This document includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the Jan. 27, 2020 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
Board President's Remarks
- Board President Carolyn Jaeger announced that the period for filing for the April 7, 2020 Board election closed on Jan. 21, 2020. Three positions were open and three candidates filed. All three currently serve on the Board of Education and include incumbents: Andy Bresler, Carolyn Jaeger and Kisha Lee. As none of the seats are contested, state statute does not require the district to hold an election. These candidates will serve for an additional three years.
- On Monday, Feb. 3, 2020 the Board, along with senior district administrators, will participate in Trauma Informed training. This training assists educators in understanding the need for supporting students who have been through trauma. The training places emphasis on meeting of underlying needs, rather than punishing symptoms. This training aligns with the district’s focus on Social Emotional Behavior, as well as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
- On Feb. 10, 2020, Board members Andy Bresler, Carolyn Jaeger and Kisha Lee will attend a Legislative Forum for Missouri School Board members in Jefferson City.
- Three dates have recently been scheduled to give community members an opportunity to meet informally with Board President Jaeger and Superintendent Dr. Jim Wipke. The dates and times are as follows and these events will soon be promoted broadly throughout the community.
- Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 from 9 - 10:30 a.m.
- Wednesday, March 4 from 6:30 - 8 p.m.
Superintendent Remarks
- Superintendent Dr. Jim Wipke thanked Board members Andy Bresler, Carolyn Jaeger and Kisha Lee for their service and their commitment to serving an additional three-year term on the Board of Education.
- Dr. Wipke thanked the large number of teachers in attendance at the meeting, noting it was nice to see their level of interest in the evening’s topics.
- Dr. Wipke thanked the Ladue Educators’ Association for their contributions to the Meet and Confer process and said he was looking forward to their report later in the meeting.
- The Ladue School District sponsored a Diversity Fair in partnership with Clayton School District on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. The districts interviewed and had the ability to network with 50 candidates during the morning and Dr. Wipke thanked Assistant Superintendent Dr. Julie Helm for coordinating the successful event.
- Last Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, Dr. Wipke hosted area superintendents participating in a Superintendent Learning Lab for Innovative Learning. The group spent time at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, Spoede Elementary School and the Fifth Grade Center. The purpose of the group is to share innovative learning practices taking place in schools in the area.
- Dr. Wipke recently attended the Midwest Suburban Superintendents Association Conference and had the opportunity to hear Dr. Clay Cook speak. Dr. Cook is an expert in child and adolescent well being and his work aligns closely with the district’s focus on providing increased social emotional supports for students.
- Dr. Wipke encouraged everyone to go to the Annual Chili Supper and basketball game on Feb. 21, 2020. This fun community event includes supper from 5 - 7 p.m. sponsored by the high school’s Dads’ Club followed by girls and boys basketball games. Get the full details here.
- Dr. Wipke thanked the district’s maintenance crew for their hard work and diligence in taking care of the district’s parking lots and sidewalks during the recent winter weather.
- This evening the district will be taking an important step toward moving toward a potential bond referendum in April 2021 with the goal of providing needed improvements to the district’s K-4 elementary schools and Ladue Middle School (LMS). The Board will be voting on the administration’s recommendations on the construction management and architectural firms that will be assisting the district in refining plans and estimating the costs of these potential projects.
ACTION ITEMS
Meet and Confer Report and Recommendations. Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Dr. Julie Helm and Ladue Educators’ Association Meet and Confer Chairman Mike Hill reported on the results of this school year’s Meet and Confer process. They began by thanking committee members Mark Biernbaum (LMS), Kathie Dolan (Spoede Elementary), Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Dr. Jason Bucker and Board Member Andy Bresler for their participation on the committee. Other staff, district administration and board to thank are: Tom Lowery, Chris Saxton, Brett Kelly, Tiffany Harrison, Brad Griffith, Scott Lackey and Board President, Carolyn Jaeger, for all of their help on sub-committees and as consultants to the Meet and Confer committee. It was shared that this was a very collaborative process that led to new ideas and creative solutions.
The recommendations are detailed in the documents linked to the header of this section.
On November 1, 2019, the district issued Requests for Qualifications for construction management and architectural firms to assist the district in refining the designs, plans and costs for renovating the district’s K-4 elementary schools and Ladue Middle School. Six construction firms and 12 architectural firms responded by the Dec. 3, 2019 deadline and these proposals were analyzed and interviews were conducted by select Board of Education members, district administrators, as well as consultants from Building Resources Studio (BRS).
At this meeting, the Board of Education was asked to approve recommendations presented by the administration in order to move forward with finalizing these partnerships.
Selection of Architectural Firm. In accordance with Missouri statutes for school districts, architectural firms must be selected based on qualifications only (as opposed to cost). Once it has been determined which firm has the most appropriate qualifications for the project, the district works with the selected firm to negotiate costs. If an agreement cannot be reached, the district can then attempt to negotiate with other firms submitting proposals. The Superintendent’s Finance and Facilities committee recommended, and the Board approved, the selection of Ittner/Cordogan Clark in collaboration with Perkins and Will. Administration will now work with the firm to develop a mutually agreeable financial arrangement.
Selection of Construction Management Firm. The district will be utilizing a construction management arrangement referred to as “Construction Management at Risk (CMaR).” This arrangement entails the construction management firm (as opposed to the district) being responsible (at risk) for managing all subcontractors. Beyond mitigating the district’s financial risk, this arrangement requires less daily coordination and management efforts by the district. As this project could potentially entail overlapping projects on five district campuses, the Board and administration believe this arrangement to be the most appropriate.
When districts utilize the “Construction Management at Risk” structure, state statute guides how the selection is made. Board members must rank the finalists on cost and qualifications using a predetermined percentage which, in this case, was 60% cost and 40% qualifications. After running multiple scenarios using the proposals provided by the finalists, it was determined that S. M. Wilson would be the lower cost provider for the CMaR services. Therefore, the administration recommended, and the Board approved, S. M. Wilson as the Construction Management at Risk partner for this project.
INFORMATION ITEMS
Elementary School Presentations. Dr. Zielinski introduced Conway Elementary Principal Dr. Sarah Padberg and Old Bonhomme Elementary Principal Dr. Stephanie Taggert who presented information about their schools to the Board. These presentations can be found by clicking on the header to this paragraph and include: points of pride, demographics, assessment data and goals.
Tentative Agenda Items for Feb. 11, 2020 Board Meeting.
Information
- School Board Recognition Week
- Gifted Report
- Summer School Update
- 2021-22 School Calendar
- 2020-21 Budget/Finance Update
- 2021 Potential Bond Referendum Update
- 2019C Policy Update
Tentative Agenda Items for Feb. 24, 2020
Action
- 2021-22 School Calendar
Information
- Social Emotional Behavior Report and Update
- School Counseling Program Update
- District Safety and Security Update
- Apple Lease Agreement
