How will the four-day school week work in Independence? Here’s what we know
Earlier this week, Independence became the largest school district in Missouri — and the first one in the Kansas City area — to adopt a four-day school week.
District administrators have touted the new schedule as a way to attract and retain talented educators, ultimately improving educational outcomes for students.
While the idea has received support from some parents and teachers, others are concerned about how the new schedule will impact families without childcare options on the fifth day. Here’s what we know so far about how the four-day school week will play out.
What will the four-day week look like?
Under the new schedule, students will no longer attend school on Mondays, shortening the week to Tuesday through Friday. Each of these four days will be 35 minutes longer to maintain state standards of teaching time, the district wrote in a December FAQ.
Passing time and other school hours will be scaled up to match the longer school day. This includes a longer recess time at elementary schools, and no more early release days at the high schools.
What will the fifth day look like?
Monday’s lessons will be replaced by optional programming for students including academic support programs for students behind grade level, field trips, internships and special education support. Sports games and practices will continue on Mondays as usual.
Childcare will also be offered at a cost to parents, the district said. A graphic on the district’s website shows that under the new schedule, childcare on “fifth days” will cost $40 per day per child for children ages 3-5 and $30 per day per child for those in kindergarten through 8th grade.
“Enrichment opportunities will be offered on the Mondays in which staff does not have a professional development day or work day scheduled,” the district wrote.
Professional development days will happen once or twice a month, according to district materials.
Will the district provide meals and transportation to students on Mondays?
The district says it will provide meals on Mondays for students at select buildings throughout the district.
“We will not offer meals at every building on Mondays, but all ISD families and staff are welcome to eat at any site where meals are offered,” the district wrote.
Transportation to and from certain events will be provided on Mondays as well. These include academic support programs, sports games and practices and transportation to affiliated schools including Herndon Center and Summit Tech, which are outside the Independence school district and will not adopt the same four-day weeks.
The district is still figuring out certain details, and it’s unclear if transportation will be provided for some of the extracurricular activities on Mondays.
What does the public have to say about the plan?
The reaction to the new schedule has been mixed. Some teachers told the Independence School Board that they support the idea, while some parents had reservations about the amount of community input permitted in the decision process.
“Burnout is high. It’s high at the student level, high at the teacher level. It’s been exhausting,” Truman High School teacher Shelley Lauber told the board, urging them to “pioneer” the four-day week idea.
Around one quarter of Missouri school districts currently operate on a four-day schedule — although most of them are smaller and more rural than Independence.
Others raised concerns with the procedures and lack of transparency around the decision process, pointing to rules that prevent discussion of topics outside of meeting agendas.
“All of these policies, rules and practices limit participation, limit public comment and send the message to the public that our engagement is not wanted,” said parent Arthur Smith during Tuesday’s meeting.
Unlike most other metro area districts, Independence does not livestream or record its school board meetings. And unlike other districts, the district does not publicly provide detailed information related to items on school board agendas ahead of meetings.
The Star’s Sarah Ritter contributed reporting to this piece.
Do you have more questions or concerns about the new four-day school week schedule? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
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