STE. GENEVIEVE – The Board Briefs from the July 18 and July 19 meeting have been released.
Board Briefs from July 18, 2022 Special Session
This information includes highlights from the Ste. Genevieve R-II Board of Education’s July 18, 2022 Special Session.
This is an unofficial record. The official Board Minutes are posted on the district website and are located on BoardDocs, linked here. The video of the meeting can be found on the district’s Youtube Channel, SGDragonsTV.
CONTRACTOR INTERVIEWS – CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK
Interviews of Top-Qualified Offerors for Construction Manager at Risk. The Ste. Genevieve County R-II Board of Education conducted interviews with the top-qualified offerors, S.M. Wilson and Co. and Brockmiller Construction, Inc., as required in Policy FED: Selection of a Construction Manager at Risk, regarding their responses to the Request for Proposal for Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR).
A CMAR is a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation or other legal entity that assumes the risk for the construction, rehabilitation, alteration or repair of a project at the contracted price as a general contractor and provides consultation to a political subdivision regarding construction during and after the design of the project.
Benefits of utilizing a CMAR include:
The cost of using a CMAR is the same as hard-bid, but includes pre-construction services.
A CMAR offers another layer of quality control and works alongside the architectural firm in budgeting and design.
A CMAR acts as one point of contact for all projects and for all subcontractors.
In the past, SG R-II has traditionally used a Design-Bid-Build Option, but after consulting with area superintendents, many suggested utilizing a CMAR, given the scope of projects encompassed by Prop SG. A CMAR would act as an intermediary for the district, working with the architects on the implementation of designs, issuing bids as packages to best suit the district’s needs, acting as the manager of subcontractors, negotiating on prices with market fluctuations, and providing monthly progress reports to the Board of Education.
The meeting and interviews were filmed and are available on the district’s Youtube Channel, SGDragonsTV.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next Board of Education meeting will be a Regular Session Meeting on Tuesday, July 19, at 7 p.m. in the R.W. Thomas Projection Room.
Board Briefs from July 19, 2022 Regular Meeting
This information includes highlights from the Ste. Genevieve R-II Board of Education’s July 19, 2022 Regular Meeting. This is an unofficial record. The official Board Minutes are posted on the district website and are located on BoardDocs, linked here. The video of the meeting can be found on the district’s Youtube Channel, SGDragonsTV.
MSBA MONTHLY REPORT
The MSBA July Board Report features a story on additional school safety support for school districts in Missouri and throughout the nation along with a report on MSBA’s new president for the 2022-23 year. The MSBA Board Report is a monthly five to seven-minute video program featuring the latest news from MSBA about public education in Missouri. The program is designed to be shown during local school board meetings.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Board members and administrators listen to concerns and respond when appropriate by mail or telephone at a later date. The Board does not respond within the meeting to those who come to offer public comment. In order to speak during public participation, a Public Comment Form must be filled out and submitted to the Board President prior to the beginning of the meeting. See Policy BDDH-1: Public Participation at Board Meetings for guidelines and procedures.
Board of Education Members Jamie Ballew and Joshua Gettinger Complete Training
The Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District would like to congratulate Board of Education members Jamie Ballew and Joshua Gettinger for their participation in the Essential New Board Member Certification training sponsored by the Missouri School Boards’ Association. The 18.5 hours of training required of new board members in their first year of service combined online independent study with virtual interactive sessions. District administration and their fellow Board members congratulated Mrs. Ballew and Mr. Gettinger on their achievement.
APPOINTMENT OF TREASURER
Appointment of Treasurer of the Board of Education. The Board appointed Dan Abts of First State Community Bank as Treasurer of the Board of Education for the 2022-2023 school year.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
DESE – 2022 Annual Determination of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Dr. Flieg presented the 2022 Annual Determination of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) from DESE for the Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District. This is an annual review of the special education programs for public schools in Missouri. The scores that districts can earn range from 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest. An average score of 3.33 or higher in an area results in a Meets Requirements determination for that area. This year, in all of the areas for which SG R-II was evaluated, our district achieved a 4, the highest possible to achieve. Dr. Flieg wanted to thank our former Director of Student Services Teresa Green; our middle school and high school process coordinator Nicole Lappe; our elementary process coordinators Cheryl Wohlstadter and Janna Leclere; and Early Childhood Coordinator Bethany Koetting; as well as our special education teachers and our special education paraprofessionals. Dr. Flieg shared that they all do a phenomenal job of making sure that we are meeting the needs of our students, and that we are incredibly proud of our strong special education program here at SG R-II.
2022 School Tax Rate Hearing. The regularly scheduled August Board of Education meeting has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 30. The 2022 School Tax Rate Hearing will take place on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at 7 p.m. in the R.W. Thomas Projection Room, prior to the Regular Board of Education meeting.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Selection of Construction Manager At-Risk. The Board approved Brockmiller Construction, Inc. as the Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR) to serve as the general contractor and provide consultation to the district regarding construction during and after the design of the projects in Prop SG. At the Board of Education’s Special Session on Monday, July 18, the Board conducted interviews with the top-qualified offerors, S.M. Wilson and Co. and Brockmiller Construction, Inc., as required in Policy FED: Selection of a Construction Manager at Risk, regarding their responses to the Request for Proposal for Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR).
