Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Board Briefs from December 7, 2020 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the December 7, 2020 regular Board of Education 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.


Click here to view a recording from the December 7 Board Meeting


Board President Remarks

  • Board candidate filing information went out today to the community. We have two open positions that will serve a three-year term. The election is April 6, 2021. Filing can be done at the Administrative Center behind the middle school. Contact Cassie Johnston at 314-983-5302 with questions. Filing begins on Dec. 15 at 8 a.m. and ends on Jan. 19 at 5 p.m.

  • I look forward to tonight’s discussion about potential improvements to our schools. These conversations don’t happen often but I’m happy to be a part of it. This is an exciting time for our district.


Superintendent Remarks

  • This has been one of the most challenging semesters in our district’s history, and I want to thank everyone for their continued support.

  • I have no doubt that our district as a community is in the process of writing a brave new ending to 2020, and I see this in our schools whether its students and teachers engaging in learning in-person or virtually, from our community as we support our district’s Holiday Happiness initiative to help families in need, and in our Board as it leads the district to a place of safety.

  • I want to compliment the staff of Spoede Elementary for keeping things present and in-the-moment; I saw a lot of great things happening when I visited the school today.

  • We have seven active COVID cases among our students and staff (pre-k through 5) - those cases have resulted in 123 quarantines. At the secondary level we have three active cases resulting in 36 quarantines. We continue to monitor our district health data and work with local health organizations.

  • As we move to the second semester, it has always been our goal to transition all students back to school safely. I continue to meet with my Leadership Cabinet and building principals to discuss second semester plans, particularly at the secondary level. There will be additional communications coming out on Wednesday from all schools talking about the end of first semester and beginning of second semester. There also are meetings scheduled to ensure we can continue to provide high-quality education for those who select Option 2 next semester.

  • I want to highlight and thank everyone who is a part of CURE - a committee made up of parents of African American students that discusses educational equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout our district.


ACTION ITEMS

Acceptance of Auditor’s Report

The Board voted to accept the Financial Statements and Independent Auditors’ Report and Supplementary Information of the School District of the City of Ladue, Year Ended June 30, 2020 submitted by Daniel Jones & Associates, Certified Public Accountants, P.C.


2021-22 LECC Tuition and BASK/TAS Rates

Assistant Superintendents Dr. Jason Buckner and Dr. Julie Helm reviewed, and the Board approved, the proposed LECC Tuition and BASK/TAS rates for the 2021-22 school year.


Bond Referendum Discussion and Decision

The Board approved a resolution for a special election and ballot language for a bond referendum in April 2021.


INFORMATION ITEMS

Social Emotional Behavior Presentation

Members of the district's social emotional and behavior team to present information about the program's recent initiatives.


Second Semester Board Agenda Calendar

President Jaeger presented the second semester Board agenda calendar.


UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a regular Business Meeting on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. The meeting will be held virtually using Zoom and the Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.


TENTATIVE AGENDA ITEMS FOR JAN. 25

 

Excellence in Education - Reed

Announcement of School Board Candidates


CONSENT

  • City of Ladue/District Resource Officer Agreement

  • Annual renewal of Agreement to Participate in PEGS

INFORMATION

  • 2020-21 Budget Update

Monday, November 30, 2020

Board Briefs from November 23, 2020 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the November 23, 2020 regular Board of Education 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.


Click here to view a recording from the November 23 Board Meeting


Board President Remarks

  • Board candidate filing is coming up, beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 8 a.m. You can file at the District Administrative Center. For those filing on the first day, please know that when you come in to file, your name will be placed on the ballot based on a lottery number that you’ll select when you come in. All other candidates filing after that will be placed on the ballot in the order you file. The final day to file is Tuesday, Jan. 19. You can file during regular business hours but please note breaks and holidays that may take place during the filing window. If you have any questions, please contact Cassie Johnston in the Administrative Center. The election is Tuesday, April 6, 2021 and we have two open board positions that will be placed on the ballot.

  • I’d like to recognize the efforts and flexibility of our entire Ladue Schools staff in keeping our students in school. This is a complex situation for our entire community and everyone in education. Although Dr. Wipke is making the final decisions and announcements, the Board has been directly involved in frequent collaboration with Dr. Wipke about our district’s efforts. The district has had to make some difficult decisions, but always with the focus on what’s best for students.

  • I also want to let the community know that I appreciate our parents and their commitment to our children.

