The Independence School District is a step closer to giving voters the chance to weigh in on the four-day school week.
The school district’s board of education on Thursday approved language for the Nov. 4 ballot, allowing the district to submit it to election offices by the Aug. 26 deadline.
A Missouri law passed last year requires larger school districts to get voter approval to implement a four-day week. Beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, Independence will need that approval to keep its four-day schedule.
But whether residents will actually vote on the issue in November may depend on the outcome of a lawsuit the district filed last fall that could overturn the state law, which it argues is unconstitutional.
Board member Denise Fears said at Thursday’s meeting that the decision to approve the ballot language comes as the school district is in the middle of those legal proceedings.
“My understanding on these legal proceedings is basically not that we are against voting by any means, but trying to make sure that it is done appropriately for Missouri law, and making sure that it is fair to all Missourians,” Fears said.
Interim Superintendent Cindy Grant said at Thursday’s meeting that if the school district prevails in its lawsuit, it would work with the Jackson County and Kansas City election boards to remove the question from the ballot.
If ballots have already been printed at that point, Grant said the district would be on the hook for those costs. Grant said if the district doesn’t win its lawsuit, it will work with legal counsel on next steps.
“If we do have to have it (the four-day week) voted on, we'll be ready to go with the approval of this language,” Grant said.
Grant said the district anticipates a ruling on the lawsuit by the end of August.
Largest Missouri school district with a four-day week
Nearly a third of the state’s school districts participated in a four-day week in the 2024-25 school year, but the majority are small and in rural areas.
Independence is by far the largest Missouri school district to choose to hold classes only four days a week. Officials hoped the change would help recruit and retain teachers and staff amid an ongoing shortage.
Applications skyrocketed after it made the switch, and a study found nearly two-thirds of teachers who applied that first year said the change was one of their top three priorities.
But the shortened week also drew scrutiny from lawmakers who worried about families without child care on the extra day off and constituents who didn’t feel their voice was heard when the school district made the switch.
State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick launched an unprompted audit into the Independence School District in May because of its four-day school week and because it’s one of the state’s larger school districts — not because of complaints from residents.
Fitzpatrick announced on Monday that the school district is well managed with “only minor issues that need to be addressed.” The audit found issues with some schools’ handling of cash, violations of the state’s open-meetings laws and the district’s records management and retention policy.
District leaders said they’re already working to address the concerns identified by the audit.
Fitzpatrick also criticized district leadership for spending taxpayer money on the lawsuit aimed at blocking the state law requiring voter approval for the four-day school week.
“This decision has massive implications for families who rely on the district to provide an education for their children,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “Attempting to deny them an opportunity to have their voices heard at the ballot box is a concerning decision by the district. While the lawsuit has not been resolved, it is noted in our audit."
The school district argues in the lawsuit that the law is unconstitutional because it doesn't apply to all of the state’s school districts. It also says money would be diverted from classrooms to pay for elections.
Grant told KCUR on Monday that she appreciates the work the auditor’s office has done, but the four-day week has been successful.
“It's creating a lot of noise and somewhat taking our focus off of the kids,” Grant said of the litigation. "We want to turn that back around and be back and focus on the kids and what's going on in the classrooms, and that has to be our priority. And we want to move forward.”
