Board Briefs from December 13, 2021 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the December 13, 2021 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 13 Board Meeting

Board President Remarks

• There will be 2 school board positions up for election on the April 5, 2022 ballot. Candidate filing has already begun; you can file at our district Administration Center during normal working hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, up until the end of the day on Dec. 21. The district will be closed on Dec. 22, and the last day to file is Dec. 28; we will open the Administration Center on that day from 3 to 5 p.m. for anyone who would like to file on that day. Filing closes after that time. It would be helpful, but it is not required, to contact Fern Wagstaff and let her know you are coming to file so she can prepare your paperwork ahead of time. She can be reached at 314-994-7080.

• Serving on the Board of Education is a privilege that the current members take as a serious responsibility. Do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions about the position.

Superintendent Remarks

• Congratulations to Dr. Diana Hsu for her EIE Award tonight; I’ve seen her in the classroom interacting with students and she is a top-notch educator and we are so proud that she is here with us in Ladue Schools.

• Old Bonhomme held a virtual Giving Ceremony and it was something to see. I know a few of our board members participated. Kids at the school collected so many items for families in need and it was awesome. The video put together by Patricia Brown for the event was outstanding. It always warms my heart to see these kinds of things happening in our schools. Many of them are led by our Social Emotional Behavior Team.

• Thank you to Kimberly McKenzie for highlighting our musicians. We often talk about sports and other activities, but the hours upon hours that our musicians put into their craft is absolutely outstanding. I want to thank them for their hard work and achievements along with our music staff as well.

• Thank you to everyone who supported Prop L; we continue to move forward with our projects and will hear more tonight on those from SM Wilson. Our board members have taken tours of the work recently and we are about 15 percent of the way done with all of the construction. It’s fun to visit schools during the day and see the kids watching the construction happen.

• I want to compliment our Medical Task Force Team for continuing to provide guidance as we navigate our pandemic. Thanks to our community for its patience as we move through the pandemic as well. Our Medical Task Force is made up of volunteers and all but one are parents in the district. They spend countless hours guiding us and providing their thoughts and suggestions. I want to make sure our focus remains consistent when it comes to what’s best for our students and staff, something especially important as they approach their first semester finals. Our Medical Task Force has been highlighted in our e-Connect, Link newsletter, at board meetings, and on our website.

• Thank you to Dr. Jennifer Riesenmy for wearing so many hats for our district; she was a part of our Panorama survey and I want to thank her for her involvement in that. I want to thank our students, parents, and staff for participating in that survey in October.

• I want to give a brief update on the survey: after we received the results in late October, we took time to sort through the data and share it. The data was shared with district leadership, our board, and our teachers. It’s being used to help our strategic planning process and our board will soon receive a summary of the data. As we continue to explore the data, we are identifying themes that will correlate with action steps in our strategic planning process. Our high school and middle school students are learning about the data through our student advisory groups that I conduct; thanks to Jeff, Kisha, and Jennifer for being a part of those groups. I think we’re receiving some valuable data from our students. Panorama is currently working on an executive survey summary of the data for the district and the Board will then work on sharing that data with the community. We will conduct another survey in the spring, and we are excited to see the results because they are going to help us become better.

• I want to thank our community for supporting us recently with the two additional days of break in November; I know that was a bit of a curveball for some families but those days proved to be very important for the mental health of our students and staff.

• We are approaching a high-stakes testing situation with finals coming up; our students seem to be ready and after those I hope everyone has a wonderful Winter Break.

ACTION ITEMS

Acceptance of Auditor’s Report

The Board reviewed highlights of the district audit performed by Daniel Jones and Associates. The Board voted to accept the auditor’s report.

LECC 2022-23 Tuition Rate

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance Dr. Geoff Macy recommended a 3.5% increase to the 2022-23 LECC tuition rates. The Board approved the recommendation.

SM Wilson Presentation

SM Wilson provided an update on the progress of Prop L construction projects at Ladue Middle School, Spoede, and Old Bonhomme Elementary. The Board approved the presentation.

SM Wilson Change Orders 30, 31, 33, 34

The Board approved change orders 30, 31, 33, and 34 as presented.

SM Wilson Pay Application

The Board approved the SM Wilson pay application for November.

INFORMATION ITEMS

Second Semester Board Agenda Calendar

The Board reviewed the agenda calendar for the upcoming second semester.