  • Although our administration has been mired in the details of the pandemic, we are here tonight to discuss our potential future. We’ll hear information from our community survey which will help the Board make decisions on whether to move forward with construction projects at our four elementary schools and our middle school. I’d like to remind the Board and community of the time and resources that have gone into getting to this point: in 2015, the Superintendent’s Facilities and Finance Committee chartered a financial plan that allowed the district to entertain the idea of this project. In May 2019, the Board was presented with a feasibility study for the elementary schools and middle school and approved moving forward to determine the scope and cost of potential improvements to each building. In October 2019, the Board was informed of the different construction management methods. Construction management at-risk was determined to be the best for the three large projects. This was different than the method used for the high school project but it provided the district with many advantages. In November 2019, the RFQ was released for architecture and construction management services. In January 2020, architects and construction firms were interviewed. Later that month, the Board selected Ittner and Perkins & Will to be our architects and S.M. Wilson to be our construction manager. In February and March, workshops were held to discuss curriculum delivery and to identify the needs of each building. In April and May, our architects put together drawings for each school. In May, we finalized our contracts with our architecture and construction partners, and later that month, the Board selected the drawing options for each school. The drawings were refined in the coming months and the Board received reports from our architects about the drawings and cost. In September, the Board agreed to conduct a survey of the community to understand the wishes of our community. Last month, we conducted 11 community engagement meetings. Tonight, we will hear the results of our community survey. It’s hard not to be excited about what we might learn tonight.  


Superintendent Remarks

  • I want to thank the Board for your dedication and partnership, along with your willingness to give to the district. I am grateful to learn from and work with each Board member.

  • Dr. Jennifer Riesenmy and Dr. Amy Zielinski in partnership with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee have started Walks for Wisdom, and I took part in a walk at Reed Elementary and had a great conversation. Our conversation revolved around racism in the world, our part in that, and how we can make our world a better place. There will be more opportunities for Walks for Wisdom in the spring and I think this is an excellent example of things that we continue to do to try and learn and grow together.

  • I want to recognize Officer Rick Ramirez for helping out at all of our buildings. I recently saw a photo of him playing kickball with students at Conway. He goes above and beyond constantly for our students.

  • I want to recognize Kerri Wetzel; it has been a pleasure to work with her for the last year and a half. I’ve never seen an early childhood program like the one we have in our district and that’s a product of her leadership.

  • We continue to partner with CareSTL for our virtual Mondays; LMS students are fully-virtual Monday each week and we conduct COVID testing in the LMS parking lot from 9:30 to 1:30.

  • Since Aug. 24, we have had 22 positive cases in our students. Those cases have led to 221 individuals needing to be quarantined. Of those positive cases, little to no transmission has occurred in a school setting. We have several layers of mitigations strategies in place, and our staff and teachers are carrying those out very well.

  • For staff, we’ve had 19 positive cases, resulting in 77 quarantines. We also have seen little to no transmission in schools from these cases.

  • We had a tough decision to make in not bringing our high school students back this semester. This came from two main areas: we have a need for staffing in other schools due to quarantines and some of our high school staff have been filling that need. We also did this for consistency of instruction leading into end-of-year assessments. We’ve worked to build in some additional intervention in our high school to support online learning.

  • I am in constant communication with the St. Louis County Department of Public Health and our Medical Task Force, both of which have been very helpful.

  • I want to thank our staff; this is not an easy situation, but our staff is doing a remarkable job and working incredibly hard.


ACTION ITEMS

2021-22 Secondary Course Change Proposals

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Amy Zielinski reviewed, and the Board approved, secondary course changes including a new U.S. History course, name changes to one each of an English, P.E., Practical Arts, and Student Support course, and removal of one world language course.


INFORMATION ITEMS

2021-22 LECC Tuition and BASK/TAS Rates

Assistant Superintendents Dr. Jason Buckner and Dr. Julie Helm reviewed the proposed LECC Tuition and BASK/TAS rates for the 2021-22 school year.


Board Goals Review

Board President Carolyn Jaeger led a review of the Board’s established goals for the 2020-21 school year.


Community Survey Results

The Board reviewed the survey results related to the potential 2021 bond referendum.


UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a regular Business Meeting on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. The meeting will be held virtually using Zoom and the Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.


TENTATIVE AGENDA ITEMS FOR DEC. 7

Action

Acceptance of Auditor’s Report

2021-22 LECC tuition and BASK/TAS Rates

 

Information

2020-21 Budget Update

Second semester Board agenda calendar (January - August)


Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Board Briefs from November 9, 2020 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the November 9, 2020 regular Board of Education 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.


