A major school district in the Kansas City metro could be considering a four-day school week.On Tuesday night, the Independence Board of Education could take the first step toward looking at how a shorter week would work.There's an item on the meeting agenda asking for approval to explore a four-day school week, something that's become a growing trend in Missouri. As interest in a shortened school week grows, phones in the Lathrop School District have been ringing.“There's lots of schools that have called this year, and there always has been since we started it,” Superintendent Chris Fine said. Lathrop was the first district in Missouri to adopt a four-day school week back in 2010.Fine said the goal was to save money by cutting hours for support staff and using fewer utilities, but there were also unforeseen benefits, like teacher recruitment and retention. “Looking back, I know that those first couple years that certainly was a benefit,” he said. “We got more people applying for our jobs and coming here than we had in prior years.”He says it’s become a draw for many districts as staffing shortages persist. When switching to a four-day week, Lathrop schools added about an hour to each school day and have actually increased instructional time. “We don't do all the early outs that some schools have done, or we were doing before,” he said.However, there are challenges, including child care.“We know that's an issue. We know they are having to find somebody to watch their kids and, in some cases, they’re having to pay for that person,” Fine said.It could also affect students who get free and reduced lunch. “You know, on those off days that's a day that kids don't get two meals that they would've had if they were here,” said Fine.He says as more districts consider the change, he's ready to answer their call.“We'll tell them the good things the bad things and let them sort it out,” he said. “We're not going out and promoting it and getting everyone to switch to it, but it’s been good for us for sure.”According to research from Missouri State University, this year, 141 districts in Missouri are opting for a four-day week. That's about 25% of districts in the state. Most are smaller districts in rural areas. The Independence Board of Education will discuss the possibility of considering a four-day week starting in the 2023/2024 school year at their meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday.