Rural Texas districts struggling to attract teachers are switching to four-day school weeks

Some school districts across Texas are shrinking their school weeks to four days as a way to attract and retain both teachers and students. (Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune)

At the end of April, the Mineral Wells Independent School District, located about 50 miles west of Fort Worth, lost one of its most treasured educators. After teaching there for decades, the teacher was a longstanding community member.

Then in early May, the district lost six more teachers over a 10-day period. It was a worrisome trend for the small district, which has about 3,000 students and employs about 500 staff members, including some 230 teachers.