 45 minutes. My kids dont get home until almost 4 pm. If the days were longer they would have dinner, bath, bed. No homework time and no family time. So no this is not a good idea. from Gorham by Shannon

Comment: I think that is a great idea...It will also cut costs without losing education from mine by norma

Comment: reducing the school week to 4 days will save 1/5 the fuel for the busses. I think it would be a great cost saving measure, however for parents of younger children it may pose a problem for childcare. from Eliot ME by A

Comment: We need less government intervention. If it's going to save money without comprimising the quality of education, why not!! from topsham/maine by tony

Comment: I THINK IF THE LAW MAKERS WANT TO CUT COSTS THEY SHOULD CONSIDER CUTTING HOT LUNCHS AND MAKING KIDS GO TO SCHOOL INTO THE SUMMER MONTHS by GAIL

Comment: If they would like to save money stop giving themselves raises for a job they are not doing well. Leave Dhhs and schools alone. from Aub/Me by Jason

Comment: What about the parents who would not be able to get childcare from Portland, Me by Jen

Comment: What are working parents supposed to do for child care, on the day the children are not at school? from North Waterboro by Richard

Comment: I agree it would save on heating and fuel for the transportation. I believe other States have done this with a positive results. It can't hurt to try it. from Oakland, ME by Kathy

Comment: This is crazy. The kids will NOT learn. Towards the end of the day, kids AND teachers both will be totally wiped out. Time to CHANGE the legislators in Augusta from Scarborough by Mike

Comment: It's not just about what the state wants to do in an effort to save money, its also about how such a change effects such things as parents' working hours and cost and availability of daycare. It is not a decision the legislature should be able to decide on their own. from Bowdoin, ME by Michelle

Comment: I dont think they should only be going for 4 days a week with longer hours,I dont have children in school anymore but I do have a handicap adult child that goes to day program every day and they are getting cut back to 4 hours a day 5 days a week.The parents of these adult children need to find care for them so we can work and finding care for them is alot more difficult finding a babysitter for the physically and mentally challenged,that live home with their parents that need to work to keep their home and food on the table,It's hard for everyone in these times but its harder on parents with children with disabilities then parents with normal healthy children. from Standish Maine by Sue

Comment: Absolutly not!!! I might say yes if they are going to pay for daycare!!! by Mandy

Comment: A 4 day week will save approximately 20 days in fuel costs for heat and transportation. The price will be paid by the children in loss of family time and extra curricular activities that will be required to commplete homework. Not to mention costs to working parents to make arrangements for day care for the younger children. from Saco by Matt

Comment: i do not think it should happen my kids are tired as it is at night when they have an activity and getting supper comes early enough i have a boy who has adhd he would never survive that long of a day not only that i know as it is i know some kids dont even get off the bus until 4 or later or those mothers who work during those hours with no sitters sorry i do not agree from augusta maine by susan

Comment: WHAT ABOUT THE COST OF EXTRA DAYCARE PASSED ON TO PARENTS? IT WOULD BE ANOTHER LARGE EXPENSE FOR WORKING FAMILIES THAT ARE ALREADY STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET. from SANFORD,ME by SCOTT

Comment: I think kids need 5 days of school to keep there responsibilitys up. A work week will be atleast 5 days a week not (4)! They need a five day school week to keep them on track as a real work/routine/ schedual will be later. They don't need any more time on there hands to get into trouble!!Or let them think less, the more they think and learn now the beter for there future later..less time in school means more time out, which they don't need.They need responsibilitys to keep them on track.. from brunswick by maria

Comment: It would mess up not only after school activities, but my work schedule as well.There is a reason why it's been done 5 days a week. If it is not broken don't fix it. from Biddeford,ME by Brian

Comment: I Belive this should be a mandatory month to month progran 4 day Dec, Ja, Feb, And March 5 to posibley 6 days in other Months Days should not be longer from Lewiston, Maine by Brian

Comment: Too many people are so concerned about sports in schools...Be serious students are there to lern not to play games..a 4 day school weekk is fine but academic overides sports by far , who's pushing this the parents of wannabe sport stars or parents concerned about education? from Portland maine by Dan

Comment: There are other ways to save money. Longer days for kids will not increase the quality of education for Maine's children, it might even set us back. from Lisbon by Tracy

Comment: NO NO NO!!!! I have 3 high schoolers that are overwhelmed in homework and exhausted by the time they get home now. My freshman me told me the reason she isnt doing well in a class is because it is the last one of the day and her mind is fried from Westbrook, Maine by Lee Anne

Comment: They should remain with the current 5 day school week. I am a single mother of 4. The change to 4 days of school will just make our lives more stressful than what it is now. from Portland, ME by Eva

Comment: This is obviously not a viable solution. You just cannot have kids who are involved in extracurricular activities barely making it home in time for dinner. No, public school is not a public daycare, but the fact remains, we as working parents take jobs and schedule our time around what we can do for our kids and if your employer isn't flexible you could be out of a job. What I really want to know is why the state cuts the budget here? Are we still paying for inmates' extracurricular activities? Their work out equipment, their cable TV, their college degrees??? What kind of backwards thinking is this??? from Hollis by Jennifer

Comment: I Vote no. i think they need the five days a week for better learing system.Three day weekend on a regular weelkly basis??doesnt make sense to me.they get home off the bus late enough as it is then they have homework and projects they have to worry about.But i also agree on the money situation the cost of the busing and heating but isnt that what are taxes go for?? from Bridgton Me by Liz

Comment: Children in the United States are already ranking far behind other nations in math and science as well as other subjects. Decreasing school hours would most likely cause them to fall further behind. Also, the social impact this would play would be negative. Students would most likely fill their time with my space, video games, texting, etc. instead of being in an environment that emphasis academic and personal growth. from Richalnd, WA by Michele