Olivette Chapter 100 Financing

Dr. Macy provided information about a plan from the City of Olivette regarding an industrial development project and the issuance of industrial revenue bonds.

Board Policy Updates

The Board reviewed several proposed policy updates.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a regular Business Meeting on Monday, January 10, 2022. The Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.

Board Briefs from November 22, 2021 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the November 22, 2021 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 22 Board Meeting

Board President Remarks

• We have two Board positions that will be up for election on the April 5, 2022 ballot. Candidate filing is a little bit different this year: it will begin Dec. 7 and run through Dec. 28, which is different as it normally would run into January in past years. You can file in-person (on business days) at the Admin Center from Dec. 7 through Dec. 21 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Schools will close on Dec. 22 and remain closed until Jan. 3. Because filing closes on Dec. 28, we will re-open the Admin Center on Dec. 28 from 3 to 5 p.m. for anybody who is unable to file before Dec. 22. It is recommended, but not required, that you contact Board Executive Secretary Fern Wagstaff (314-994-7080) so she can prepare your paperwork ahead of your filing. Serving on the Board of Education is quite a privilege and the current members take this responsibility very seriously. Do not hesitate to reach out if you need to speak to someone on the Board, Dr. Wipke, or Fern Wagstaff about making the decision to potentially serve on the Board.

Superintendent Remarks

• I want to thank the Board for your constant support of our teachers, staff, and students. We are currently on Thanksgiving Break, and it’s a much needed break. We are going to gear things up quickly with the academic rigors that come along with finalizing second semester for our students, so the break is much needed. We are headed into the final three-week push toward the end of the year and the end of our first semester.

• On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, I had the honor of chatting with our high school and middle school students who serve on two advisory groups. We had an amazing conversation in both meetings. We always check in with the students to see how the year is going and then dive into our agenda items. The main purpose of these groups is to give students a voice with me and our Board reps. Jeff Kopolow and Kisha Lee sit in on our high school meetings; Jeff and Jennifer Growe Soshnik are our middle school reps. The past two meetings we held were two of the most informative meetings we’ve had. I appreciate what the students had to say; they are open and honest and don’t hold anything back. They appreciate all that Ladue Schools has to offer them, but are quick to recognize that we are not a perfect district and offer their ideas, thoughts, and suggestions.

• We celebrated American Education Week last week and I want to compliment our Communications Department for doing a fantastic job in making sure all of our staff feel appreciated. We appreciate every staff member for playing their individual roles in our district.

• Congratulations to the LHWHS boys’ soccer team on a remarkable postseason run; they came up just short in the state championship game. Watching the community rally behind them and seeing the students cheer their friends on was really special. I got to know a lot of the students on the soccer team just by watching them and attending their games; they are a group of great kids with great families. During the title game on Saturday, I was very impressed with how many staff members were in attendance. It was a wonderful community event. I want to compliment Coach Dave Aronberg who was named Coach of the Year.

• Our first One Book, One Community virtual event was held last week and it was great. We had more than 70 community members and staff tune in to learn from our five presenters. Feedback has been positive and it was a wonderful opportunity to gather together and learn. My compliments go out to everyone involved in the planning of the event.

• Our Nov. 12 vaccination clinic for students ages 5 to 11 was also fantastic; it was the 15th clinic we’ve provided for our community. This one was a little different since we were dealing with our younger students. Some kids were nervous, along with some parents, but our nurses held their hands - sometimes literally - throughout the entire experience and made it a positive event. We had SEB team members on hand to offer support and two music teachers in attendance to sing and keep the kids enthusiastic. Building principals and other staff also were present to interact with families. We administered 425 vaccines and received compliments from many parents who were excited to have their children vaccinated.

ACTION ITEMS

SM Wilson Presentation/COR/Pay Application

SM Wilson provided an update on construction progress at Ladue Middle School, Old Bonhomme Elementary, and Spoede Elementary. The Board approved SM Wilson’s four change order requests and a pay application for October.

Design Build Finalist Recommendations

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance Dr. Geoff Macy recommended three teams move forward to the Phase Two/Three portion of the design and construction process for the storm shelter/gym at both Conway and Reed Elementary. The Board approved the recommendation.

INFORMATION ITEMS

2022-23 LECC Tuition and BASK/TA Rates

Dr. Macy and LECC Director Stacy Carlock provided information about current LECC tuition as compared to nearby districts and exploring the possibility of a tuition increase for the 2022-23 school year.

