Gov. Nixon made the call during a visit Friday to the John Thomas School of Discovery and the Nixa School District’s Early Learning Center.
Nixa Public Schools have been accredited ‘with distinction’ for 11 consecutive years by the state.
The governor said our state must provide young people with “a seamless path to academic success.”
“From pre-k to college, we must provide our young people with a seamless path to academic success,” Gov. Nixon said. “We can do this by investing in early childhood education, making sure that there are enough days in the school year to prepare our students for careers and college, and opening the doors of higher education for every Missouri student through the A+ program.”
Gov. Nixon is calling for Missouri to extend its school year up to the national average of 180 days. Missouri’s school year is currently only 174 days – the fourth shortest school year in the country. In contrast, the school year at Nixa’s John Thomas School of Discovery has been lengthened to 194 days.