Click here to view a recording from the November 9 Board Meeting


Board President Remarks

  • I watched the high school’s virtual fall play called “Unmasked” - it was very creative and clever, while being very moving. I am always continually amazed at the students in our district and their variety of talents and skills. I want to thank our parents, sponsors, and teachers for giving those kids the support and direction needed to explore their talents.


Superintendent Remarks

  • The transition to in-person learning has been successful for pre-k through fifth grade for the most part, but it has not been perfect. We have had a few classrooms that have needed to quarantine due to exposure. Through contact tracing we’ve determined that transmission is not happening between the positive cases in our schools. We continue to work with County health officials on who needs to quarantine and how that needs to happen.

  • Thank you to Ann Body and all of our nurses who are doing an amazing job with this entire process.

  • It aligns with what we’ve been told by our Medical Task Force, that there may be times that we need to quarantine.

  • A few stats about our cases: we’ve had 5 positive student and/or staff cases in pre-k through fifth grade, and quarantined 72 people as a result, and that’s a product of our contact tracing.

  • Grades 6 thru 12, we haven’t had them back yet but we did do orientation with all Option 1 middle schoolers last week. They will be back in the building tomorrow for a full day of school.

  • Because grades 6 thru 12 haven’t been back yet, we haven’t had cases or quarantining in those groups, but in our learning centers we did have 2 positive cases in that age group between staff and students, and 13 people had to quarantine as a result.

  • Our middle school administration and staff have done a fantastic job of getting ready to welcome students back.

  • It’s only natural to watch the case numbers climb in the community and wonder what’s next for Ladue Schools. I continue to have meetings with county superintendents and medical experts to talk about what the state of our district should be. We will continue to work with and listen to the St. Louis County Department of Public Health. High school students are scheduled to return on Nov. 30 and we continue to assess that situation based on what is happening in our community.

  • Thank you to the community and our teachers for your support and hard work as we transition back to school, as it has been very successful to date.

  • I want to urge our community to continue to take appropriate health and safety measures to reduce the spread of the virus outside of school. Studies are showing that transmission is happening more outside of school, but that can still make it difficult for students and teachers when cases in the community begin to affect what is happening in schools and causing quarantines.

  • A few positive thoughts: be thankful for the struggles you go through because they make you stronger, wiser, and humble. Don’t let them break you, let them make you. These are the words we are trying to live by in Ladue Schools.

  • I’ve been able to visit our schools on a regular basis; it’s great to see our teachers and what they’re doing, and great to see our kids excited to be in class.

  • We’ve seen some fun things like costume parties where the kids dress up for their virtual class sessions; I thought this was great to see.

  • Congratulations to our boys’ cross country team for its 7th place finish in state.

  • Congratulations to our high school speech and debate team which placed first out of 28 teams at the Parkway West Virtual Classic.

  • Congratulations to Lynsey Porter who was named the Field Hockey Coach of the Year in our area.

  • The Virtual LEF Breakfast took place this past Saturday; thank you to the LEF for putting on this outstanding event.

  • At our next board meeting on Nov. 23, you should be getting some data connected to our bond referendum.


INFORMATION ITEMS

2021-22 High School Course Proposals

Ladue Horton Watkins High School Principal Brad Griffith presented proposed course changes for the 2021-22 school year.


Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Presentation

District Equity Coordinator Dr. Jennifer Riesenmy provided updates on the district’s DEI initiatives.


Finance Update

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jason Buckner shared the latest information on the district’s finances.


UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a regular Business Meeting on Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. The meeting will be held virtually using Zoom and the Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.


TENTATIVE AGENDA ITEMS FOR NOV. 23

 

Action

  • 2021-22 High School and Middle School Course Change Proposals

Information

  • 2021-22 LECC Tuition and BASK/TAS Rates

  • Board Goals Review

  • Bond Survey Results - Discussion for Moving Forward

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Board Briefs from October 26, 2020 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the October 26, 2020 regular Board of Education 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.


Click here to view a recording from the October 26 Board Meeting


Board President Remarks

  • There is still a lot of positive conversation happening between the Board and Dr. Wipke as we continue to make decisions on behalf of the district.


Superintendent Remarks

  • It is great to be able to recognize somebody like Megan Grossbauer who is so deserving of the Excellence in Education Award. I had the chance to talk with her for my podcast last week and she is very humble and always recognizing others.

  • Congratulations to our Spotlight honorees and thanks to Don Goble for serving as PA announcer at the LHWHS football game last Friday.

