Washington school superintendents are pushing for a shorter school year as a budget fix.

The Daily Herald reports ( http://bit.ly/v8DFQr) that in letters and meetings, educators are telling lawmakers that taking a week off the calendar spreads any budget cut more fairly than other money-saving proposals such as reducing state aid to rural or property-poor districts.

School leaders also contend that after three years of diluting programs as state dollars declined, going to a shorter year may stem any further erosion.

There's been talk about a shorter school year the past couple of legislative sessions.

Washington is not the first to consider this path. California, for example, dropped from 180 days to 175 days in 2009, then decided earlier this year to let financially challenged districts teach as few as 168 days.

Other states, such as Oregon, allowed districts to go to a four-day school week.

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Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com