A CMAR is a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation or other legal entity that assumes the risk for the construction, rehabilitation, alteration or repair of a project at the contracted price as a general contractor and provides consultation to a political subdivision regarding construction during and after the design of the project. Benefits of utilizing a CMAR include:
The cost of using a CMAR is the same as hard-bid, but includes pre-construction services.
A CMAR offers another layer of quality control and works alongside the architectural firm in budgeting and design.
A CMAR acts as one point of contact for all projects and for all subcontractors.
In the past, SG R-II has traditionally used a Design-Bid-Build Option, but after consulting with area superintendents, many suggested utilizing a CMAR, given the scope of projects encompassed by Prop SG. A CMAR would act as an intermediary for the district, working with the architects on the implementation of designs, issuing bids as packages to best suit the district’s needs, acting as the manager of subcontractors, negotiating on prices with market fluctuations, and providing monthly progress reports to the Board of Education.
Selecting a CMAR is a multi-step process, including completing an RFQ (Request for Qualifications), which includes the company’s experience and past projects; an RFP (Request for Proposals), which includes costs and plans for the project; and an interview with the Board of Education. With a total of 335 points in the RFQ and RFP, Brockmiller Construction, Inc. had 43 points higher than the next candidate, S.M. Wilson. Some of the areas where the district committee scored Brockmiller Construction, Inc. higher were local relationships, budget adherence, and fee areas.
Within the RFP, Board members pointed out that Brockmiller Construction, Inc. provided 39 more inclusions on a fee matrix than S.M. Wilson. Some of these included needs such as transportation for project engineers, temporary fencing, temporary toilets, ice, etc., whereas S.M. Wilson’s matrix indicated that far fewer of these costs would be included.
As a whole, the Board of Education expressed that they were impressed with the interviews. Board members pointed out that Brockmiller Construction, Inc. made a point to share their plan for keeping students and staff safe around areas that are under construction.
Many questions from Board members revolved around local partnership, and both companies spoke to how they would strive to incorporate local subcontractors, which would enable the district to return the county’s citizens’ investment in the bond by utilizing those funds to invest in local jobs. The Board members shared that Brockmiller Construction, Inc. stood out in this area, as the company provided a list of local contractors from Ste. Genevieve County, as well as surrounding counties. Three of the top five local subcontractors are in our county, and approximately 20 percent of the company’s workforce resides in our county, as well.
Brockmiller Construction, Inc. also explained that as onsite jobs vary in their scope, the company doesn’t utilize a one-size-fits-all approach with subcontractors; rather, Brockmiller Construction, Inc. strives to use two or three subcontractors, depending on the scope of work that fits that subcontractor’s capability or company size. Board members also shared that Brockmiller Construction, Inc.’s warranty timeline, as well as their proven accessibility and customer service following the completion of a project, spoke to the company’s care. As a whole, the Board agreed that Brockmiller Construction, Inc. presented a more holistic plan, tailored to our community, and inclusive of the needs of our students, employees, and citizens.
The Board of Education would like to thank all of the candidates who took the time to participate in the CMAR selection process – Brockmiller Construction Inc., S. M. Wilson & Co., Zoellner Construction, and Holland Construction Services.
To help our community members understand the difference between Design-Bid-Build and Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), please see this informational article from FGM Architects, dated Jul 7, 2021, entitled Pros/Cons of Design-Bid-Build vs Construction Manager at Risk vs. Design/Build: What’s the Difference? A Brief Comparison of Three Popular Construction Project Delivery Methods. For additional information on the processes that school district’s must follow, please review Policy FED: Selection of a Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR).
NEW BUSINESS
Addition of a Kindergarten Teacher at Bloomsdale Elementary. The Board approved the addition of a Kindergarten Teacher at Bloomsdale Elementary for the 2022-23 school year. The addition of this position will allow Bloomsdale Elementary to stay within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) recommended class size for kindergarten. For grades K – 2, the recommended class size is 17 students.
As of July 10, there were 60 registered students for this upcoming school year at Bloomsdale Elementary. Based on the historical data, the district typically enrolls 5 – 25 students between registration and the beginning of the school year. Using the current number of registered students and the historical data, our approximate number of students to begin the 2022-23 school year could be around 65 – 70 students. This increase would put an additional three to six students in each existing classroom, which increases class sizes to 24-25 students. Adding an additional kindergarten classroom would reduce kindergarten class sizes to approximately 16 to 20 students in each classroom. Even if Bloomsdale Elementary did not enroll any additional students, adding a kindergarten teacher would reduce class sizes to 15 students per classroom, which is a solid classroom size for kindergarten and will allow our teachers to provide more individualized instruction.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next Board of Education meeting will be a Regular Session Meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. in the R.W. Thomas Projection Room.