FGC Concession Stand

Director of Facilities Mike Noonan and the Facilities Department requested permission from the Board to begin researching the cost for building a concession stand combined with restrooms at the Fifth Grade Center/West Campus.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a regular Business Meeting on Monday, December 13, 2021. The Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.

Board Briefs from November 8, 2021 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the November 8, 2021 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 8 Board Meeting

Board President Remarks

• Since our last meeting, five Board members and Dr. Wipke attended the Missouri School Boards’ Association conference in Kansas City. Board members briefly discussed the different workshops and topics that were covered at the conference, including a workshop for school board presidents, student mental health, building anti-racist schools, growing a teacher pipeline through district alumni, COVID vaccination and testing protocols, classroom and school management post-pandemic, and preschool.

• Treasurer Andy Bresler added that he attended workshops focused on Sunshine Law, upcoming Missouri education legislation, and meeting diversity objectives with educational equity.

• Vice President Kisha Lee added that she and Dr. Wipke toured the LEAD Innovation Studio in the Park Hill School District. She also attended workshops focused on competency-based learning and state assessments, the 2021 legislative update, student speech in the age of social media, and the future of ESA and school choice.

• Director Jennifer Growe Soshnik added that she attended many of the same workshops mentioned along with ones focused on legal updates surrounding Title IX and Title VII and gender versus sex and how it affects students.

• Director Marissa Rosen added that she also attended many of the same workshops mentioned along with one called “Emerging Trends are Creating a Perfect Storm” focused on COVID, mental health, and school safety issues. Rosen said she left the conference feeling good about where Ladue Schools currently stands as compared to other districts in the state on matters of equity, student safety, and many of the topics addressed at the conference.

• President Carolyn Jaeger: much of the information at the conference was affirming and there were other ideas shared that made us think it would be something worth looking into. We’ll find a way to share some of the information learned and put some of those topics on our agenda as we go through the year.

Superintendent Remarks

• Thank you to all of our Board members who continue to dedicate countless hours of their time to our district. This past weekend was no finer example of this.

• There were many takeaways from the conference including building the bond between myself and our school board.

• I want to mention Jean Becker, former Chief of Staff for George H.W. Bush, who presented at the conference. Many of our current teachers and administrators would have loved her presentation. She gave us plenty of takeaways but I’ll share two: she talked about President Bush’s character and tied it into a lot of what is currently happening in education, and a theme of how we’re stronger together and how President Bush and President Clinton partnered together to assist countries impacted by hurricanes.

• Our latest version of the Link newsletter has been mailed to families and will be arriving in homes this week. One of my favorite sections of it was the part where we celebrated our staff for American Education Week and the interviews with our staff members. There is also a section called ‘Due Tell that is sure to catch your attention. A major point of pride in this edition is the highlight of our 29 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists at LHWHS. This is a credit to our families, staff, and the expectations we place on academics at our high school.

• Many of our fall sports programs have concluded their season. I’m always impressed by the efforts of our student-athletes and coaches as they strive to be competitive while also learning how to be respectful and good teammates. The LHWHS boys’ soccer team will compete this Saturday in Mehlville in the state quarterfinals.

• Congratulations to Charlie Krasnoff for being named the Suburban Conference Cross Country All-Conference Runner of the Year, to Andrew Smock for being named first team all-conference, and to Ginger Schulte for being named second team all-conference.

• We have a Medical Task Force meeting coming up this week. As numbers improve, we will have conversations around the second semester and mitigating measures as there could be changes on the horizon based on the feedback of our medical experts and guidance from local health officials.

ACTION ITEMS

2021-22 Board Filing

The Board discussed and approved Board of Education filing times at the district office.

LEF Naming Rights - 1 of 2

The Board approved the first of two individual naming rights agreements between the Ladue Education Foundation and the district.

LEF Naming Rights - 2 of 2

The Board approved a second naming rights agreement between the Ladue Education Foundation and the district.

LEF Naming Rights 2015-2019

The Board discussed and approved LEF naming rights agreements from 2015 to 2019.

LEF Naming Rights July 1, 2019 to present

The Board discussed and approved LEF naming rights agreements from July 1, 2019 to present day.

LEF Naming Rights - Naming List

The Board discussed and accepted a list of naming opportunities at LHWHS proposed by the LEF.

