LOUISIANA, Mo. — The Louisiana school board approved unanimously Monday night to move forward with the four-day school weeks beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.

Louisiana Superintendent Dr. Todd Smith said the vote on Monday night was really a culmination of a year’s worth of research which included pulling numbers, talking with the community and talking with teachers. He added the motivation behind the switch all along has been to be more competitive when it comes to recruiting teachers.

“Our whole intention going into this was to make us more attractive to teachers coming out of universities right now,” added Dr. Smith. “Competition for teachers is heating up in a big way and we feel like with all the districts around us with that same calendar, we’ll at least stay competitive when it comes to attracting teachers.”

The adjustment to the students will be an additional 45 minutes added to the days in session. Different scheduling options are still being explored and once a final decision has been made, the community will be notified. However, Dr. Smith explained a little time may be added to the beginning of the day, but the bulk could be added to the end of the school day.

When any school makes the shift from five days to four, daycare on that off day is the biggest concern for parents. Dr. Smith said the district has been working with local organizations to possibly help in that area. He also added that when it comes to the hourly employees of the school district, their pay will remain relatively the same, hours and shifts have been adjusted.

Stay tuned to Eagle 102 and kjfmradio.com for more information as it becomes available.