The Star recommends whether Independence should keep 4-day school week | Opinion

On Nov. 4, voters in Independence will decide if the school district’s four-day school week will continue for the next decade.

At the polls, Independence voters will be asked: “Shall the school board of Independence 30 School District adopt the provisions of Section 171.028, RSMo, establishing a four-day school week for the next ten years in the district of Independence?”

Last year, the Missouri General Assembly passed a law requiring voters to approve any four-day school calendars for 10 years. Citing the arbitrariness of that law, the Independence School District Board of Education sued the state and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Late last month, a judge rejected the district’s arguments that the law unfairly targets certain districts with restrictions not based on rational criteria, therefore allowing the public vote to proceed.

While we feel a shortened five-year window would be in the best interest of district patrons — with the high turnover rate of elected school boards, 10 years is a pretty long time for one board to enact such an impactful policy — we recommend a yes vote to uphold Independence’s four-day school week.

Teacher retention, student growth

Earlier this month, the ISD school board approved the release of a community note in support of the four-day week. The vote was 5-2, which voters should find encouraging.

There are plenty of other reasons for voters to support this extension, too. In December 2022, a time when a nationwide teacher shortage was felt in many metro-area school districts, the Independence school board approved a four-day school week to attract and retain teachers. During a time of rampant staff turnover, Independence’s switch from the five-day model has seemingly paid off.

Between the 2021-22 school year and last year, the teacher retention rate climbed from 81% to 90%, according to a fact sheet on the district’s website.

There’s more to support his model as the right one for the ISD: Over a three-year period beginning in 2021-22, teachers new to the district went from averaging 4.4 years of experience to 8.5 years, according to the district.

At least 78% of the new teachers surveyed said the calendar model impacted their decision to apply with the district, its website states.

And student achievement — perhaps the most important variable — hasn’t suffered either, according to district data. The ISD’s annual performance report, or APR, has grown from 70.1% in 2022 to 76.4% the following year to 80% in 2024. The APR is considered the state’s annual report card given to each school district in Missouri.

“We close the achievement gap,” interim Superintendent Cynthia Grant said during a recent school board meeting. “Growth data offers the truest reflection of learning over time. We’ve had stronger growth and teacher retention since the four-day week.”

It may be true that three years is not enough time to definitively say the four-day model has directly impacted increased APR scores — but we can’t discount the connection either.

Support for students

Other factors voters should consider before they head to the polls:

• “Fifth Day” options, such as child care and supportive resources, are available. However, full-day child care on Mondays cost between $30-$40 for kids pre-K to 8th grade, according to the district. Those costs could create a financial burden for some families already struggling to make ends meet.
• Students do not lose learning time because overall instructional time has remained the same, according to the district.
• With the model, there’s a slight increase in costs for transportation, keeping buildings open on some Mondays and to provide meals. We take into consideration children who might not receive meals except at school, and strongly suggest that the district figure out how to absorb those costs.

“The district views these additional costs as investments to make sure that fifth-day programming is fully supported and available for our students and families,” its website states.

Is the shortened class week the only answer? Perhaps not. At the board’s monthly meeting, Independence School Board treasurer Denise Fears admitted as much.

“Is four-day perfect?” Fears said. “Absolutely not. There are challenges. Child care for working parents, fatigue for students, food insecurity, to name a few.”

Fears added the district must continue to look for ways to ensure every learner succeeds “regardless of the number of days a week we offer school,” she said.

Nearly three years ago, the choice to adopt the current model was made by the school board. This time around, voters will have their say, which was probably the best route to take from the start.

Despite some minor concerns about the length of time this measure would be in place, we recommend a yes vote for the Independence School District’s four-day school week.