Based on responses from a sample of 342 districts nationwide, the most common reason cited as a main rationale for adoption (65.1% of districts) was financial savings; districts argue they are saving money by reducing costs such as transportation, heating, and support staff salaries (Thompson et al., in press). Districts acknowledge that reducing the school week by 1 day, or 20%, would not reduce spending by 20%, as teachers technically work the same number of hours, so their contracts, which comprise the greatest cost for the district, are not affected.
Not quite. Teachers get paid the same, but they supposedly save money on transportation, heating/cooling, and support staff.
But the brain drain is completely real. Oklahoma pays teachers around $10-20k per year less than all of its bordering states on average. A first year teacher in Tulsa makes $43k per year. For comparison, in Dallas, a first year teacher at minimum makes $56,000. And Tulsa’s not that much cheaper to live in.