Voters in the Sunrise R-9 School District will be asked to approve an Aug. 4 ballot measure to return to a four-day week after the coming school year.
The measure requires a simple majority to pass. The district, which is located west of De Soto, serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, with most of its eighth-grade graduates going to De Soto High School.
The district had been using a four-day week system since the 2019-2020 school year, but due to what Sunrise officials have described as a lapse, they missed the deadline to meet state regulations to put the issue before voters for the 2026-2027 school year. Therefore, the district will use a five-day schedule for at least that year.
“Yes, (the four-day week) would start the year after this year,” said Tiffany Mosier, the Sunrise principal for grades fourth through eighth. “It was an oversight. Based on Senate Bill 727, it had to be approved by July 1 for the following school year. We did not make the deadline for the April ballot, which would be our last opportunity to do that. It was an oversight, bottom line.”
The measure labeled Sunrise R-IX Four-Day School Week on the Jefferson County Aug. 4 sample ballot states “Shall the school board of Sunrise R-IX adopt the provisions of section 171.028, RSMo, establishing a four-day school week for the next 10 years in the district of Sunrise R-IX?”
Mosier said Sunrise families in general have welcomed the four-day school week system.
“I think what we have heard from our families is that four-day has been a huge positive feature,” she said. “It seems like people in the community are supporting this. I think it has been overwhelmingly positive for the four-day.
“I think the families appreciate that additional day with their children, and it also kind of allows us to do some different community events that the five-day kind of restricts us from doing. Obviously, we focus on academic benefits, but I think the community piece has just been huge. It allows for our families to be more involved with us.”
She said the four-day week system also is a selling point for the district to attract and retain teachers.
“Teacher retention is a challenge,” she said. “It’s a huge piece anywhere you go. However, with a smaller district, there has to be certain perks to entice people, and a four-day work week is one of those.”
Now, Sunrise voters will decide if the district will get the permission it needs to return to a four-day week for the next decade.
“I think the most important part about it is the opportunity for the community – the school community – to vote on this and decide on if a four- or a five-day is right for them,” Mosier said. “That’s the most important part. I think they ultimately need their voice heard, and I’m hoping they get out and vote.”
She said she is not aware of any organized opposition to the ballot measure.
The district serves approximately 340 students and has a staff of about 60 (teachers and support personnel), she said.
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