Monday, November 29, 2021

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.

Thursday, November 11, 2021

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.