INFORMATION ITEMS

2022-23 High School and Middle School Course Change Proposals (MOVED TO ACTION)

The Board approved course change proposals for both LHWHS and LMS for the 2022-23 school year.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a regular Business Meeting on Monday, November 22, 2021. The Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.

Board Briefs from October 25, 2021 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the October 25, 2021 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 25 Board Meeting

Board President Remarks

• Between now and our next Board meeting, five board members will attend the Missouri School Boards’ Association conference in Kansas City. Dr. Wipke will be there as well. It’s always good for us to get outside of our district borders to see what other people are doing and ask questions.

Superintendent Remarks

• To start off, I want to share a quote of unknown origin: “Good things come to those who believe, better things come to those who are patient, and the best things come to those who don’t give up.” It made me think of Ladue Schools; we are not a perfect district but we do believe that education is a solid foundation that all kids deserve and need to be successful. Our staff and teachers are so incredibly patient and trust the process that supports our students’ learning and growing. But what is most prevalent is our community’s ability to work with us through good and bad times so we are always keeping our children’s best interests at the forefront. We as a community of teachers, staff, parents, board members, and students won’t ever give up until everyone of our students reaches their true potential.

• I continue to visit classrooms and am always impressed with our teachers and staff for all that they do. Teachers like this month’s Excellence in Education Award recipient Jen Hartigan go above and beyond during what many might call the most stressful time in the history of education. Our teachers continue to impress, and congratulations again to Jen; I thought tonight’s video was touching and very well-done.

• Our students continue to flourish and thrive; not only am I proud of our staff’s resilience, but our students as well. October has been a long month, but believe it or not, we have put the first quarter behind us and are nearing the end of our fall activities as we look forward to the beginning of winter activities.

• Some of the highlights of the past two weeks include: our administrators worked on cultural proficiency framework as part of professional development, our girls golf team placed 8th in state, our girls tennis team placed 2nd in state, our middle school was ranked 9th out of almost 500 middle schools in Missouri by U.S. News and World Report, our parent-teacher conferences are underway this week, and if you have not visited our Future-Ready website recently, there is new drone footage of our projects that is pretty amazing.

• On Nov. 2 we will have a district professional development day and our keynote speaker is Cornelius Minor, author of the book “We Got This,” and we will also have a variety of breakout sessions for all of us to learn and grow. Thank you to the LEF for sponsoring Mr. Minor’s virtual visit.

• Our One Book, One Community book club will meet on Nov. 18; there is still time to register online.

• The district will host several COVID vaccination clinics in November, the first one will be held on Nov. 2 and will offer first doses and booster shots to those ages 12 and older. Depending on availability we plan to host another for kids ages 5 to 11 on either Nov. 5 or 12. We will hold another ages 12+ clinic on Nov. 23, and on Dec. 3 we will hold another clinic for 5 to 11 year-olds to receive their second dose. Ann Body and her nursing staff have been very busy coordinating all of these dates.

• We are looking at ways to best deliver our board meetings to the public and online; please bear with us as we may have some changes in the future.

• I want to remind our community that we are in the middle of our Strategic Planning process. We have conducted our surveys, our community engagement, and are currently compiling data to put together a framework for next steps.

ACTION ITEMS

SM Wilson Presentation, Change Order, and Pay Application

SM Wilson provided an update on construction progress at Ladue Middle School, Old Bonhomme Elementary, and Spoede Elementary. The Board approved SM Wilson’s change orders and pay application.

INFORMATION ITEMS

2021-22 Board Filing

Dr. Wipke provided information about filing dates for the next Board of Education election in the spring.

2021-22 Budget Update

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance Dr. Geoff Macy provided an update on the district budget.

SSD Partnership Agreement

Director of Student Services Dr. Derrick Wallace and SSD Director of Special Education Dr. Catina Lyles gave a presentation and update on the partnership agreement between Ladue Schools and SSD. Dr. Lyles also introduced the district’s two new special education coordinators, Sonia Shelton and James Sievers.

Student Enrollment and Projections

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. Julie Helm gave a presentation highlighting student enrollment and projections for the current school year.

Staff Summary/Diversity Recruitment/Retention Plan

Dr. Helm also provided information related to the district’s diversity plan and staffing data.

Ladue Education Foundation Report

LEF Executive Director Julie Ferrie provided a report on the organization’s upcoming events and updates for the school year.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a regular Business Meeting on Monday, November 8, 2021. The Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.

