Cape, Jackson schools face school-year changes, result of new state law

A new Missouri law, which will push back the start of classes in August beginning next year, has local school districts looking at how to adjust their schedules to the new calendar.

Schools currently can start as early as 10 days before the first Monday in September. Under the new law, schools won’t be able to start classes earlier than 14 days before Labor Day.

Both the Jackson and Cape Girardeau school districts typically start classes in mid-August. But the new law will force school districts to wait until late August to start school.

In 2020, that means the school year can’t begin until Aug. 24, Jackson schools superintendent John Link said Friday.

Cape Girardeau schools superintendent Neil Glass said that could result in students having to take final exams after they return from Christmas break.

But Link said the Jackson district “will probably not push our finals back after Christmas. I just think it is unfair for the kids taking it.”

He added, “Very few students I know are taking their books home and studying over Christmas break.”

Rather than schedule exams after Christmas break, Link said the Jackson district likely will have a shorter first semester and a longer second semester.

Under this schedule, Jackson may have an 80-day fall semester and a 90 or 92 days in the spring semester, Link said.

Glass said the Cape Girardeau School District may end up adopting a similar schedule.

Otherwise, middle school, junior high and high school students will have to take exams immediately after Christmas break, he said.

Glass said the district’s calendar committee will look at how best to draw up the school year. The committee will make a recommendation this fall that will be voted on by the district’s teachers.

“We are not going to decide something from the superintendent’s office without the input of the teachers,” Glass said.

Both Link and Glass said school districts will benefit from a change in how the state calculates state aid. It will be based on school hours, not school days, Link said.

Glass said the state has reduced the number of “student contact days” or school days by five, cutting it from 174 days to 169 days.

Schools must provide 1,044 hours of instruction.

Link said delaying the start of school until late August will force Jackson and other school districts to start the school year with a full five days of classes rather than a shortened week as is currently the case.

“So if we choose to start on a Monday, it makes for a real long first week of school for the teachers and the students,” he said.

Glass said while scheduling a shorter first semester is “workable,” it limits the number of professional development days for teachers.

Link said, “There are some days throughout the school year that we like to use for professional development that we may have to use for school days to get out before Memorial Day.”

He added that is “the big kicker. We don’t want to go past Memorial Day.”

As a result, Link said, Jackson schools may have to schedule some professional development days in the summer, which would be an added expense for the district.

Teachers are paid under a nine-month contract.

“If we require them to be at school in July, we would have to pay them an hourly rate,” Link said.

The new law is designed to help the tourism industry by giving families an extra week for summer vacations.

Glass said he hopes the law will work for both the tourism industry and public schools.

“If it doesn’t work, we can always fix it,” he said.

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