NIXA, Mo. (KY3) – More than 130 Missouri schools have been denied requests to start classes earlier than state law allows, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced Wednesday.

The denials affect schools across the state, including several local districts that had sought permission to begin classes before the current restriction. Missouri law prohibits schools from starting more than 14 days before the first Monday in September.

Nixa Public Schools was among the local districts denied an earlier start date. The district has opposed the state restriction since it took effect.

“Ever since the law changed, we’ve been vocal about that, saying, really, this is not what’s best for students,” said Zac Rantz, Chief Communication Officer with Nixa Public Schools. “Because we spent years really listening to our elected officials saying you need to get students college and career ready. And so, we really partnered up with our local colleges and really tried to kind of blend our calendars together. Get those start and end dates about the same.”

Districts cite community impact

School officials say the rigid start date requirement doesn’t account for the unique needs of different districts and their communities.

“There’s also a lot of economic development things in every community that actually can be impacted when school’s in session or not in session,” Rantz said. “And so, being able to really work as a community focus to have those schools start and end dates is a bonus for every school district.”

The denial creates challenges for curriculum planning at affected schools. Teachers at Walnut Grove School District will need to adjust for semester imbalances caused by the restricted start date.

“It’s about a 15-day difference. And so, when you’re talking about a semester-based course, I mean, with content, your 15 days of content in the first semester is gonna be a little bit different,” said Walnut Grove superintendent Rory Henry. “So, teachers are gonna have to just really make sure that they’re utilizing time and trying to get as much of the content as they can in at the time that they have.”

DESE said it will deny any additional waiver requests this year. Schools like Walnut Grove and Nixa say they hope local legislators will address the issue to restore local control over school calendars.

“It’s really important that the local communities and local districts are able to decide what’s best for them,” Henry said.

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) -A Missouri lawmaker is proposing a statewide economic development package designed to benefit any city in the state through a partnership with the Department of Economic Development.

Republican State Rep. Brad Christ from St. Louis introduced the “Missouri Innovation, Public Safety, and Accountability Act,” which establishes a voluntary framework for Missouri cities to designate downtown innovation districts.

“How can we build an overall economic development plan for the entire state that sets a framework so we’re not doing this one-off policy work,” Christ said.

Any Missouri city can opt their business district or downtown into the partnership. The city is responsible for streamlining the approval of new business ventures, while the state provides tax incentives.

Once designated, districts automatically qualify for tax abatements, tax increment financing, income tax credits, and opportunity zone benefits. The program includes fast-track permitting with 45-day decision timelines and “one-stop shops” for project review.

Tax benefits include income tax exclusions for new residents, employer withholding credits, relocation credits, and office-to-residential conversion credits up to 25-30% of costs.

The program directs 50% of incremental state tax revenues to local public safety and infrastructure funds. Additionally, 10% of new property tax revenues flow to a fund for rural and smaller communities.

Employers can receive up to 3% withholding credits for maintaining or growing payroll with qualifying reinvestments.

“These downtown districts, whether it’s St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia, Kansas City, are a huge bulk of Missouri’s GDP,” Christ said. “As they grow, the whole state grows. It’s good for everyone in the state if these downtown areas are successful.”

The program would sunset in 10 years unless reauthorized, and all tax provisions would become effective Jan. 1, 2027.

Jefferson City Mayor Ron Fitzwater said tax credits can benefit communities, though they face some pushback.

“Tax credits are something that are beneficial to communities, and I know that there’s positive sides of it and negative sides; they get some push back,” Fitzwater said. “But it’s more expensive to build to historic standards, so the tax credits sometimes kinda help that.”

Fitzwater said Jefferson City is working with its downtown association and other businesses to promote them and provide resources.

The state capitol is in the middle of a big revitalization itself. A new conference center is planned right in the heart of the city’s downtown, and historic properties on East Capitol Avenue are being sold to buyers with wishes to transform them into businesses, offices, and restaurants.

Christ hopes to get the bill in committee next week. It has until mid-May to make it through both chambers and reach the governor’s desk.

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