  • We have begun to transition LECC and K-5 students back and it has been successful, not perfect as we’ve had some minor quarantining take place, but overall things have gone very well.

  • We’ve received positive feedback from staff and parents about that transition.

  • We’re in the process of getting our secondary students back into classrooms.

  • Daily COVID case rates are on the rise in our area so we need to continue to be mindful of how quickly things can change.

  • We’ve always said we will not focus on one specific health metric when making decisions, and I continue to meet with other superintendents to learn more about how we might approach our return to school.

  • Architects for our potential building updates held a meeting at the high school to give principals a more in-depth look at the improvements. Thank you to Carolyn Jaeger and Andy Bresler for attending those meetings.

  • Thank you to Sue Blumm who handles our district food services, as she helped our students and staff navigate a boil order last week.



INFORMATION ITEMS

Ladue Education Foundation Report

LEF Executive Director Julie Ferrie shared an annual update on behalf of the Foundation.


Enrollment and Residency Report

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Julie Helm shared enrollment information for the current school year and projections for future years.


Assessment Data Report

District Assessment Specialist Lisa Lacroix led a presentation on student assessment data.


Superintendent Update

Dr. Wipke shared the latest information on the district’s Return to Learn plans and transitioning students back to in-person learning.


UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a regular Business Meeting on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. The meeting will be held virtually using Zoom and the Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.


TENTATIVE AGENDA ITEMS FOR NOV. 9

Information

2021-22 LECC Tuition and BASK/TAS Rates

2021-22 High School and Middle School Course Change Proposals

District Finances - update

DEI Presentation

Design Documents Finalized

 


Thursday, October 15, 2020

Board Briefs from October 12, 2020 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the October 12, 2020 regular Board of Education 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.


Click here to view a recording from the October 12 Board Meeting


Board President Remarks

  • It’s good to have students back in school. I know that Dr. Wipke, the administrative staff and the teaching staff have worked hard to get to this point.

  • We’ve held 10 community engagement sessions regarding the potential bond referendum. It’s been a busy week but these sessions have provided a great opportunity to learn from our community.

  • Nancy Goldstein has agreed to coordinate our board training as part of our board goals; thank you to Nancy.


Superintendent Remarks

  • We’ve had a great week leading up to this meeting: I’ve enjoyed visiting our schools and seeing the kindergarten and 1st grade students excited to be back in class.

  • We’re preparing for our middle school students to transition back to school. I was joined by Dr. Newland of our Medical Task Force and several school administrators as we walked through the middle school last week to make sure everything was ready to go and safe for students and staff.

  • Thank you to Susan Downing for organizing our bond referendum community sessions; they have gone very well and given us a chance to have great conversations.

  • Our phone surveys about the bond issue are about to begin. I encourage anyone who receives a call to provide their opinions and honest thoughts about the potential referendum.

  • Last Thursday, we hosted our first CURE meeting of the school year. Thank you to those who presented and our board liaisons for their participation.

  • Thank you to Don Goble for all of his work, and congratulations on his recent recognition from Adobe.

  • This past Friday, I attended our softball team’s Senior Night. We feel very fortunate that we’ve had the opportunity to play this year. Congratulations to all of this year’s seniors.

  • I also attended our first football game of the year last week and it was great to see more of our student-athletes and coaches getting the opportunity to participate in a real game.


ACTION ITEMS

Surplus - Curriculum Materials

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Amy Zielinski detailed, and the Board approved, a list of surplus textbooks that are outdated and no longer used in school curricula.


2020A Policy Updates

The Board reviewed policy updates included and in the Missouri School Boards’ Association 2020A Update. The Board approved the policies as presented.


2021-22 Board Meeting Dates

President Jaeger introduced, and the Board approved, meeting dates for the 2021-2022 school year.


INFORMATION ITEMS

Community Survey/Debt Service Levy

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jason Buckner and the Board discussed the debt service levy, which will be used in the community survey about the potential Future-Ready Schools bond referendum.


Human Resources Update

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Julie Helm shared Human Resources department updates relating to the Diversity Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention Plan.


Superintendent Update

Dr. Wipke shared an update on plans for transitioning middle and high school students back to in-person learning.


UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a regular Business Meeting on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. The meeting will be held virtually using Zoom and the Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.


TENTATIVE AGENDA ITEMS FOR OCT. 26

Consent

2020-21 Bus Routes/Mileage

 

Information

Ladue Education Foundation Report

Enrollment and Residency Report

Assessment Specialist Data Report