Campbell R-II Schools consider four-day weeks amid teacher shortage crisis

CAMPBELL, Mo. - Add another area school district to the perpetual list of those possibly transitioning from five-day academic weeks to four.

On the heels of Tuesday's 4-3 vote at Kennett to begin four-day weeks in the 2025-2026 school year, Campbell R-II Schools might be headed in the same direction.

The Campbell R-II Board of Education's January meeting drew a crowd of interested parents, teachers and community members who heard from Campbell Schools Superintendent Ben Foster, who led the conversation regarding the proposed switch.

After general housekeeping, including how, where and when to invest more than $1M, Foster opened up about the issue.

"What we're all here for," he said.

The superintendent's eye-opening presentation was packed with information that revealed student performance suffered negligibly, about half a percentage point, among students whose academic weeks were a day shorter, but an hour or more longer, than those who studied in traditional five-day academic weeks.

He touched on national numbers, like the shocking decrease in educators graduating from university, and the ever-shrinking pool from which to hire qualified teachers.

"For the State of Missouri, we've seen a 44 percent decrease in the number of teacher preparation program enrollees," he said. "In Arkansas, 48.9 percent and in Tennessee, 46 percent.

"According to Pew Research, in 1970 a bachelor's degree in education was the number one degree given out by universities," he continued. "In 2011, it fell and it was ranked fifth. In 2021, it was ranked number 10."

Further, Foster said the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education posited 178 school districts of the reported 565 districts opted out of five-day weeks and into four-day learning models.

Foster said the change would be a proactive measure aimed to address the issue of the shrinking number of candidates willing to locate to rural communities when teaching positions become available.

And, he said he could forsee 10 educators at Campbell schools retiring or moving on in coming years.

As an indicator, Kennett Schools Supt. Dr. Richie Leeker reported the district in December 2024 accepted the resignation of nine teachers and terminated employment of one.

"Looking at area schools who are on four day as of the 2024-2025 school year, we have Neelyville, Twin Rivers, Malden, Holcomb, Delta C-7, Southland, Hayti, North Pemiscot, and Bernie and East Prairie are on hybrid schedules," Foster said.

Some confusion with that "hybrid schedule" definition exists, but Foster said he thought Bernie and East Prairie students attend classes five days during one week and four the week after, and those weeks alternate.

After his lengthy presentation, Foster opened the floor for questions and discussion.

One parent said he thought students were graduating with less than acceptable business and life skills already, compared to students in China, and a modification from five-day to four-day learning seems to be an additional setback.

Another said culture differences must be added to the equation to qualify that as a shortcoming with respect to American education.

Foster noted most teachers at Campbell schools either graduated from that district or lived at Campbell and are reluctant to relocate.

A teacher who lives at Kennett but who commutes to Campbell, and who has taught at Malden in the past, said after the meeting that she prefers her own arrangement, and wouldn't dream of leaving the Campbell School District whether it remained a five-day district or reconstructs to a four-day week.

"It's about the kids," she said.

There are 554 students served at Campbell's pre-K -12 district, according to online sources.

The decision comes to a vote at the board's Feb. 26 meeting, Foster said.