Board Briefs from September 12, 2022 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the Sept. 12, 2022 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 Sept. 12 Board Meeting

Board President Remarks

• The district’s Diversity Committee held its first meeting last Thursday; Marissa Rosen and I were there for the kickoff.

• We have added Board liaison committee reports to our agenda, so each Board member will have an opportunity to give a report.

• The SSD Governing Council, which I also chair, will meet next Monday on Zoom to present the final report of the Public Review Committee to the full body of the council, which includes representatives from SSD’s 22 local partner districts.

• The SSD Parent Advisory Council will host a Family Engagement Night on Wednesday, Sept. 14 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the SSD central office, 12110 Clayton Road.

Superintendent Remarks

• It has been a successful first three weeks of school. I’m proud to report that students and staff in all of our schools are thriving.

• Many of our schools are gathering baseline data from our universal assessments; this data is incredibly important for planning and preparing differentiating lessons, focusing on where each student stands individually in real-time.

• Professional development is an everyday occurrence in our district, but Dr. Amy Zielinski has done a great job of pulling in outside resources that serve individual school needs as well. Data from our Panorama survey has assisted the C&I team. Very soon, we will begin our regularly scheduled data team meetings with school leadership and district data teams to analyze areas of improvement. This is all in alignment with this year’s district goals.

• I often mention Prop L in these updates, but I haven’t talked about how we are preparing to use the new spaces to enhance lessons and improve learning. Dr. Zielinski and I have met with our architects and are scheduling meetings with other districts to discuss how they are using similar spaces. Dr. Zielinski and our instructional coaches plan to provide professional development after teachers have moved into their new spaces; it will be an ongoing learning process. I’ve already seen how these new spaces can impact learning at Old Bonhomme.

• Last Thursday, we held a professional development session for our school counselors, SEB team, educational support counselors, and building principals.

• Speaking of professional development, I met with our principals last week for a session based on the book “Think Again” by Adam Grant. I am always impressed when I get to work with our principals so we can learn from each other.

• If you have not listened to our most-recent See Serve Connect podcast with Dr. Angela Thomspon, I encourage you to check it out.

ACTION ITEMS

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) III

Dr. Geoff Macy presented the district’s Safe Return to Learn Continuity of Services Plan 2022-23 as required by ESSER III. The Board approved the plan.

Return to School Mitigation Measures

Dr. Wipke and District Lead Nurse Ann Body presented the Mitigating Measures Plan 2022-23. The Board approved the plan.

INFORMATION ITEMS

District Tax Rate Discussion

Dr. Macy led a discussion on the proposed 2022 district tax rates, which will go up for Board approval at the Sept. 29, 2022 meeting.

Summer School Programs Update

Dr. Derrick Wallace provided a summary of summer program participation for 2022 and plans for future summer offerings.

Curriculum Revisions

Dr. Amy Zielinski introduced curriculum documents relating to seven high school courses.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education regular business meeting is Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. The Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.

Board Briefs from August 29, 2022 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the Aug. 29, 2022 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 Aug. 29 Board Meeting

Board President Remarks

Due to technical difficulties, the first portion of Kisha Lee’s comments were not recorded

• As liaison to Ladue Middle School, I took part in welcoming staff back to the building with a “Survivor” flair. With me was Natasha Fox, a friend and former contestant on two seasons of Survivor. The LMS team, led by Dr. Angela Thompson, is off to a great start while accommodating the vast construction projects going on at the school. The Fifth Grade Center also held a Survivor-themed welcome back event for staff.

• I had the pleasure of touring our buildings with Dr. Wipke earlier this month and saw many of our staff getting their rooms ready for the first day of school. It’s always amazing to see the transformation in the rooms by the time school begins.

• We have once again added the Liaison Committee reports back to our agenda. This allows the board members to provide updates on their assigned schools and any updates from the individual committees that we serve.

• Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of serving as a docent for the Class of 1982 on their tour of the high school. This was my second time leading the tour and it gets better each time. It’s always great to see classmates catch up with one another after so many years away. I learned about the Ladue Gun Club on the tour and was able to find a mention of it on the new timeline. Speaking of the timeline, kudos to Carolyn Jaeger, Jeff Kopolow, Ladue alumni, the Communications Department, high school administration, and many others who contributed to this fascinating addition to our high school.

• The SSD Parent Advisory Council will host a Family Engagement Night on Sept. 14 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the SSD Central Office.

Superintendent Remarks

• We have had a fabulous start to our school year; we are all so happy and filled with joy to have our students walking our hallways again.

