“I read your piece in today's Daily Umbrella and wanted to address some of the points you offered (Four-day school week, Oct. 17, 2023). First, virtually all of the Iowa schools that have tried to implement a four-day week did so because of finances. Unlike a business, schools can't increase revenue when they need to. Instead, they are dependent upon the state to provide adequate funding. For the last decade, that funding has been woefully inadequate. Republican legislators and the Governor have funded schools at a level that has not even kept up with the rate of inflation. The schools who tried the four-day week had declining enrollment and that, coupled with underfunding, led them to try a four-day week as a way to keep their doors open. Secondly, schools in Iowa have the option to either meet for a required number of days or a required number of hours. Schools that went to a four-day week opted to meet for a required number of hours. In order to do that, they increased the number of hours school was in session for each of the four days. They also eliminated field trips and early dismissals on the four days students are in attendance. In most cases, those activities are held on the fifth day. Teachers still have to work for a set number of days, so they often work longer days when students are in attendance and then work an additional day to grade papers and prepare. Finally, suburban school districts are able to attract the ‘cream of the crop’ because they pay so much better than rural schools. Not only is starting pay significantly higher, but the pay for experienced teachers far exceeds what experienced staff receive in rural schools.” - Randy

Good points, Randy. I am not sure how much funding is too much or too little, but from what I can see, K-12 public education funding in Iowa has increased $1.12 billion since fiscal year 2012, and the current budget is $8 billion. - Shane

Your Clear Mortgage forecast

Rain chances continue into the afternoon and evening. Another chance of light rain moves in Friday morning. After that, temperatures fall into the weekend. A system Saturday night into Sunday may bring a rain/snow mix to Iowa.

For help with preapprovals or refinancing, get in touch with Carrie at carrie.mortgage.

FROM KCCI: Volunteers requested in search for Iowa man who disappeared 7 years ago

BOONE COUNTY, Iowa — Twenty-three-year-old Jesse Leopold left his job in Jewell on Oct. 13, 2016. He has not been seen since. Seven years later, an additional search has been scheduled, and the Boone County Sheriff's Office is asking for volunteers to help. ... READ MORE FROM KCCI

FROM WHO-TV: Ankeny woman charged with murder for death of elderly man in her care

ANKENY, Iowa — An Ankeny woman has been charged with second degree murder in connection to the death of a man who was in her care. In April 73-year-old Ray Crammond was transported from his Ankeny home to a hospital for declining health conditions. According to court documents, Crammond was not being given his medications, wasn’t being fed, bathed, or hydrated, and was suffering from multiple bed sores. ... READ MORE FROM WHO-TV

FROM WOI-DT Local 5: 13-year-old arrested for fire at Fort Dodge apartment complex

FORT DODGE, Iowa — A teenager has been arrested and charged for a structure fire at a Fort Dodge townhome complex on Sunday. Investigation by Fort Dodge Fire Rescue and the State Fire Marshal Division found that a 13-year-old boy was the cause of the fire.....READ MORE FROM WOI-DT Local 5

Whatever happened to the under-two-hours movie? Most movies I want to see these days — "Elvis," Oppenheimer," "The Irishman," "Babylon" — run over three hours. "Killers of the Flower Moon" is 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Relief's on the way — the great Sophia Coppola's "Priscilla" is coming to town Nov. 2. Coppola, whose father popularized the three-hour movie, has never made a film that hit 2 hours. And she has made epics. She has four new young actresses to show off. Remember, she made Scarlett Johansson and Kirsten Dunst superstars when they were barely 17.

The average non fast food restaurant dinner for two takes 75 minutes. Of course, that is an estimate, but it's a consensus estimate. It goes up about 15 minutes for each additional pair of people in the party.

Thursdays mean all night Happy Hour at Chuck's (3610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines) where they have been serving the same superb tavern style pizza since 1956.

- Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com