Board Briefs from September 27, 2021 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the September 27, 2021 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 September 27 Board Meeting

Board President Remarks

• It’s very exciting to be able to recognize our Excellence in Education Award recipients in-person again, and to be joined by this month’s recipient Melshonda Lowe-Dobbins of Ladue Middle School tonight.

• Congratulations to our 29 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists; each of the last three years we have had more than 20 students achieve this recognition and that’s amazing.

• I want to recognize all of our students for giving their best each day and helping to make Ladue Schools an amazing community.

Superintendent Remarks

• Thank you to Melshonda Lowe-Dobbins for being here and speaking from your heart tonight. Thank you to you and your family for joining us tonight and we appreciate all that you do.

• This is the second straight year we have had 29 NMS Semifinalists; they have accomplished this feat during a pandemic and have had the support of their teachers and school community along the way. Congratulations to all semifinalists.

• Congratulations to our LHWHS students who were recognized tonight, including the 10 recipients of the President’s Volunteer Service Award and senior Ryan Silver for his selection to the Student Board of Directors at the St. Louis Federal Reserve.

• I want to share a quote from Elizabeth Lawrence that caught my attention recently: “Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.” We are getting to that point in the year where the leaves are changing, kids are growing, our faculty continues to challenge students; we are moving ahead in a really positive year.

• Our transportation services are improving since we last met.

• A hot air balloon visited the high school recently and it produced some great photos.

• I want to thank the Board for supporting me in my continuous process of learning, as I traveled this past week to the Mid-American Association of School Superintendents conference in Chicago. It was a two-day conference with some amazing speakers. One topic we discussed was navigating a dual pandemic. Dr. Gregory Hutchinson, a superintendent from Alexandria, Va., spoke about diversity, equity, and inclusion work as a pandemic and COVID-19 as another. It reminds me of the work we are doing here and all of the effort we’ve put behind these two topics here in Ladue Schools. We also talked about the role of a superintendent, navigating difficult communication issues, educational administrative positions outside the U.S., and how artificial intelligence will become more embedded in both schools and the workforce in the future. We are preparing our youngest kids to be members of the workplace until about the year 2070, so when you consider that, you have to think about being a constant learner and adapting to change. Fortunately, we have a powerful staff and district that wants to keep up on the latest trends.

• Thank you to Dr. Derrick Wallace for facilitating our most recent Medical Task Force meeting.

• The One Book, One Community book club is ongoing and open to the entire community. We will hold a community discussion in November. More information is available on the district website.

• We have begun our Future-Ready Strategic Planning process and informed our staff and community. There will be opportunities to participate in the process, starting with a virtual meeting on Oct. 12.

• I was able to participate in the LEF ‘Due Run on Saturday. I want to thank the LEF for all of the work that went into this event.

• I also attended a celebration of life for Coach Jim Wagner on Saturday. Many knew Mr. Wagner and he was one of the very first people to reach out to me after I became superintendent here. I remember when he left me a voicemail after I had accepted the job where he explained that he had coached my father when he attended Ladue Schools. He later met with my dad and included some of his former teammates and former superintendent Chuck McKenna in on the visit; they spent hours talking to him. Coach Wagner remembered everybody and that’s the kind of person he was. I want to thank Coach Wagner and may he rest in peace; he is a true Ladue Schools legend.

PUBLIC HEARING ON THE TAX RATE AND DEBT SERVICE FOR THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR

ACTION ITEMS

Approval of 2021-22 Tax Rate

The Board approved each operating levy per subclassification of property (residential, commercial, agriculture, and personal) and the debt service levy.

Design Build Process

Director of Facilities Mike Noonan presented, and the Board approved, the design build process for storm shelters/gymnasiums at both Conway and Reed Elementary Schools.

SM Wilson Presentation/Pay Application

SM Wilson provided an update on construction progress at Ladue Middle School, Old Bonhomme Elementary, and Spoede Elementary. The Board approved SM Wilson’s change orders and pay application.

INFORMATION ITEMS

2022-23 Board Meeting Schedule (MOVED TO ACTION)

The Board approved a meeting schedule for the 2022-23 school year.

Revised 2022-23 Academic Calendar (MOVED TO ACTION)

Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Amy Zielinski presented, and the Board approved, a list of proposed changes to the 2022-23 district calendar.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education meeting will be a regular Business Meeting on Monday, October 25, 2021. The meeting will be live-streamed and the Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.