Parson signs bill incentivizing five-day school week
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May 8—Four-day school weeks were rejected in St. Joseph, and a new bill signed by the governor may reduce the likelihood of the issue arising again any time soon.
Gov. Mike Parson signed Senate Bill 727 into law on Wednesday, addressing elementary and secondary education and incentivizing a five-day school week. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will give any school district with a five-day school week funding equal to 1% of its annual state aid entitlement for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, or 2% for 2028 and the following fiscal years.
The funds received by school districts will be used to help increase teacher salaries, which increased from a minimum of $25,000 to $40,000 as part of the bill. St. Joseph School Board President LaTonya Williams said she believes the bill has good intentions, but it is not enough to help teachers.
"Any additional aid is helpful, especially if we're able to use it for our teacher salaries and everything like that," she said. "Only it is not enough in order to give up our local control."
Williams was among the three members who voted for a four-day school week in February, which was rejected by the school board. Williams would still lean toward a four-day school week in the future, but she said the board is not interested in the issue at this time.
Regardless of what the board has to say, a future decision to make the change will require another step as part of the bill — a public election.
The bill text says a school board in a city with more than 30,000 residents may establish a four-day school week following a majority vote of the school board. But a measure will then have to be submitted to voters at the next date available for public elections.
"I think that the community and the voters need an input in the decisions of the school district," Williams said. "Although I believe that there are decisions in which at times the administration and the district need the leeway in order to look at all of the information involved, in order to decide to do what is best on that district."
