By Emmanuel T. Erediano
emmanuel@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
THE Public School System will implement a reduced austerity measure on Jan. 11, 2026, restoring one of the Mondays previously removed in November and December 2025 following the enactment of the revised fiscal year 2026 budget.
In a memorandum on Wednesday, Education Commissioner Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho informed all PSS stakeholders that the work schedule for all employees, including classroom teachers, will increase from 64 to 72 hours per week beginning Jan. 11.
This outcome was made possible by federal contingency resources, which mitigated the impact of a deeper and longer austerity for PSS.
Under the new schedule, “austerity Mondays” will occur every non-payday week. Before the FY 2026 budget, which allocated $36.2 million to PSS, the system had implemented a 64-hour work week with no Monday classes at all schools.
For example, Jan. 12, 2026, will be an austerity Monday. Since Jan. 19 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, classes will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Jan. 26 will be another austerity Monday, while Feb. 2 will be a regular school day. The alternating schedule will continue through the rest of the school year.
“We remain hopeful that our leaders will continue to identify solutions to further increase our PSS budget,” Camacho said. “Should additional funding be appropriated, we will reassess our operations with the goal of further reducing austerity measures.”
In the meantime, he added, the PSS federal program office, in collaboration with school leaders, “is exploring opportunities to offer student support and academic enrichment programs at school sites on austerity Mondays. This will provide students with additional well-rounded learning opportunities. More information and guidance on these programs will be provided at a later date.”
Camacho stressed that, along with the Board of Education, he and the PSS leadership team “continue to advocate on behalf of our students, educators, and staff while working collaboratively with our leaders to secure the best possible outcome for our school system.”
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
