Southern Boone School Board votes to table four-day school week; five day schedule to continue for 2026-27

In a unanimous decision Monday evening, the Southern Boone School Board tabled the consideration of a four-day school week for the 2026-2027 school year. The board will continue conducting research and gathering community input to determine if it will implement the change in the future.

Students will continue to attend school five days a week for the 2026-2027 school year.

Superintendent Tim Roth said the district began exploring a four-day calendar as a way to improve teacher recruitment and retention.

Roth said the district’s position between Columbia and Jefferson City, large cities with tax bases that support higher teacher salaries and that do not face the revenue constraints Southern Boone faces, makes it difficult for the district to recruit and retain certified teachers.

Thirty-eight percent of school districts within a 50-mile radius of Southern Boone have already adopted the calendar, including Hallsville, Harrisburg and New Bloomfield. In November, 75% of Hallsville residents voted to reapprove the four-day school week, which the school board had initially adopted in 2022.

Around 20 community members attended Monday night’s meeting to observe the vote.

According to the most recent survey data provided by the district, 45% of parent respondents stated that the four-day school week would have no benefit for their family, and 52% indicated that it would have a negative impact on their family. There were 910 responses to the parent survey.

Although anecdotal reports from nearby districts using a four-day school week indicate the change significantly improved teacher recruitment, there is limited “hard data” or research that quantifiably proves the calendar impacts recruitment or retention.

The board has previously acknowledged the existing limitations of research about the impact of a four-day school week. School Board President Amy Begemann said in November the questions unanswered by research or studies made her “apprehensive to move one way or the other.”

Begemann said there is uncertainty surrounding the future of Missouri’s Foundation Formula, which is how the state calculates the amount of revenue it sends to each district. The formula is currently in the hands of a task force assigned by Gov. Mike Kehoe to review and cut its expenditures.

She also cited Senate Bill 727, which provides districts with financial incentives to remain on a five-day calendar, as another factor in the decision to wait.

Begemann also said the board felt there are “insufficient data points at this time,” making it difficult to “fully understand the impact of the four-day school week.”

Before the vote, Superintendent Tim Roth noted the diligent work the committee had done to gather information, consult with researchers, experts and administrators, and consider community input while exploring the calendar option.

Moving forward, Begemann noted that any decision the board made, “will be informed, sustainable, and in the best interests of students, staff, and the community,” and tabling the decision also gives the board “the opportunity to explore additional strategies for improving overall teacher compensation.”

“The Board emphasized that this approach ensures any decision made will be informed, sustainable, and in the best interest of students, staff, and the community,” Begemann said in a news release from the district. “We appreciate all communication in person or via email that was shared with the Board to help inform our decision.”