Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Board Briefs from Oct. 24, 2016 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the Oct. 24, 2016 Business Meeting.  This is an unofficial record.  Official minutes of each Board meeting are posted on the district website and are available for viewing at the Administrative Center after the Board approves them, typically two weeks after the meeting.


Excellence in Education Award
Lisa Crawford, English Language Arts Teacher, Ladue Horton Watkins High School

National Merit Semi-Finalists
Julia Biest, Michael Burke, Hans Chen, Anna Cramblitt, Noah DiAntonio, Donna LaMore,
Maya Mutic, Patrick Naughton, Alexandra (Sasha) Rice, Amanda Steiner, Alexander Tan,
Jeffrey Wang, Kevin Zhang, Stephanie Zhong, Gloria Zhou

American Heart Association - Fundraising and Heart Health Recognition
Connie Jander, Matt Prange and Principal Cheryl Kirchgessner
On Behalf of Old Bonhomme Elementary School
and
Kim Plogger, Brian Driscoll and Principal Dr. Chris Schreiner
On Behalf of Reed Elementary School

Superintendent Remarks
  • Superintendent Dr. Donna Jahnke congratulated the staff members for their work and leadership in the Hoops for Hearts and Jump Rope for Heart programs which teach children about the prevention of heart disease while also fundraising for the American Heart Association.
  • Dr. Jahnke encouraged the community to support the district’s athletic teams, noting the following upcoming competitions …
    • The high school boys soccer team will be playing MICDS in the regional championship on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Clayton School District’s Gay Field.
    • The high school football team will be playing Friday night at 7 p.m. at St. Louis University High School against St. Mary’s in the second round of the district playoffs.  
  • Dr. Jahnke commented on how much she enjoyed attending a Cross Country meet this past Saturday, noting that both the girls and boys team qualified for sectionals, with the following runners earning All District honors:  Lila Bensky, Devon Callahan, Grace Chicoine, Courtney Christ, Collin Clark, Markeith Crawford, Max Kornfeld, Lena Liang, Emily Witt and Ryan Witt.
  • Parent/Teacher conferences are this week and Dr. Jahnke thanked the staff for all their work in preparation for these important conversations, and to our parents for making the effort to attend.

ACTION ITEM

Trane Service Maintenance and Warranty Contract Renewal. Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Dr. Jason Buckner presented, and the Board approved, the administration’s recommendation to extend the district’s service contract with the Trane Company from 2016 through 2019.  Trane is the supplier of the majority of the equipment used in the district and service technicians are specifically trained to maintain these complex systems.  This service contract also serves to uphold the warranty for the equipment.  

High School Building Project: Project Report #7; Payment Applications/Work Package/Change Orders. Project Director for S. M. Wilson Kort Cole presented, and the Board approved, contractor pay applications for the month of September.  Mr. Cole also provided construction progress report #7 which includes updates on design and engineering; permitting; finance and budget; bidding and procurement; scheduling; and current construction activity.  Photos of various components of the project are included in the linked document.  

INFORMATION ITEMS

Enrollment and Residency Report. Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Ken Rossics presented the annual Enrollment and Residency Report.  As of this year’s official state Count Day, the district had total enrollment of 4,130 students, a slight decrease from the year before.  After years of significant enrollment growth, projections continue to suggest slight increases in enrollment, while actual enrollment appears to be nearly flat.  Additional details are available by clicking on the heading of this section.

MAP Data and Report. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Jennifer Allen presented the district’s Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) results.  Overall district results are noted below with building and other detail available by clicking on the heading of this section.  
  • The Ladue School District earned a perfect score in Academic Achievement, meeting the 2020 target in all four content areas.  
  • Subgroup Achievement is measured separately with each student counted once, although they may represent multiple subgroups.  The district earned additional progress points, but has not yet met the 2020 targets for Subgroup Achievement.
  • The district met the 2020 target for all College and Career Readiness (CCR) Indicators.
  • The district met the 2020 target for Attendance with 92.2% of students attending 90% (or more) of the time.
  • The district met the 2020 target for Graduation Rate with a four-year graduation rate of 98.1%.
  • The Ladue School District earned 138.5 of 140 points (98.9%) for the Annual Performance Report, a .5-point decrease from 2015-16.  

Proposed Changes to Middle School Schedule. Mr. Rossics, Dr. Allen and Ladue Middle School Principal Greg Baber presented recommendations for modifying the daily course schedule at the middle school with the primary goal of increasing instructional time in core content courses.  Schedule changes would be implemented in the 2017-18 school year.  Details can be found by clicking on the header to this section.  

Community Survey Results. Dr. Jahnke and Communications Director Susan Downing provided an update on the surveying being conducted in order to assist in the development of the district’s next Strategic Plan.  Surveying of students, parents and staff has been completed and is currently being processed and analyzed.  This information will assist the Strategic Planning Leadership Committee, the Board Advisory Committees, district administrators and the Board of Education in the process of identifying key goals and initiatives for the next Strategic Plan.  Focus groups will be conducted in November to delve more deeply into various topics addressed in the surveys.  

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a Work Session on Nov. 15, 2016, at the Administrative Center, 9703 Conway Road.  The following meeting will be a Business Meeting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2016.  Tentative agenda items include the following.   

Tentative Agenda Items for Work Session Nov. 15, 2016:

INFORMATION
  • 2017-18 LECC Tuition and BASK/TAS Rates
  • LECC Salary Structure
  • Policy Discussion
  • Curriculum & Instruction Report
Tentative Agenda Items for Business Meeting Nov. 28, 2016:

ACTION
  • SSD Reimbursement of ECSE Costs
  • Acceptance of Auditor’s Report
  • 2017-18 LECC Tuition and BASK/TAS Rates
  • High School Building Project
    • Project Report #8
    • Payment Applications/Work Package/Change Orders
INFORMATION

  • 2017-18 High School Course Change Proposals
  • 2016-17 Revised Budget

Monday, October 17, 2016

Board Briefs from Oct. 13, 2016 Special Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the Oct. 13, 2016 Special Business Meeting. This is an unofficial record. Official minutes of each Board meeting are posted on the district website and are available for viewing at the Administrative Center after the Board approves them, typically two weeks after the meeting.


Superintendent Remarks
  • Superintendent Dr. Donna Jahnke announced that the City of Ladue Zoning Board of Adjustments approved two variances at their Oct. 10, 2016 meeting, which will allow for renovation construction at Ladue Horton Watkins High School to continue on schedule without adjustment of the proposed building plan.  
ACTION ITEM

High School Building Project Bid Approvals. Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Dr. Jason Buckner presented, and the Board approved, the administration’s recommendation for awarding three bid packages related to the renovation project at the high school, as follows. The bid process was coordinated by S.M. Wilson, the district’s construction management firm.

Site Work:  Castle Contracting LLC - $452, 600
Ground Improvements: Slab Master, Inc DBA Helitech - $126,800
Concrete:  Concrete Strategies LLC - $1,474,000

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a Business Meeting on Oct. 24, 2016, at 7 p.m. at the Administrative Center, 9703 Conway Road.  Tentative agenda items include the following.  

Tentative Agenda Items for Business Meeting Oct. 24, 2016:

ACTION
  • 2016-17 Bus Routes/Mileage
INFORMATION

  • Update on High School Building Project
  • Enrollment and Residency Report
  • MAP Data and Reports
  • Community Survey Results