• Last week I spent a lot of time on bus duty and parking lot patrol. Yes, we had some late buses and re-routing to handle, but kids were smiling at each school I visited. I rode bus L7 on the first day of school with bus driver Ms. Sarah. That was an adventure, to say the least. Thank you to all of our bus drivers for the job they do.

• I want to highlight our Old Bonhomme teaching staff for their patience as they currently use a commuter shuttle to get to school each morning. They are awaiting the completion of the staff parking lot which should happen by the end of this week. We can learn a lot from our Old Bonhomme teachers for their positivity and understanding of the situation. Director of Facilities Mike Noonan volunteers to drive the shuttle in the morning; thank you, Mike.

• I want to highlight the work of Dr. Geoff Macy who oversees our transportation vendor and works closely with our bus depot. He handles the questions and suggestions from our community on how to improve our bus routes. Thank you, Geoff, for all the extra time and energy you put into this responsibility.

• Our Prop L work continues as crews work to get new sections of our buildings ready. We have heard a lot of positive comments from Old Bonhomme students about the new 3rd- and 4th-grade wing, as well as the renovated sections of the 2nd-grade wing. The renovated sections at LMS have also received high praise from students. It’s so much fun to see their faces when they walk into a new facility.

• Our day custodial staff and ABBCO evening custodial staff should be commended for their extra efforts in getting our buildings prepared for students.

• Congratulations to Instructional Coach Leah Crawford, who will soon be honored by the St. Louis American Foundation.

• I want to recognize Director of Communications Kimberly McKenzie for taking over the timeline project after it had started, then it stalled out with COVID, but now that it is complete and on display in our high school it is remarkable to see.

• Our teachers are doing amazing things each day. The amount of time they’ve spent getting their rooms ready is evident when you walk through the hallways. I really enjoyed our Meet the Teacher events as well. It has been an outstanding start to the year; I can’t thank our teachers and staff enough, along with our Board of Education for all of its support.

ACTION ITEMS

SM Wilson Presentation, Change Order Requests, and Pay Application

Representatives from S.M. Wilson provided an update on Prop L construction progress along with information about the most recent change order requests and the July pay application. The Board approved all items.

Wachter Change Orders and Pay Application

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance Dr. Geoff Macy recommended approval of change orders 4, 5, and 6 and the latest pay application from Wachter and Hoener. The Board approved both items.

Board Policy Updates

Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Dr. Julie Helm and Director of Student Services Dr. Derrick Wallace recommended approval of updates to board policies GCBDA, GDBDA, IGD, JHDE, and JGA. The Board approved the updates.

Board Advisory Committee Updates

Director of Facilities Mike Noonan provided information on two prospective appointees to the Facilities Board Advisory Committee. The Board approved the appointments.

INFORMATION ITEMS

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) III

Dr. Macy provided information on the district’s Safe Return to Learn Continuity of Services Plan 2022-23 as required by ESSER III.

Return to School Mitigation Measures

Dr. Wipke and District Lead Nurse Ann Body presented the Mitigating Measures Plan 2022-23.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education regular business meeting is Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. The Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.

Board Briefs from August 8, 2022 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the Aug. 8, 2022 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 Aug. 8 Board Meeting

Board President Remarks

Due to technical difficulties, Board President Kisha Lee’s remarks were not recorded.

Superintendent Remarks

• Congratulations to Dr. Amy Zielinski and the Curriculum and Instruction Department for coordinating New Teacher Orientation and doing a wonderful job leading our 23 new teachers.

• Monday was the first day of regular season athletic practices. I know our high school athletic department has had a busy day. I love seeing kids practicing behind our Admin Center and getting back into action.

• Our theme for the year is bringing joy to education and it’s something we’ve discussed in meetings and at Summer Institute. We have a lot to be thankful for here in Ladue Schools and we want to spread that joy.

• As we look ahead to the beginning of the school year, we may have some challenges related to Prop L and making sure the work is done on time to welcome our students back to our buildings. We have received a lot of rain recently and it has impacted our families and construction projects. The staff parking lot at Old Bonhomme received substantial rain which has put us behind by 2 to 4 weeks, so some additional work will be needed there. There also is some drywall damage in the building that has slowed progress along with damage behind the school. We’re asking our staff and community to be patient with us as we work through these issues.

• Our Middle School is coming along well, but there is plenty yet to be done. Everyone is working well together to get the job done.

• My report would not be complete if I didn’t brag about my buddy Drew from Old Bonhomme. He recently sold lemonade in his driveway to raise money for the Humane Society and ended up donating everything he earned which amounted to $15. You may be seeing more of Drew in an upcoming back-to-school video. We are excited to welcome our staff back on the 15th and our students on the 22nd.

