Editor’s note: This information includes highlights from the Ste. Genevieve County R-II Board of Education’s July 16, 2024, 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.
PUBLIC INPUT SESSION
This Public Input Session provided stakeholders with an opportunity to offer input on the district’s Community Engagement Plan, per Board Policy KC: Community Engagement. Per this policy, the Board will, with input from the community, create and revise a plan for ongoing community engagement that is consistent with this policy and outlines additional engagement activities the board and district will use the following year. There were no speakers from the community on the plan. The plan will be linked on the Board of Education’s webpage on the district’s website, www.sgdragons.org.
MSBA MONTHLY REPORT
The MSBA July Board Report takes a look back at the 2024 Summer Summit and Delegate Assembly, as well as shares information on submitting Advocacy Positions and the upcoming MSBA Annual Conference. 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.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
2024 School Tax Rate Hearing.
The 2024 School Tax Rate Hearing will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. prior to the Regular Board of Education meeting. This is a change (the Board meeting in August is moved back a week to provide the district enough time to gather information from the Assessor’s Office.)
2024-25 School Year Date Reminders.
- First Day of School: Monday, Aug. 19
- Open House Events:
- BLE & SGE Pre-K and K: Wednesday, Aug. 14
- BLE & SGE 1st – 5th Grades: Thursday, Aug. 15
- SGMS: Thursday, Aug. 22
- SGHS: Wednesday, Aug. 28
Superintendent Dr. Paul Taylor thanked our custodians, maintenance staff and summer crew for their hard work deep-cleaning, clearing, updating, maintaining and preparing our buildings for the return of students and staff in the fall.
Governance Team Award.
Congratulations to the Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District Board of Education on being recognized with the Missouri School Boards’ Association 2024 Governance Team Award! This recognition is based on the outstanding commitment of the school board and superintendent to ongoing professional development, regional and statewide leadership, and active participation in legislative advocacy for public schools.
The board and administrators were formally recognized at MSBA’s Summer Summit on June 24 in Branson, Missouri, during an awards luncheon.
Annual Communications Report.
Communications Director Bailey Otto presented the Communications Department’s annual report, which included an overview of the department’s duties, a review of the 2023-2024 department accomplishments, and a preview of the 2024-2025 department initiatives. The presentation can be seen here.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Prop SG Updates.
Ste. Genevieve Middle School:
- Elevator — Following an initial inspection earlier this summer, it was determined that a mini split needed to be installed. The district is addressing this issue, and a secondary inspection will follow.
- District staff and Brockmiller Construction are working on the transition area to the nurse’s office on the bottom level. The transition on the top level is complete.
Early Childhood Center:
- Work continues on schedule for the Early Childhood building! The building is now enclosed with some brick siding going up.
Ste. Genevieve Elementary:
- Construction has begun! Crews began digging into the asphalt and the area in front of the current gymnasium. The blocks leading to the current entrance have been removed, as well.
- Crews found a clay pipe buried 10 feet deep in the area in front of the current gymnasium, and the district decided to replace the clay pipe out into the parking lot.
- At this time, construction is anticipated to take approximately 13 months to complete.
- We know that our families have many questions about parking, entering, exiting, drop-off and pick-up when school starts again in the fall. We will share more information about these logistics with families as the school year nears.
Parking:
- The district is addressing parking issues in conjunction with the launch of the Ste. Genevieve Elementary project construction. Parking projects have begun, including an addition of between 35 and 40 spots and a retaining wall between the front parking lot and entrance near the Maintenance Department.
- Other plans include creating additional parking spots along the back parking lot leading to the football field.
Transportation Updates.
