CPS nears limit on AMI days as Mid-Missouri districts work around snowy winter
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia Public Schools was among several Mid-Missouri districts to announce a shift to remote learning or class cancellations due to forecasted snowfall for Wednesday.
After Wednesday, CPS will have just one remaining Alternative Method of Instruction day before it would need to extend the school year.
Missouri law requires public school districts and charter schools to provide a minimum of 1,044 instructional hours annually, but due to a string of winter storms that peppered much of mid-Missouri in January, many schools have burned through their snow days.
New state legislation mandates that public and charter school calendars include both the 1,044 instructional hours and a minimum of 169 school days. CPS spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark said in a release that the district’s initial 2024 calendar exceeded 1,044 hours, but because it was created in 2023, it did not meet the 169-day requirement and needed revision.
In December, CPS announced the implementation of AMI days, aligning with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s incentive program under Senate Bill 727, which defines a "school term" as 169 days. Under state guidelines, schools must account for a minimum of 36 make-up hours --equivalent to five days -- which can be added to the end of the school year, if needed.
To manage snow days, districts typically build a set number into their academic calendars, providing flexibility to keep the schedule on track. AMI days help minimize the need for in-person make-up days by counting toward the required 36 make-up hours. However, Missouri allows only 36 hours of AMI learning; any additional cancellations beyond that threshold require in-person make-up days.
Baumstark says CPS will use up to 36 hours of AMI learning. Those hours are utilized as early release days. However, if CPS has to use another AMI day after Wednesday, then additional time will need to be made up which could result in the extension of the school year, the email says.
Like CPS, Moberly Public Schools is using its allotted AMI days during inclement weather. Moberly School District spokeswoman Cristina Wright said the district has reserved dates within the school calendar as makeup days, if it exceed its five allotted AMI days. However, Wright added while the district prefers in-person learning, it wants to use up the AMI days because reclaiming days that were initially marked as off and adding school days to the end of the year result in “very low attendance.”
Other districts have held off on using AMI learning.
Southern Boone County R-1 School utilized its traditional snow days that were built into its 2024-25 district calendar during the stretch of winter storms in January. District spokesman Matt Sharp says on Wednesday it will transition to its first AMI day.
Fulton Public Schools has used four snow days. District spokeswoman Amanda Miles told ABC 17 News that Fulton’s calendar allows for 10 snow days during the school year before it needs to plan for make-up days.
Hallsville School District will not be in session Wednesday and will use Monday, April 7, as a weather make-up day. District spokeswoman Kari Yeagy said that Hallsville is trying to maximize the number of in-seat instructional hours for students, but once it runs out of weather-makeup days, the district will transition to AMI learning.
After having to cancel classes in January, the district scheduled two weather makeup days on Mondays in late January and early February. The school normally uses a four-day schedule. Yeagy told ABC 17 News in January that based on the current number of weather makeup days Hallsville allocated on its calendar, it will not need to extend its school year.
