STE. GENEVIEVE — This information includes highlights from the Ste. Genevieve County R-II Board of Education’s April 16, 2024, Reorganizational and Regular meetings. 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.
REORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Approval of County Clerk’s Certification of April 2, 2024 Municipal Election Results.
The Board of Education approved the April 2, 2024, Municipal Election results, where voters re-elected incumbents David Bova and Geralyn Diesel to the Ste. Genevieve County R-II Board of Education. This will be David Bova’s fifth term on the Board, and Geri Diesel’s second. Community members Mike Wolk and Norman Vogt also ran for the two open seats on the Board of Education. The Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District would like to thank all of the employees, families and community members for taking the time to cast their votes for the four candidates.
Mr. Bova and Mrs. Diesel will join current board members Eric Basler, James Kirchner, Martha Resinger, Jamie Ballew and Josh Gettinger on the Ste. Genevieve County R-II Board of Education.
Reorganization of the Board.
Mr. Bova and Mrs. Diesel both took the Oath of Office and were sworn in as members of the Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District Board of Education. The Board also elected the following Board officers at this time: President: Mr. David Bova; Vice President: Mr. Eric Basler; Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA) delegate: Mrs. Martha Resinger; alternate MSBA delegate: Mr. Eric Basler.
MSBA MONTHLY REPORT
The April Board Report takes a look at MSBA’s Spring Advocacy Series, which began with the Spring Virtual Meeting featuring a presentation from Dr. Stephany Cuevas regarding the importance of parental movement in our schools. In addition, the Board Report includes highlights from the first Lunch and Learn with Dr. Margie Vandeven, exciting news about the MOEOP Plan for 2024, and a welcome to newly-elected board members.
The MSBA Board Report is a short monthly video featuring the latest news from MSBA and 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.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
Kindergarten Enrollment Results.
Superintendent Dr. Paul Taylor presented the current enrollment numbers for incoming kindergarten students for the 2024-2025 school year.
- Genevieve Elementary Kindergarten Registration was held March 2, 2024. Currently, the predicted 2024-2025 enrollment for kindergarteners is 99 students.
- Bloomsdale Elementary Kindergarten Registration was held on March 23, 2024. Currently, the predicted 2024-2025 enrollment for kindergarteners is 42 students.
- If a parent missed kindergarten registration, parents should email bkoetting@sgdragons.org or call 573-883-4500 ext. 2424 to set up a screening for the student.
Last Day of School.
The last day of school (for pre-k through 11th grade) will be an early dismissal at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, 2024. Friday, May 24, 2024, will be a work day and the summer check-out day for certified employees.
Ste. Genevieve High School Events.
- The Ste. Genevieve High School Prom will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, at the Ste. Genevieve Elks Lodge.
- The Ste. Genevieve High School Graduation will be held at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, in the SGHS Peggy J. Johnson Gymnasium. More details will be shared as the date nears.
2023-2024 Retirement & Recognition Banquet.
The 2023-24 SG R-II Recognition & Retirement Banquet will be held on Friday, May 10, 2024, at 6 p.m. at the Ste. Genevieve Elks Lodge #2674.
Principal Reports.
Each building principal reported on a variety of teacher and student accomplishments.
Safety Reports.
Safety drills from each building were reviewed.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Instructional Program Presentation – Middle School Industrial Arts.
SGMS Industrial Technology teacher Mr. Chris Thompson presented educational programming and learning opportunities for 6th through 8th grade students! This included an overview of his two courses, Industrial Tech I and II. Students 6th through 8th Grade can take Industrial Tech I as an elective course with no prerequisites, but must pass this course before enrolling in Industrial Tech II. Tech I students learn how to read 8th scale measuring tools; begin work with partners or group engineering for architectural and civil engineering projects; begin woodworking and metalworking and create projects such as wooden coasters with laser engraving and metal dust pans. Tech II students have the opportunity to learn board drafting, computer-aided drafting (3D, architecture and 3D printers), woodworking and metalworking. These students also explore industrial careers.
