Taking into account the feedback it received from a diverse committee, the Wright City R-II School Board approved the 2018-19 calendar through a 6-1 vote during its monthly board meeting on Jan. 23.Following a lengthy discussion, Board President Austin Jones was the only member to oppose the starting date of Aug. 9. Others voiced concerns about it being too early to begin classes, with possible interferences to vacations or the Missouri State Fair.R-II Superintendent Dr. David Buck says a committee consisting of certified and classified staff from all buildings provided input on their preferred start date.“I advocated for Aug. 16,” said Buck. “Everyone else was overwhelmingly for Aug. 9. That date gives them a better chance to have a break between the end of the regular school year and the beginning of summer school.”Buck says another concern is being done with summer school in time for the county fair. If the district started later in order to accommodate the state fair, the compromise would be going to school during the county fair.“Ultimately, in looking at those options, we have more kids involved in the county fair than we do at the state fair level,” said Buck.He says an exemption will continue to stand as in the past for students who are exhibiting or actively a part of the state fair and miss school.“If you’re not at school, because you’re at the state fair, you’re not counted absent,” said Buck. “That’s always been the case since I can remember, because we’ll have kids who are welding or showing.”In addressing how much the early start date might impact attendance — and subsequently the district’s APR (Annual Performance Report) score, Buck says the past has been a positive indicator. Last year the district began on Aug. 10 and had over 96-percent attendance the first two days.Buck says another reason to start earlier is to keep the number of days in each semester as close to even as possible. The 2018-19 school year is slated to have 175 days, with 87 in the first semester and 88 in the second. The last day of classes will be May 20.“Classes that are a semester long at the high school, the closer you can keep those to even the fairer it is for students and teachers,” said Buck. “We try to keep them as equal as possible.”Holiday winter break will be from Dec. 21 through Jan. 2, while spring break is from March 18-22. The district has four built-in snow days.Wright City School District logo