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Wichita School Board Votes To Return To Longer School Year

Alex Starr
/
flickr Creative Commons

Updated 9:21 a.m.

Wichita’s school board on Monday unanimously approved a new 190-day school year -- 15 days longer than the current calendar.

It's a return to the old calendar, which board members shortened in 2016 to save the district $3 million a year.

Superintendent Alicia Thompson says she's heard negative comments from parents about the shorter schedule, with some saying losing 15 days of instruction "was a huge disadvantage for kids of every age."

The longer calendar was part of negotiations with Wichita’s teachers union.

The first day of school will be Aug. 15, a week earlier than the previous year. The year would also end a week later, on May 23.

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Stephan Bisaha is an education reporter for KMUW’s Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KMUW, Kansas Public Radio, KCUR and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. Follow him on Twitter @SteveBisaha.