Three Jefferson County school districts, Grandview R-2, Sunrise R-9 and Crystal City, will be required to ask voters if they may continue to operate with four-day school weeks.
Gov. Mike Parson signed an omnibus school bill on May 7, and part of the bill requires districts in charter counties or cities with more than 30,000 residents to seek voter approval before moving to a four-day week.
Mallory McGowin, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) chief communications officer, said districts that already have four-day school weeks also will need to hold a public vote before July 1, 2026, to continue operating under that schedule during the 2026-2027 school year.
She said a simple majority vote would allow a school district to continue operating under a four-day school week for 10 years, and after that, another public vote would be required by law.
Grandview has had a four-day school week since the 2019-2020 school year, and Superintendent Matt Zoph said he believes district residents will vote to remain on that schedule.
He said the Board of Education will decide when to place the question on a ballot, but he expects the measure would be on the April 2025 ballot.
“That is my guess,” Zoph said. “I haven’t talked in detail with the board about it.”
School districts will have to pay for the elections to be held asking voters to go to or continue four-day school weeks.
The Sunrise School District has had a four-day schedule since the 2019-2020 school year, and the election cost is another expense districts will have to deal with, Superintendent Armand Spurgin said.
According to DESE, 143 school districts in the state have a four-day schedule.
“I think having the vote in districts that are already doing it is kind of silly,” Spurgin said. “If it is something we have to do, it is what we have to do. I think our community members will vote for it. In the years we have been doing it, I have received nothing but positive comments on it.”
Crystal City Superintendent Crystal Reiter said she believes the district will hold an election before the July 2026 deadline so it can continue with its four-day schedule, which it has operated under since the 2020-2021 school year.
“Because we have been doing this, I don’t foresee Crystal City having to worry about our public not quite understanding what we are asking them to vote for, and I am not worried about it not passing,” she said. “I think this is harder for people who are on a four-day and their community doesn’t like it, or they haven’t gone to a four-day yet and the community doesn’t quite understand how it will play out.”
Fox C-6 School District officials have talked about the possibility of switching to a four-day week, and Superintendent Paul Fregeau said the required vote will need to be factored into the decision.
Fregeau has said the earliest the district would make the switch to a four-day week would be the 2025-2026 school year.
He also has said the district is considering the change as a cost savings measure, estimating that it could save the district between $2.5 million and $3.5 million a school year.
“It may provide more value and buy-in if (a vote is held),” he said. “That will be one factor in our consideration.”
Fox officials must factor in public vote if district adopts four-day week
Fox C-6 School District officials have a new factor to consider while deciding whether to switch to a four-day school week.
Gov. Mike Parson signed Senate Bill 727 on May 7 that has a provision requiring school districts in charter counties or cities with more than 30,000 residents to hold a vote before they can change to a four-day school week. That provision would take effect July 1, 2026, and would require a simple majority of district residents to make the change, according to the bill.
Fox Superintendent Paul Fregeau has said the earliest the district would switch to a four-day school week would be for the 2025-2026 school year.
If the district were to make the change at that time, then it would still have to ask residents to vote to allow the district to continue operating with a four-day school week before the start of the 2026-2027 school year, said Mallory McGowin, DESE chief communication officer.
“A majority vote to continue four-day school weeks would allow the district to continue implementing that calendar provision for 10 years, at which time another public vote would be required by law,” she said.
Fregeau said the required vote will need to be factored into the decision about the possible switch.
“It may provide more value and buy-in if (a vote is held),” he said. “That will be one factor in our consideration.”
If Fox were to move to a four-day week, it would join three school districts in Jefferson County that already have four-day school weeks – Grandview R-2, Sunrise R-9 and Crystal City.
The Grandview district adopted the four-day week in the 2020-2021 school year, and Superintendent Matt Zoph said he believes district residents will vote to remain on that schedule.
“I think (the four-day week) is supported pretty heavily in the district,” he said. “I don’t see the public wanting to change. They may surprise me, but I don’t see that coming. It is pretty much ingrained since this is our fourth year.”
Fregeau said Fox also will need to consider the additional provision in the bill that provides an incentive for districts that have a five-day school week and at least 169 school days during a school year. Districts with a four-day week schedule are required to have 142 school days.
Regardless of the number of days a school district has, it must require students to attend school for a total of 1,044 hours each year.
The bill says districts with five-day school weeks will receive 1 percent additional state funding in 2026 and 2027 and, starting in 2028, districts will receive an additional 2 percent in state funding. However, the additional money must be used to increase teachers’ salaries.
Fregeau said he has not determined whether keeping a five-day week would offset the potential savings of moving to a four-day week.
He has said the district is considering the switch to a four-day week as a cost savings measure and estimates a savings between $2.5 million and $3.5 million by making the change.
“Whatever plans we put in place for that funding, I would like the public to know it is subject to (state) appropriation (for school funding),” he said. “Everything with school funding is subject to the state providing funds. That will be something we have to be very careful with as we plan.”
Senate Bill 727 also requires school districts to pay teachers a minimum salary of $40,000 for the next school year and requires up to a 3 percent pay increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) every year after that.
Feedback
The Fox district held a series of public meetings earlier this year to provide information about the possible switch to a four-day week and collect feedback about the idea.
The district also had students in grades six through 12, Fox district parents and staff members complete a survey about the possible switch.
Fregeau reviewed the survey responses during the May 7 board meeting, and those results are posted on the four-day school week page of the district’s website, foxc6.org.
Among teachers, 61.1 percent said they either somewhat (20.3 percent) or completely (40.8 percent) supported a four-day week, and 23.8 percent somewhat (12.7 percent) or completely (11.1 percent) opposed the move.
Among students, 63 percent said they either somewhat (19 percent) or completely (44 percent) supported a four-day week, and 29 percent somewhat (11 percent) or completely (18 percent) opposed the move.
The parent group had a slim majority opposing the move. Among the respondents, 52.5 percent somewhat (13.1) or completely (39.4) opposed a four-day week and 35.3 either somewhat (11.1) or completely (24.2) supported the move.
“I was expecting that (parents) would be opposed,” Fregeau said. “(A four-day week would) change how they operate as a family. I understand why more would be opposed at this time than supportive.”
The most concerning aspect of a four-day school week among all the groups was the longer school day. Fox officials said school days would likely be 40 minutes longer if the district switches to a four-day week.
The district said 37.6 percent of teachers, 31.7 percent of parents and 32 percent of students listed longer school days as their top concern.
Fregeau said the additional time most likely would be added to the end of a school day, but that could be adjusted depending on the number of bus drivers.
“If we gain more bus drivers, it will not necessarily have to be at the end of the day,” he said. “We may be able to add time at the start of the day and less at the end, if we have more drivers.”
He also has said Fox officials may consider closing an elementary school building to cut costs, and the district plans to hold a series of meetings on that topic during the 2024-2025 school year.