Mr. Thompson explained how one of the main goals of the Industrial Technology Department is for students to gain an understanding of the industrial world around them. They want the opportunities provided through the classes to spark questions such as: Why is that building built the way it is? How can I improve this vehicle or mechanism to better its usage and to be more productive? Is there something out there that is a better material or can I create a better material for this application? Is any of what I did in Middle School Industrial Technology interest me enough to take the courses in high school or look at the Perryville Vo-tech school? Is there a career out there that would interest me and be something that I can see doing the rest of my life to help others? He end the presentation with thoughts his students have shared:
- “I like wood working and working with tools in my shop so I took this class so I could learn how to make cooler designs and better projects in my shop.”
- “Working with Mr. Thompson and the tools, along with the people in the class, which has brought me closer with my dad.”
Summer School.
The Board approved Summer School for 2024. The classes that will be offered this summer include: English I – IV, Algebra I, and Personal Finance. The schedule includes 60 hours both semesters. First semester will be from May 28 – June 13, and second semester will be from June 14 – July 3. Start times for the high school courses will be the same in order to provide consistency for the students.
Prop SG Update.
Dr. Taylor provided an update on the ongoing Prop SG projects.
Ste. Genevieve Middle School:
- The addition consists of an elevator spanning three floors in order to make our middle school accessible, and is located in the back corner of the school to avoid detracting from the traditional facade of the front of the building. The three floors are as follows: access to the nurse’s office, elevator and corridor on the basement level; elevator and new counseling suite on the first floor; and elevators and bathrooms on the second floor.
- The punch list completion date was last week, which includes a walk-through of the project where district administration, the architects and the CMAR list the final work items remaining before the project is considered complete. Middle school administration is working on purchasing and assembling furniture for the new spaces. The middle school parking lot is open again, with construction vehicles and equipment moved out and the fence disassembled.
- District staff are working on finishing up the transition from the new addition to the current building on the top floor, and this is anticipated to be complete by the start of May. The elevator inspection is currently scheduled for May 21, but the CMAR hopes to move this date up. At one point, the SGMS project was anticipated to be finished by the end of May, so we are happy to share that this project is on track to finish right on time.
Early Childhood Center:
- The Early Childhood Center is under construction, with a floor plan of 10 classrooms, as well as a kitchen, multipurpose room, and more.
- Work continues on the Early Childhood building— wall framing is going up!
Ste. Genevieve Elementary:
- The preliminary design of Ste. Genevieve Elementary’s new gym and on-grade, ADA-accessible entrance with offices can be seen here.
- Plans are nearing completion for the Ste. Genevieve Elementary project, as decisions have been made regarding the gym floor, access to the old gym within the building, the office layout and more. Most recently, an interior accessible ramp leading to the old gym has been moved to access a simpler egress by utilizing an old hallway leading to an existing building exit.
- Work on this project will begin early this upcoming summer.
NEW BUSINESS
School Play Extra Duty Stipend Adjustment.
The Board approved the increase of the School Play extra duty stipend from 6 percent to 9 percent. This position has evolved with the changing play production program and now requires an increase in time and responsibilities.
Head Cheer Coach Extra Duty Stipend Adjustment.
The Board approved the increase of the Head Cheer Coach extra duty stipend for Ste. Genevieve High School from 5 percent to 14 percent. This change was recommended to align this position with existing extra duty stipends with consistent time comparisons.
Girls Golf Head Coach Extra Duty Stipend Adjustment.
The Board approved the increase of the Girls Head Golf Coach extra duty stipend from 8 percent to 14 percent. This position has evolved with the changing and growing golf program and now requires an increase in time and responsibilities.
Boys Golf Head Coach Extra Duty Stipend Adjustment.
The Board approved the increase of the Boys Head Golf Coach extra duty stipend from 8 percent to 14 percent. This position has evolved with the changing and growing golf program and now requires an increase in time and responsibilities.
Addition of a Librarian Position.
The Board approved the addition of a Librarian, effective for the 2024-2025 school year. Dr. Taylor explained that this culminated from the upcoming retirement of the elementary librarian— there was an opportunity to appraise the elementary library programming and structure and determine if there could be improvements for students in terms of equity and resources. District and building administration determined that a certified librarian stationed at both Bloomsdale Elementary and Ste. Genevieve Elementary was the appropriate direction. Dr. Taylor expressed that our current library staff are all valued employees, and that district and building administration have met and discussed these changes with them.
