Southern Boone County School Board to vote on four-day school week proposal
Jazsmin Halliburton
ASHLAND, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Southern Boone County R-I School District Board of Education will make its decision Monday on a possible four-day school week.
The district has been discussing a potential shift to a four-day school week, starting with the 2026–27 academic year.
Under the proposal, students would attend school 7:50 a.m.-3:25 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, extending each day by 30-40 minutes. The district would eliminate the current early-release Wednesdays, and one Monday each month would be set aside for staff professional development. Remaining Mondays would function as off-days, allowing families to schedule appointments without students missing class.
In a community forum held by the district last month, people raised concerns about how parents would handle childcare for younger students on Mondays. Other concerns raised during the forum included whether students would be overwhelmed by longer school days and how those involved in extracurricular activities would manage homework if practices and sporting events pushed them home later in the evening.
The school board claims the biggest reason for a potential switch would be to help recruit and retain quality teachers as it tries to compete with larger districts like Columbia Public Schools.
A final proposal will be presented to the board before the formal vote, according to the district’s website. The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. at the district building, 5275 West Red Tail Drive.