This information includes highlights of information received by the Ladue Schools Board of Education at the May 10, 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 May 10 Board Meeting
Board President Remarks
I want to thank the LECC for sending out their virtual passport. I clicked on it and took the tour and really enjoyed it. If you have that email, I encourage you to click on it. It was very impressive.
There is a lot going on here at the end of the year, so I will hand it over to Dr. Wipke to summarize what we have to look forward to.
Superintendent Remarks
It will be hard to follow our Spotlight on Ladue and student recognitions we just heard; thank you Kimberly McKenzie for sharing those with us, I always enjoy those highlights.
Last week was National Teacher Appreciation Week. We can all agree that teachers got a little more than they bargained for in the past year. It has been a challenging year, but when I think about the past school year and all of the things our teachers have handled, I am so grateful for their professionalism and care for our kids. We had some fun this past week honoring our teachers and it was fun to see how our schools honored our teachers.
National School Nurse Day is Wednesday; think where we would be right now without our nurses. The work of our school nurses and the leadership of Ann Body quickly come to mind when I think about how valuable our nurses are. Ann and her staff have done tremendous work for our district in the past year.
Currently the nursing staff is working on another vaccination clinic that would provide vaccines for 12 to 15 year olds; more information on that is coming soon.
I also had the chance to visit with some of our Oasis tutors on Monday. I thanked them for all they have done this past year, even though they have not been visiting our buildings. Instead, they meet with students via Zoom and have been involved in a pen pal program with many of our students. Thank you to all of our Oasis tutors.
I continue to meet with our Medical Task Force each Thursday. We recently discussed the end of the school year and looked ahead to the start of next year. There is a lot of good information shared in every meeting and we will continue to meet during the summer.
Our Parent District Council meetings wrapped up for the year on Thursday. I want to thank all of our PDC reps for their constant support of the district. It’s been helpful to hear your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.
On Thursday, we celebrated our retirees from the past two years. We have so many wonderful people leaving us, but I know they’re going on to bigger and better things and we wish them all the best.
The Ladue African American Student Alliance (LAASA) held its recognition ceremony on May 1. This virtual event recognized some of our amazing students and more than $7,500 in scholarships were given out. Congratulations to all of our LAASA students.
We continue to move forward with our Prop L timeline. Our construction management company will bring us a guaranteed maximum price at a special board meeting on June 2.
ACTION ITEMS
Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance Dr. Jason Buckner presented, and the Board approved, a bond parameters resolution.
Dr. Buckner recommended the approval of the investment resolutions for MOSIP and MOCAAT as presented. The Board approved the recommendation.
Dr. Buckner presented, and the Board approved, a recommendation that no adjustments be made to meal prices for the 2021-22 school year.
Dr. Buckner presented, and the Board approved, a recommendation that the district extend its current agreement with HM Benefits with the same terms through June 30, 2023.
INFORMATION ITEMS
Policy FEF-2 (MOVED TO ACTION)
Dr. Buckner presented recommended changes to District Policy FEF-2 ahead of construction projects scheduled to begin in June. The Board approved the recommended changes.
Board Meeting Date Change (MOVED TO ACTION)
The Board approved changing the June 21, 2021 regular meeting to June 28, 2021.
LECC Salary Schedule (MOVED TO ACTION)
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. Julie Helm recommended approval of the LECC Salary Schedule adjustment as presented for the 2021-22 school year. The Board approved the recommendation.
Recommended Patron Appointments to Board Advisory Committees
Dr. Buckner and Director of Facilities Mike Noonan shared recommendations for appointments to both the Finance Board Advisory Committee and the Facilities Board Advisory Committee.
2021-22 Preliminary Budget Introduction and Financial Planning
Dr. Buckner provided updates on the development of the 2021-22 Preliminary Budget.
Social Emotional Behavior/School Counseling Update
Director of Student Services Dr. Derrick Wallace and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator Dr. Jennifer Riesenmy provided an update on the district’s Social, Emotional, and Behavioral initiatives and accomplishments from the past school year.
Board President Carolyn Jaeger reviewed the Ladue Board of Education Goals for the 2020-21 school year.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next Board of Education meeting will be a regular Business Meeting on Monday, June 28, 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.
