The Ralls County R-II School Board approved moving from a traditional five day school week to a Four Day School Week for the the 2022-2023 school year. The school day will be about 35 minutes longer and there will be 156 student days compared to the current 166 days. The topic was discussed briefly about three years ago when nearby Community R-VI and VanFar saw success with employee recruitment. Recently, the topic was discussed at the November and December Board of Education meetings then posted as a decision item for the January regular meeting.
The next step is to develop a calendar draft. The draft will be shared with employees and a TAB committee comprised of 2 teachers, 2 building administrators and 2 board members will compare all comments and make adjustments for a calendar to present to the Board of Education in February for viewing/discussion. In March, the calendar will be a decision item. Once approved, the calendar will be publicly shared.
There are over 100 public schools in Missouri utilizing a Four Day School Week. This is 20% of the total schools. The following Did You Know was shared with parents in early January followed by a survey question to gauge their preference.
Did you know our current calendar includes 37 weeks, 11 of those weeks do not have five student school days?
Did you know a Five Day School Week and a Four Day School Week include the SAME hours over the course of a school year?
Did you know 20% of Missouri’s public schools are using a Four Day School Week, 118 total schools?
Did you know the school day length could be increased by approximately 30 minutes for a Four Day School Week?
Did you know we are committed to ensuring our students continue to have all of the opportunities available to them including Tech Center, extra curricular activities and athletics?
Did you know staff will participate in professional development one Monday per month?
Did you know we are committed to employing high quality educators, a Four Day School Week could offer additional opportunities for recruitment and retention?
Did you know that the following schools in the area have a Four Day School Week: Clopton, Community R-VI, Elsberry, Marion County, Montgomery County, North Callaway, Van-Far, Wellsville-Middletown?
290 responses
70.7% - 205 prefer a Four Day Week
29.3% - 85 prefer a Five Day Week