Ely Public Schools Eyes Four-Day Week to Cut Budget Costs

Facing a potential $400,000 budget shortfall and years of deficit spending, Ely Public Schools is weighing a move to a four-day school week for 2026-27, with district finance manager Jordan Huntbatch projecting savings of up to $183,000 in general fund expenditures from the change alone.

Superintendent Anne Oelke made clear the figure is too significant to ignore. "To have that number, $183,000, on the table, it's not something we can not look at," she said. The board is expected to make a formal decision next month. "Somewhere in April, the board needs to decide if we're going to do this," Oelke said, noting the district must also seek state approval before any schedule change can take effect.

The financial pressure behind the proposal is multi-layered. The district has carried deficit spending for several years, and its 2026-27 budget faces added strain from rising expenditures, continued enrollment decline, and state aid losses tied to high school students leaving for the Vermilion campus of Minnesota North College. Those departures reduce per-pupil funding the district would otherwise receive.

Huntbatch's projection identified three main drivers of the projected savings: reduced transportation runs, lower hourly wage expenditures, and decreased substitute teacher costs. Board member Tony Colarich underscored one aspect of the proposal that makes it especially attractive in a prolonged budget crunch: the savings would not be a one-time fix. Colarich noted that the money saved by moving to four days is recurring, meaning the district would capture those reductions every year going forward. "It shows how big the four-day week could be toward our finances for next year," Huntbatch said.

The district has already begun building a case internally. A staff survey yielded support for the concept, and a family survey is planned as the next step. A study session scheduled for March 23 is set to host a more comprehensive public discussion before any board vote.

Ely would not be the first district in the region to make this shift. St. Louis County School District 2142, which serves the Babbitt-Embarrass and Tower-Soudan communities, and the Lake Superior district covering Two Harbors and Silver Bay have both moved to four-day schedules. Ely officials said those neighboring districts have reported positive experiences with the change, and other regional districts are exploring similar options.

What the transition would look like in practice, including which day would be dropped, how instructional minutes would be redistributed, and how families relying on school-day childcare would be supported, has not yet been addressed in public district communications. Those details are expected to emerge from the March 23 study session and subsequent board deliberations ahead of the April decision deadline.