KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.
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School districts in Missouri could have money riding on their decision to call a snow day after a new law went into effect this school year.
Senate Bill 727 addressed several education-related topics. It set a new minimum term for the school year at 1,044 hours spread out over at least 169 days for districts using the five-day week. The state previously measured the year in hours only.
Beginning this school year, districts that reach the hours and day requirements will receive an additional 1 percent in their budget from the state the following year.
That bonus must go toward increasing salaries for teachers.
Districts get 36 hours of alternative method of instruction days. These AMI days are essentially virtual or remote learning days. Those 36 hours count toward both the days and hours benchmarks.
If districts exhaust all 36 AMI hours, call additional snow days and want to hit the 169 day benchmark, they can add school days to the end of the calendar or change a professional development day later in the semester into a traditional school day.
Kansas requires schools be in session 1,116 hours and 186 days for most students. The state forgives days and hours for some snow days.
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