ACTION ITEMS

Ladue Opportunities

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Amy Zielinski and LHWHS Associate Principal Dr. Beth Rapoff recommended approval of the Ladue Opportunities program. The Board approved the program.

SM Wilson Presentation, Change Order Requests, and Pay Application

Representatives from S.M. Wilson provided an update on Prop L construction progress along with information about change orders 70, 76, 77, 78, 87, 88, 101, 102, and 104 and the July pay application. The Board approved all items.

Wachter Change Order and Pay Application

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance Dr. Geoff Macy recommended approval of change order #3 and the latest pay application from Wachter and Hoener. The Board approved both items.

INFORMATION ITEMS

Board Policy Updates

Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Dr. Julie Helm and Director of Student Services Dr. Derrick Wallace discussed updates to board policies GCBDA, GDBDA, IGD, JHDE, and JGA.

Board Advisory Committee Updates

Director of Facilities Mike Noonan provided information on two applicants to the Facilities Board Advisory Committee.

Full Charge Memo of Understanding

LHWHS Athletic Director Nick Gianino and Activities Coordinator Greg Kendall provided information on a proposed agreement with Full Charge to protect student data.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education regular business meeting is Monday, Aug. 29, 2022. The Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.

Board Briefs from July 12, 2022 Special Open Session

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the July 12, 2022 regular Board of Education special open session. 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 July 12 special open session

CONSENT AGENDA

Approval of Agenda of Meeting Held July 12, 2022

Approval of Meeting Minutes of Meeting Held June 27, 2022

Catalyst Lease Agreement

ACTION ITEMS

2022-23 Preliminary Operating Budget

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Dr. Geoff Macy recommended approval of the Fiscal Year 2023 Preliminary Budget. The Board approved the recommendation.

INFORMATION ITEMS

Spoede Restroom Change Order (MOVED TO ACTION)

Dr. Macy and the Board discussed the proposal to add four banks of restrooms to the construction at Spoede Elementary. The Board approved a recommendation of a $415,000 allowance taken from the Prop L GMP contingency to allow for the additional restrooms.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education regular business meeting is Monday, Aug. 8, 2022. The Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.

Board Briefs from June 27, 2022 Business Meeting

This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the June 27, 2022 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 June 27 Board Meeting

Board President Remarks

• Given the number of attendees we have here tonight and the communication we’ve received in the last 72 hours, I assume many of you are here to discuss the restrooms in our new buildings. I want to thank you all for coming tonight. We have an extensive agenda tonight and we appreciate your participation and interest in your school district. I would first like to dispel the myth that a vote will take place tonight regarding gender-neutral restrooms. The original vote to accept the renderings from our architects took place quite some time ago. I would also like to state that while it may be new to some members of the public, it is not a new topic. The entire Board has been apprised of the plans and renderings of the new facilities for quite some time, and this included gender-neutral restrooms. We also had a discussion about this topic at our Board retreat on June 14. There currently are three members of the Board – Sheldon Johnson, Andy Bresler, and myself – who sit on the District Facilities Board Advisory Committee, along with district community members. The plan for gender-neutral restrooms was not made for the sole intent of supporting our students who may identify as gender binary or transgender. There are no federal mandates requiring the restrooms; there are also no federal dollars that follow the installation of gender-neutral restrooms. The majority of funding received for Ladue Schools comes from local dollars. Our Superintendent may have some additional information in regard to the restrooms in his remarks.

• I have been participating as a member of the Special School District Public Review Committee for the better part of the last school year. The PRC is comprised of the SSD Governing Council members, appointees by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and members of the SSD Parent Advisory Council. We began meeting in September 2021 and our report is now complete. I, along with other members of the PRC, will present our final report to the SSD Board of Education on June 28. Following that meeting, I will ensure all of you receive a copy of that final report which contains recommendations to the Board of Education. It will also be posted on the SSD website.

• I would also like to acknowledge that Jeff Kopolow is not here with us this evening; he requested to be excused because he is celebrating his 57th wedding anniversary, Congratulations to Jeff and his wife.

