Parents angered by four-day school week proposal take on school board

DADE CITY, Fla. - Parents debated a four-day school week Thursday night in a Dade City auditorium filled with heated words for the school board.

"I don't want this program," one father said. "This is not good for the kids!"

All the talking and shouting about whether kids should go to school only four days a week was just about 15 minutes from where some of those kids would end up, at an afterschool program at Wesley Chapel Martial Arts.

"Because the parents are working," said owner Habib Fayiz.

One of those kids is 12-year-old Steven Wasylyna, whose favorite move is the push kick.

"I'm glad I have the privilege of coming here after school every day," he said.

Ask the Pasco County student if he'd like to push kick all day, once a week, if he gets another day off from school.

"Yea," he smiled.

Now ask his mom.

"If I pay for one more day a week, that's my electric bill for the month," Jennifer Wasylyna said.

If the school system pays the "one more day a week", they say their budget could hit crisis, facing a $21 million cut next year after a $54 million cut this year.

If it's not the five-day week that's cut next, it could be extracurricular activities like sports teams or teachers.

Parents called that lazy.

The school board promises it has other options, but wont talk about them.

If they don't, Steven's program does.

"If it comes to that, then we will be here, open for the parents, to help them out," Fayiz said.

There will be two more meetings for parents to weigh in on the 4-day week. The next meeting is February 15th at Rushe Middle School. The final meeting is February 16th at River Ridge High School's performing arts center.

Next month, a task force will tell school board members what they think parents want.