Four-day school week

Independence adopted the shorter school week two years ago to attract and retain more teachers. More than 61% of voters decided on Tuesday that the school district can continue its four-day week.

The Independence board of education first approved a four-day school week in December 2022 to help recruit and retain teachers amid a chronic shortage across the state. Whether the district can keep its shortened week, though, will be decided by voters on Tuesday.

A new Missouri law requires certain school districts to get voter approval to start or continue the four-day week. The Independence School District, which is by far the state's largest district on the shortened week, will put the issue before voters on Nov. 4.

With more school districts adopting a four-day school week, educators and parents are grappling with a question that isn’t easy to answer: What trade-offs come with a shortened school week, and are those trade-offs worth it? It depends who you ask.

A new Missouri law requires the school district to get voter approval to continue the four-day week. But whether Independence voters will weigh in on keeping the shorter schedule may depend on the outcome of a lawsuit the school district filed against the state.

Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick criticized the Independence school district for spending money on a lawsuit attempting to overturn a requirement for a public vote on the four-day school week.

The Midwest Newsroom is examining the effect that shorter school weeks are having in communities across Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. We invite you to share your opinion using the form in this article.