Our new Director of Transportation Kennith Jones attended the Board meeting to introduce himself to the Board members and to provide an update on our transition to district operated transportation services. Mr. Jones comes to SG R-II from Crystal City, where he spent 23 years in public education. He has been officially employed by the district since July 1, 2024. He shared that currently, he and the transportation employees are working to legalize the buses; he anticipates that by next week, all buses will be officially ready to hit the road. Each bus has been updated with the district’s official name along the side, and our two mechanics have completed all inspections on all buses. Mr. Jones shared that next steps include garnering approximately 40 license plates from Jefferson City this week. He also plans to host a meet and greet next week at the Bus Barn to introduce himself to those drivers he has not yet met. At that time, each employee will set up an onboarding appointment to meet with District Office personnel. Mr. Jones shared that our transportation employees have been extremely helpful, welcoming and hardworking, and that as a team, they have made significant progress. He also shared a thank you to District Office personnel for their assistance in the onboarding process.
Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP).
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lance McClard presented the district’s new Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP). A CSIP is designed to prepare every child for success, and acts as an accountability tool for reviewing and assessing a district’s impact on student learning.
The district planned to revamp our Comprehensive School Improvement Plan beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. This new framework includes main goals to model the foundation of our district, with objectives that nestled beneath these to guide our work. With this new CSIP, we hope to ensure that our students are college or career and life-ready post-graduation.
Crafting a new Comprehensive School Improvement Plan launched with initial research beginning in the fall of 2022. The district gathered both formal and informal data, including survey results (such as the Climate Survey, parent survey, 6- 12 student survey, and targeted leadership team survey), as well as focused feedback from building faculty and staff meetings.
These methods of research included garnering perceptions on the following areas: communication, climate, leadership, family involvement, community partnerships, school safety and security, inclusion, equity, behavioral expectations, academic expectations, facilities, professional development, and mental and social/emotional well-being, among others. Surveys were voluntary and anonymous.
In the spring of 2023, a committee of district stakeholders, including teachers and staff, families and students, school board members, administrators, and local business and community members convened for two meetings to create an updated Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP). The committee first worked to identify the district’s specific needs, strengths, areas of improvement, and priorities. The group then used the above survey results and feedback to craft the district’s goals, strategies and action steps to guide decisions and plans for moving forward.
Throughout the 2023-2024 school year, strategies, action steps and systems for measurement were discussed, drafted, revised, and recreated with the guidance of building administration and the Southeast Regional Professional Develop Center. Through the district’s membership within the Success-Ready Students Network (SRSN), the CSIP was revised in order to align with the evolving documents guiding the SRSN’s waiver for the Annual Performance Report. Updates and revisions were disseminated to the CSIP Committee and the Board of Education in July, 2024, for final review and approval.
The result is a plan that will be used for reviewing and assessing the district’s impact on student learning and structural processes in the Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District. It outlines both broad goals and specific steps for accomplishing these goals. There are four overarching pillars to guide the district, providing the framework for our way forward. Within these pillars are goals, which identify our areas of focus, and within the goals are strategies that outline the district’s specific priorities. In addition, the CSIP includes action steps for the plan’s strategies, timelines for progress monitoring, as well as plans for implementation.
The District Leadership Team will meet on an annual basis to evaluate and revise the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. The CSIP is a fluid and living document that will be monitored monthly in order to provide intentional progress monitoring and to meet the delineated goals. The CSIP strategies and action steps will be modified as needed on an annual basis, and the CSIP goals will be revised on a five-year cycle. The completed CSIP will also guide the buildings in their revisions of their annual building improvement plans.
The Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District would like to thank and acknowledge our CSIP Committee, families and students, faculty and staff, and community members and business and collaborative partners who contributed to the plan by completing surveys to provide input and feedback for the Continuous School Improvement Plan.
NEW BUSINESS
Adult Food Service Prices for 2024-25.
The Board tabled the approval of the Adult Food Service Prices for the 2024-25 school year until the July Regular meeting. Student prices were approved at the May 21, 2024 Regular Meeting.
Facility Use Fees for Outside Organizations.
After examining our current practices and consulting with area schools about their procedures, the Athletic Department determined a need to create further guidance on the practices and procedures for the field usage costs. After speaking with area athletic directors and reviewing current and past reservations, an updated fee scale was created.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The Board of Education will hold its Tax Rate Hearing and its Regularly Scheduled Meeting on Monday, Aug. 27, 2024, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the SGHS Projection Room.