Prue - A local school district is planning to cut the school week short this coming year.

Nationwide, school districts are using four-day weeks to save money. It's being done in 17 states to cut down on gas and utility costs.

Now, for the first time in Oklahoma, Prue -- located 20 miles northwest of Tulsa -- will do the same thing. And, some are concerned about the decision.

Prue Schools have about three hundred students and 20 teachers. If they don't have to use the school buses one day every week, or heat and cool the buildings for three days every week, they figure they can save a whole lot of money.

Superintendent Tom Scully says the savings on their budget could, in his words, be substantial, possibly as much as 20 percent.

"Any school district in the state at this point in time has to be watching their finances," Scully says. "And this is something we looked at very carefully."

Here's how it would work -- classes would be held Monday through Thursday, and about an hour a day will be added to the classroom schedules. Teacher pay will not be affected by the four day work week.

So far, most of the reaction to the four day school week has been positive, however some parents like working mom Erin Locke are concerned.

"I know he's in the 8th grade, but it's still day care and my work," Lock says. "It's just me and my income. It's going to be hard to deal with."

She adds the district's plans could force her to move to another school district -- something that concerns another parent, Gary McDevitt.

"If they do that, it's going to further decline our enrollment, which is going to reduce our ability to maintain the school," McDevitt says.

Officials say the plan won't solve all of the district's budget problems. In some cases, schools have to be left open for community meetings and athletic events.

The first day of school for Prue is August tenth.

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