STE. GENEVIEVE – This information includes highlights from the Ste. Genevieve County R-II Board of Education’s June 20, 2023, Public Input Session & 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 creation of the district’s Community Engagement Plan, per Board Policy KC: Community Engagement. Per this policy, the Board will, with input from the community, create 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. Superintendent Dr. Julie Flieg shared that a new state law states that districts must publish a community engagement plan. She pointed out that the district has had a Community Engagement Board policy, and has crafted a plan based upon that policy and the various ways that the district and buildings engage and communicate with stakeholders. 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 June Board Report features a look back at the recently completed legislative session and what it meant for Missouri public schools. Plus, an important update on Medicaid eligibility reviews, MSBA’s Delegate Assembly, and more. 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
Fallert Bus Inspection.
Fallert Bus Service underwent its annual inspection from the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Feb. 21, 2023, receiving a pass rate of 93%. Out of the fleet of 44 buses, the rejections included two rear stop arms with cracked red decals and a slight fuel leak on another bus. Dr. Flieg pointed out that Fallert Bus Service continues to do a great job of making sure that our students arrive to and from school safely. Fallert Bus Service holds a pass rate higher than that of Missouri’s average, which is 87.2%.
2022-2023 End-of-Year Summary Reports.
- Bloomsdale Elementary
- Ste. Genevieve Elementary
- Ste. Genevieve Middle School
- Ste. Genevieve High School
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP).
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lance McClard presented the district’s progress on our 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.
“We want to ensure that we are covering three different areas: making sure that our students are college or career and life-ready post-graduation,” Dr. McClard said. “We want to make sure that they have the knowledge and skills our community believes are essential for them upon graduation.”
In the fall of 2022, the district garnered both formal and informal data, including survey results and focused feedback from building faculty and staff meetings. This included gathering perceptions on the following areas: academic expectations, behavioral expectations, communication, community partnerships, climate, equity, facilities, family inclusion, involvement, leadership, mental and social/emotional well-being, professional development, and school safety and security, among others.
In the spring, a committee of district stakeholders, including teachers, staff, families, students, Board members, administrators, local businesses and community members, convened for two meetings to identify the district’s specific needs, strengths, areas of improvement, and priorities, and then craft a draft of a new CSIP.
The first draft includes four overarching goals to guide the district: Academic Success, Leadership & Development, Collaborative Climate & Culture, and Dragon Flight Plan, which includes items such as long-term facility planning and fiscal responsibility. Within these goals are objectives and strategies that identify our areas of focus and outline the district’s specific priorities. We welcome you to view the full first draft of the new CSIP at https://bit.ly/draftcsip.
Through fall of 2023, the next steps will be to create and finalize action steps for the plan’s strategies and incorporate timelines for monitoring progress and implementation. Our schools will then have the opportunity to align their building plans within the framework of the district’s new CSIP.
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.
Prop SG Updates.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Paul Taylor presented an update on Prop SG. Construction at Bloomsdale Elementary is moving along; interior flooring is going in, and the concrete has been poured outside of the entrance. The project is still ahead of schedule. If we are able to stick to this timeline, construction should finish in time to allow teachers to return in August and get a jump on the next school year.
The district is now focusing on the SGMS elevator plans and the Early Childhood plans. The SGMS elevator project has been bid, with the Early Childhood Center’s site work up next. The site work for the Early Childhood Center will be split into a different bid package than the construction, allowing the district to finalize the building plans while site work begins.
NEW BUSINESS
Audit Update.
Beussink, Hey, Roe & Stroder, L.L.C., the audit firm for the District, is scheduled to be onsite Sept. 5 – 8, 2023.
2023-2024 Food Service Prices.
The Board of Education approved the food service prices for the 2023-2024 school year. The presented food service prices do not include a confirmed update on adult prices.
- If families completed the 2022-2023 Free & Reduced Lunch application before the end of the school year, there is a 30-day grace period at the start of the upcoming school year to complete the 2023-2024 application.
- Families should complete the 2023-2024 Free & Reduced Lunch application, which will be available on the district’s website and in the Power School Parent portal after July 1, 2023, and will also be shared with families in the district’s summer mailer. All families are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if they are able. The online application will be available under Forms, 23-24 Free/Reduced Lunch Application. We will share several reminders with families over the summer. For assistance or questions, please call 573-883-4500 ext. 2008.
Due to federal pricing requirements, the district is required to increase the full-pay student breakfast and lunch prices by $0.10 for the 2023-2024 school year. However, reduced breakfast and lunch prices did not increase from the 2019-2020 rate. The prices for the 2023-2024 school year are:
- Elementary: Reduced Breakfast: $0.30; Full Pay Breakfast: $1.80; Reduced Lunch: $0.40; Full Pay Lunch: $3.10.
- MS/HS: Reduced Breakfast: $0.30; Full Pay Breakfast: $1.80; Reduced Lunch: $0.40; Full Pay Lunch: $3.20.
- The adult prices for breakfast and lunch will be determined and shared soon.
2023-2024 Food Service Bid – Bread.
The Board of Education approved a one-year bid for bread products from Holloway Distribution for the 2023-2024 school year.
Pest Control Service Bid.
The Board of Education approved a three-year bid for pest control services from Bug Guy Pest Services, LLC for the 2023-2024 school year.
Waste Management Services Bid.
The Board of Education approved a one-year bid for waste management bid from Republic Services for the 2023-2024 school year.
Fiscal Year 2024 Budget – 2023-2024 School Year.
The Board of Education approved the following budget items for the 2023-2024 school year:
- adopt a new budget for the 2023-2024 school year; The First Amended to the FY24 Budget will be presented on Oct. 17, 2023. This provides the district more time to work with setting the tax rate and to obtain a more complete picture of our local, state and federal revenue totals by this time.
- increase hourly pay rates by 75 cents to the beginning salaries in each lane and allow regular step (years of service) movements on the salary schedule for support staff. This would increase the lowest beginning salary to $14.81. As minimum wage in Missouri increased to $12 an hour in January 2023, Dr. Flieg pointed out that it is important that the district continue to raise the lowest beginning salary in order to remain competitive with statewide minimum wage increases.
- Increase the base teacher salary by $500 and allow regular step (years of service) and lane (total college hours) movements, along with additional degree stipends for certified staff. This would increase the district’s beginning teacher salary to $42,500. (The beginning teacher salary in Missouri is $38,000 for the 2023-2024 school year.)
- increase extra duty stipends due to the increase of $500 to the base teacher salary; and
- maintain the substitute pay rate at $95 per day.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The Board of Education will hold its Tax Rate Hearing and its Regularly Scheduled Meeting on Aug. 29, 2023, at 6 p.m. in the R.W. Thomas Library.