CHERRY TWP — Syvil Rott, a resident of Marion Township, said when her son, Zane, started academic decathlon in ninth grade, he sat in the back by himself. By the end, he was surrounded by peers who were rallying for him and each other.

Rott — accompanied by her son, who is now a senior — was among the many parents of students who gave public comments at Monday’s Moniteau School District meeting decrying the district’s decision to not offer academic decathlon as a class with credit hours during the coming school year.

“I’ve seen him come out of his shell,” Rott said of her son in her comment.

According to Rott, her son, who struggled academically during the COVID-19 pandemic, became a straight A student during his time with the program.

“This is hard for me and the kids,” Rott said about the district’s move to withdraw the program as a class. “I think it’s devastating.”

Academic decathlon, which has been offered as a 45-minute class, has been part of Moniteau School District’s coursework for almost 30 years, Kristy Hershey, of Concord Township, said. The program consists of 10 subjects, including analyzing literature — one novel and 10 short stories — 14 music pieces, 18 artworks, along with social science, economics, mathematics and other subjects.

While students still will be able to compete in the decathlon, the program essentially is being turned into an after-school club, which will make preparing for competitions logistically strenuous, Hershey, longtime coach of Moniteau’s Academic Decathlon Team, said.

“This is something that’s been working for our school, and I’m not sure why we have to change it,” Hershey said. “Making (decathlon) after-school only is going to draw that line between the haves and have-nots even more, and I don’t think that should ever happen with academics.”

“I think it (decathlon) was the most impactful decision of my life,” decathlon alumna Karolina Karner, of Clay Township, who partook in the program between seventh and 12th grade, said. “I’ve been out for two years and I already miss it.”

Now a college student, Karner said the multitude of different skills she acquired in decathlon are of use to her in college, including interview skills, methods of studying, giving speeches and writing essays.

“Not having it as a class would just not teach those in the correct way,” Karner said.

Hershey echoed the sentiment, saying students don’t get continuity if there is not a proper class structure.

The decathlon for the 2025-26 school year already started during the summer. Rott said participating students of what would have been the biggest decathlon class to date were looking forward to the class.

“We did have 21 kids sign up for this year and now we aren’t going to have class,” Hershey said.

Without class, there won’t be credit and grades. It’s a situation that may also affect students’ grade-point average, Hershey said.

Barbra Karner, mother of Karolina Karner, said she has not had to pay for her daughter’s college education yet, something for which she credits the program.

Rott said students who partake in the academic decathlon have a better chance of getting a job.

A petition to save decathlon as a study course rather than a recreational club has reached 444 signatures.

“These kids have an army of people behind them,” Barbra Karner said. “So many of us would help if there was a solution that we could come to.”

Michael Panza, Moniteau board president, has judged the program competitions for the last 22 years. He said the schedule for 2025-26 school year, which has been in conversation since May, is finalized, and so is the decision regarding decathlon.

Lance Fox, high school principal, responded to concerns raised by parents at the meeting, and said there are many moving parts and factors related to personnel and scheduling that contributed to the difficult decision of not offering decathlon as a class.

“It wasn’t done lightly and it wasn’t done because we don’t want the program to exist,” Fox said. “That’s not the intent at all. I value this program.”

Fox said the move was important to ensure general operations keep moving smoothly and the school still can hold on to other important parts of the master schedule, which encompasses nine periods for more than 40 teachers teaching a variety of classes and the issues that come along with that.

“What I can say is not going to help,” Fox said. “Right this moment, there’s nothing that can be done by the community.”

Fox said scheduling for next year will start in February 2026 and bringing back academic decathlon as a class will be an option for the Moniteau administration, if ongoing setbacks are resolved.

“I can’t tell you, ‘Yes, it definitely will come back or, no, it won’t.’ We’d have to look at it,” Fox said. “I don’t know where we’re going to be in February.”

Fox said how February goes depends on what plays out with budgeting and related decisions when building the master schedule.

“It’s not an easy fix and it’s not an easy answer. I’ll tell you that I’ll be open and transparent as much as I can to get to that process,” Fox said.

Among the financial hits that affected the district’s budget, Panza said, is the more than 55 students who went to cyber charter schools at a cost of more than $1 million to the district, taking a chunk out of the $25 million budget.

Austin Blauser, district business manager, said there is still no update on Pennsylvania’s state budget, which was supposed to have passed on June 30.

“We’re looking forward to whenever that comes out,” Blauser said.

Among the payments is $7,227 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture allocated for buying local foods, Carrie Plecher, the food service director, said. The funds will make their way to the school once the state budget is signed.

“Every student in the district should be eating breakfast and lunch for free,” Panza said.

Panza said it may take until Thanksgiving before the issues are resolved and a final budget is passed.

“Every dollar we have to take out of our fund balance to pay because they didn’t make the payments when they should is a dollar more that we have to worry about,” Panza said.