Additional Elementary Positions.
The Board approved the addition of four elementary positions, effective for the 2024-2025 school year. Dr. Taylor explained that these positions are integral to a program the district will launch for the upcoming school year. The district currently has a partnership with Community Counseling for a Youth Day Treatment program housed in Ste. Genevieve Elementary. Youth Day Treatment provides services to elementary students who need more intensive mental health treatment than traditional outpatient therapy. Through ongoing discussions with district and building administration over the past several months, Community Counseling made the decision to cease Youth Day Treatment services at Ste. Genevieve County R-II, as continuing services going forward would not be viable for their operations.
District and building administration, the district’s social worker, behavioral specialists and special education educators have provided input for the creation of a tiered behavioral intervention program to begin the 2024-2025 school year. This program will shift the direction of the services for these students, as well as their peers, and include two types of rooms: a Tier II room, and a Tier III room.
- The Tier II room is a flexible learning environment to be utilized by a student during periods of dysregulation, where the student has the ability to use supports in the room to reset emotionally, and then be able to return to their regular classroom setting and learn effectively.
- The Tier III room is a small group learning environment where a student who has frequent escalations and struggles to learn in the regular classroom setting due to their behavioral dysregulation can be enrolled for a minimum of one semester to work on developing and using behavior self-regulation skills as a part of their daily education before transitioning back into a regular classroom environment.
“With Community Counseling Day Treatment leaving our district, we needed to figure out how to deal with student behaviors that are a little more advanced,” Dr. Taylor said. “So we started investigating what this program might look like for us here in order to be able to not only address these behaviors, but also to help students gain the tools they need to deal with those behaviors and be able to transition back into the classroom,” he said. “That is a piece we have been struggling with for quite a long time—when those behaviors take over a student’s entire day and what that students’ education then looks like. After talking and visiting with other schools and their tiered programs, we came back with some great ideas and determined what we think will work well for us.”
Dr. Taylor explained that because this will be a new program, staff and families should expect some bumps in the road, but that communication at all levels will be a priority— between and among our tiered educators and social worker, our behavioral support specialists, classroom teachers and staff, families, and building and district administration.
“We have to put a program in place that supports our teachers, because we can’t have bright, dedicated teachers who feel worn out and leave the profession, leaving the district— because the behaviors are so frustrating and difficult to manage,” he said. “Our social worker and tiered educators are bringing an expertise to this area, and that expertise will need to be shared with and absorbed into our classrooms and teacher toolboxes. This needs to be a program where we can see some hope.”
Board member Josh Gettinger pointed out that investing in this program in order to support our teachers and staff and all of the students affected has been a priority— the district will be investing approximately $260,000 on an annual basis for this program.
Board President David Bova shared that in addition to these positions, in the past several years, the district has included a social worker and behavioral specialists and interventionalists, and has approved the addition of another school resource officer for the upcoming school year. “We have to do something— we always talk about what we need to do for our students, but we need to do this for our teachers, too.”
The positions the Board approved are as follows:
- one certified position at Bloomsdale Elementary (for a Tier II room)
- two certified positions at Ste. Genevieve Elementary (for a Tier II room and Tier III)
- one paraprofessional position at Ste. Genevieve Elementary (to float between a Tier II and Tier III room, or who could be assigned to one as needed)
Roofing Replacement Bids.
The Board approved the bid from Meinershagen to provide roofing updates at Ste. Genevieve Middle School and Ste. Genevieve High School. The bids submitted were as follows:
- Lakeside Roofing: $561,094
- Meinershagen: $433,880
- Shay Roofing: $509,016
Depository Bids.
The Board approved the bid from Bloomsdale Bank for a five-year contract beginning July 1, 2024. The submitted bids can be viewed here. Dr. Taylor pointed out the items of importance when determining the district’s direction, including:
- customer service with a designated local contact;
- employee benefits (free checking, interest bearing HSA);
- fraud prevention (positive pay); and
- modern convenience (deposit capture).
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next Board of Education meeting will be a Regularly Scheduled Meeting on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at 6:30 p.m.
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