KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Independence. Share your story idea with Claire.
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Independence School District voters will decide Tuesday whether to keep the district's 4-day school week for the next 10 years, a schedule the district has used for the past three school years.
A May 2024 state law targeted ISD, requiring districts of 30,000 or more people to put any calendar change from a five to four day week up for a public vote.
The school district originally made this calendar move to attract and retain high-quality staff. The district claims it works, with teacher retention up nearly 10% at 90.8%. It is also the only district in the area to achieve a state rating of on target or exceeding in every grade and subject.
Dr. Cindy Grant, Independence School District interim superintendent, said the 4-day week has attracted more experienced teachers.
"New to the district teachers prior to the four day, where our average years of experience was right around 4.4 years of experience prior to the four day. And then this, this new crop of teachers that were new to the district, average years of experience 8.5," Grant said.
Parents are divided on the issue.
Danielle Dupree, a parent of a special needs ISD student voting yes, supports the current schedule. While Dupree isn't an ISD employee, her nonprofit shares a building with the district. She said she has seen positive changes in staff attitude, but the biggest impact is with her child.
"I'm voting yes on Tuesday. The first reason, and my biggest reason, is just, I don't feel that the state should override what we elected our officials to do. I don't like that at all. And then it also, it just works for our family, our kiddo. School doesn't come easy for him, but on Mondays, he's able to go catch up if he needs to. He can look at he can go through his modules at his own pace," Dupree said.
Robert Saak, a parent of special needs ISD students voting no, opposes the 4-day week. Saak feels children need structure and said his own children struggle with longer school days.
"Being off that Monday is still very difficult. We have several kids that need routine. They need the structure of the every day," Saak said. "For Tuesday, my vote is going to be no and it's a very divisive topic. Lots of people, lots of my friends, are in favor of it. Lots of political things have been pulled in. For me, it's about the kids and what is best for the students and their test scores, their ability to learn, I feel like they need to be in school as much as possible, and that five days is what they need.
The district does offer Monday alternatives, such as Kids Safari and college-credit classes for high schoolers, along with transportation.
If the ballot measure doesn't pass Tuesday, the district will have to transition back to a 5-day week next school year.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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