The Kearney R‑I Board of Education voted to approve the 2026–27 academic calendar, a draft that provides 172 student days, 182 teacher contract days and 1,107.5 instructional hours, meeting DESE’s 1,044-hour requirement.

Board member (speaker 5) moved to adopt the calendar and speaker 3 seconded. During discussion trustees asked about the calendar’s later start and end dates and whether the district would still rely on alternative methods during inclement weather. A presenter said the draft adds two student days (taken from the Monday and Tuesday before the Thanksgiving break) so the district would be less likely to use AMI days for makeups, while teachers would still have contract days on those occasions.

The board’s approval completes a step the district says is needed to align with state requirements and give families and staff a clear schedule for the coming school year. The calendar committee solicited feedback and presented options before the board vote; public comment on the calendar was limited and trustees said they would continue to monitor reactions as the year proceeds.

The board will adopt the finalized calendar and publish it with upcoming district communications; the calendar approval was part of tonight’s routine consent and action items.