Board approves one extra AMI day and reduces student days to 169 to preserve May 30 closing

The Lee's Summit R‑VII Board of Education voted to amend the 2024–25 academic calendar to recognize up to six inclement‑weather AMI days and to reduce required student attendance from 170 days to 169 so the last day remains May 30.

Dr. Buck, the district superintendent, told the board that recent guidance from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) allowed more flexibility on AMI calculations and confirmed the district had used six AMI days this winter. He said the requested change was intended to keep the last student day on May 30 and to preserve staff contract days. “So we're asking you to forgive a student day, so that way the last day of school can remain May 30 as of now,” Dr. Buck said during the discussion.

Board materials explained the technical basis: some DESE guidance allows districts to count up to six AMI days at a simplified hourly calculation even if a regular school day would run longer. The superintendent's office also noted how federal and state attendance‑hour rules interact with Senate Bill 727's incentive (a 1% funding bonus tied to a 169‑day calendar), and the district cited an estimated 1% value of about $650,000 as context for that choice. The board approved a motion to amend calendar policy language for this year and to ratify the sixth AMI day.

Why it matters: The change aims to avoid extending the academic year into June while preserving instructional hours and staff contract obligations after an unusually severe winter that produced multiple missed days.

Next steps: The board ratified the calendar adjustments for 2024–25 and directed staff to conduct normal policy review before making any permanent policy changes in future years.

Provenance: The calendar proposal, background briefing, and vote appear under agenda item 8.01 in the meeting transcript.