Superintendent Remarks

• I want to reiterate what Ms. Lee said about our restrooms: thank you to the public for your comments, emails, and phone calls. I tried to respond to everyone who has emailed; I was out of the office for the last several days so I was a little bit slower in getting back to some people than I normally would be. I will tell you that comfort level is very important. In one of the emails I was asked if I have children – I do, I have four children whom I love dearly and I want them to feel safe and comfortable in their school environment, just as I do for our 4,000 students here in Ladue Schools. I want them to feel safe and comfortable. I have heard your concerns and I have put together a plan of action, I am going to include tours with our Board of Education so we can walk the buildings together. I believe when you look at the facilities in general, they are state-of-the-art and it will be remarkable when all of the changes to our buildings are complete. We’ve tagged that as “future-ready” and I believe we have future-ready components in all of our hallways. We do have banks of restrooms as you’ve seen – and thank you to Director of Communications Kimberly McKenzie and her team for adding information to our website so you can see those plans – we do have banks of restrooms in our hallways and those can be organized in any way that we see fit. When I say “we” I include our community and their comments. I have a plan of action that I’d like to share with the Board as we walk the buildings and look at our restrooms. I believe most of the concern that has come my way has involved questions about what will happen at the middle school. Our middle school restrooms are basically built on top of each other, so they are stacked with one bank of restrooms on the first floor and another directly above on the second floor. There is nothing that says we can’t designate the bank of restrooms on the lower level as our girls’ restroom and nothing that says we can’t designate the bank above it as the boys’ restroom. The other thing I’d like to remind people is that there will be many restrooms and many choices for students because literally 15 steps away from the bank of restrooms is a traditional restroom on that lower level. We have a lot of choices and a lot of options. I do want to make sure that the Board fully understands what I’m recommending so I do want to walk the building with our Board members to show them what it looks like and the options we have. I gave that specific example at the middle school; I have shared two memos with the Board that broke things down school by school. We have the opportunity to have separate restrooms for girls and boys, and again we have a lot of choices and options. We also have single restrooms in the hallways which can be utilized by students who have concerns about using a bank of restrooms or using traditional restrooms. We will schedule tours of all of our buildings under renovation with the Board. I take great pride in listening and I want to thank those of you whom I spoke with on the phone. I believe our Board takes the time to listen to our patrons and parents. What’s nice about this is I do think there was a lot of planning and pre-planning that was included to allow our students to have options for using the restroom and to feel comfortable and safe.

• I want to commend Director of Student Services Dr. Derrick Wallace for his efforts with Camp Legacy. It is the start of our community education programs. I hear it is going well and that we have more than 60 students who are involved with Camp Legacy.

ACTION ITEMS

2022-23 Master Agreement

Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Dr. Julie Helm presented, and the Board approved, the 2022-23 Master Agreement.

2022-23 Teacher and LECC Evaluation Manuals

Dr. Helm presented, and the Board approved, 2022-23 Teacher and LECC evaluation manuals.

Early Resignation Notification Incentive Plan (ERNIP) Memo for 2022-23 SY

Dr. Helm presented, and the Board approved, ERNIP for the 2022-23 school year.

2022-23 Tuition Rate Per Policy JECA

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Dr. Geoff Macy presented, and the Board approved, the 2022-23 tuition rate for non-resident students.

SM Wilson Presentation, Change Orders, and Pay Application

Representatives from S.M. Wilson provided an update on Prop L construction progress along with information about change orders 49, 58, 64, 65, 71, 74, 75, 81, 82, 83, 85, and 90 and the May pay application. The Board approved all items.

Wachter and Hoener Change Order and Pay Application

Dr. Macy recommended approval of change order #2 and the latest pay application from Wachter and Hoener. The Board approved both items.

Food Service Management Contract

Dr. Macy recommended, and the Board approved, a one-year food service contract with Chartwells for the 2022-23 school year with the option to renew annually up to four years.

INFORMATION ITEMS

2022-23 District Goals

The Board approved the Ladue School District Goals for the 2022-23 school year.

District Committees

The Board discussed district committees.

Ladue Opportunities

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Amy Zielinski and LHWHS Associate Principal Dr. Beth Rapoff shared information about the Ladue Opportunities program.

Mitigation Plan (MOVED TO ACTION)

Dr. Wipke presented, and the Board approved, the latest information regarding the district’s pandemic mitigation plan.

Board Advisory Committee Appointments

Applicants for appointment to both the Curriculum and Instruction and Finance Board Advisory Committees were presented.

LEF FGC Restroom/Storage Building Proposal (MOVED TO ACTION)

Ladue Education Foundation Executive Director Julie Ferrie presented, and the Board approved, a capital campaign proposal to fund a restroom building project at the Fifth Grade Center.

FGC Restroom/Storage Building (MOVED TO ACTION)

Dr. Macy recommended, and the Board approved, beginning the planning and zoning process with the City of Creve Coeur to acquire the appropriate approvals and permits for the FGC restroom building project.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next Board of Education regular business meeting is Monday, Aug. 8, 2022. The Meeting ID will be posted on the Featured tab of BoardDocs when the meeting information is officially posted.