0012025. All in favor? I 70. Um at this time it is uh my pleasure to wish some uh some great u great thoughts great parting words to our esteemed colleague Mr. Rey. Uh it has been an honor to have you serve with us the last three years and won't be the same without you. I know we we joked earlier about favorite moments. And there were several there were several that come to mind. Uh but uh really it has been uh just a pleasure to have you uh as part of our team and we're going to miss you and we have a little parkway has a little token of our appreciation for you. Anyone else to share? Yeah, I was gonna say, you know, Rob and I were elected together three years ago. It was a
002pleasure getting to know you then. It's been an absolute pleasure getting to know you more the past three years and wish you nothing but the best as you go forward. Well, I Rob, I I made a comment earlier, but I just want to say behalf of the ministry of We all enjoy working with you and your your support of Parkway and our schools, our our students, one another. Um, thanks for all your hard work and again, you're an advocate of public education. We hope you continue that even though you're not on the board, but uh we really appreciate your work and again, thank you for for all your your good work and support. And I'll add I got to know you when you were exploring the possibility to do this and take on this role
003and um and you've been great in this role and also happy to say I think you you developed a friendship and uh it's just you know that's not why you joined a school board but these relationships matter and they persevere and I appreciate your service any um Yeah. Well, you know, it's always a good song. I think comments I think there'll be no singing uh departure comments tonight. Um but you know, I'll say a few things. It's my last chance to speak on this side of the podium. Um, you know, and I know that the organizational meeting as I peer out into the audience is sparssely attended, but but I realize there's probably legions of Parkway fans watching in real time online right now and those who aren't will be able to go into the
004archives and the annals and view this at any point in the future. So, with that in mind, I thought I should say a few things to summarize my time on the board. Um, but as I do so often, I didn't prepare remarks, and I'm just going to speak extemporaneously for a few minutes. When I ran for the board with Jeffrey, um it was largely because I'd moved to Parkway seven or eight years before that from uh other parts throughout the metropolitan area. I grew up in North County St. Louis. And being in Parkway, I knew it was a fantastic place for my kids and my stepchildren to get an education. And it has been just that, exceptional. uh still have kids that are in elementary school that are going to hopefully go through the whole
005system and graduate and and be another part of the community, a very robust and and and highly engaged alumni community that Parkway is. And I knew when I ran for the board, you know, after talking to Kevin and others and just sort of being observational that it was a district that was clearly going completely in the right direction. there was not going to be any need for activist board member or anybody to come in and shake things up or fix things, new sheriff in town, any of that stuff. It gave a lot of reverence to the fact that the district was already running on all cylinders with great people and great positions, great administrators, great educators. And that remains the case. And as John joins, he's going to be in a similar position because even
006though we're all sort of diverse in our backgrounds, our stations in life, where we came from, some of us Parkway alumni, some of us not, we're homogeneous in the fact that we all want the best for the kids and the staff. And that's been evident to me in every moment of being on the board. One of the things that I got to do while here along with the rest of you is help find a replacement superintendent after Dr. Marty announced his intention to retire. Of course, I held Dr. Marty in a very high regard before joining the board and that hadn't changed after and I knew that we had a very important job to do. I feel completely sure that we made an outstanding choice and that as I leave the board there's going to
007be great leadership moving forward. The one thing that I do want to say though outside of just sort of the you know ongoing endorsement of the board and the things that I think so strongly and positively about the board and that is unflapable that's unchanged is just that now unfortunately I think the board might find themselves in some not precarious positions but I think we will be challenged over the next few years. I think through external factors there will be opposition to public education in ways that we hadn't experienced in the past in ways that maybe we hadn't anticipated even a year ago. In addition to that, I have people very very dear to me, very close to me. were, for example, part of the LGBTQ plus community. I think these people, these young people,
008whether they be students, whether they be staff members, are going to feel unsafe. And to compound that, I think there will be overt ways to make them feel unsafe, again, through external factors outside the board. And I think at times, and although I hope this isn't true, I want you to harden yourselves for the possibility that there may be funding levers, there may be other things done where you're put in a position where you have to make some very difficult choices. But I'm encouraged by the fact that I know you'll always make the choices that even though if they're difficult will be in the best interest for the students and the staff, all the students and all the so with that I'm leaving the board and it's bittersweet because as Kevin said, we become friends
009and I like doing the work and frankly in a district this great it's not a heavy lift. you know, things are sailing along pretty nicely. But because of all the things I said and because I feel so confidently in the board and John as he joins the board, I know that that the district will continue to move in a great direction. And I hope you do because I'll be a parent of students here for the next several years and I'll be observing um even though my life has taken me in a direction where it's very difficult for me to keep up the the commitment to the board and that's why I decided not to run not because of lack of interest or lack of enjoyment doing the work but just because it was difficult to
010be the best board member and still be the best person at home. So that's why I chose not to run. But because of everything I said out here over the last few minutes, I I leave with a very light heart knowing that the good work will be done in a very good way. And I am happy and encouraged by that. So thank you all for becoming friends. And I look forward to all the good work you're going to do in the future. [Applause] All right. Next up, uh we will review the annual school board election results. As everyone remembers the election, uh the votes were received as follows. Jeffrey Spectre received 8,024 votes. Mia Robinson received votes. John Kilper received 6,794 votes. LA Cott received 4,994 votes. Unofficial election results show that John Kilper and
011Jeffrey Spectre were elected to Parkway Board of Education. So based on the election results shared, certificates of election will be given to our two newly elected board members. Uh so at this time, Mr. Kelper and Mr. Would you please join board secretary Nikki Stover at the podium for the administering of office? If you both would repeat after me and hold your right hand. I do solemnly swear I doly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States support the Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Missouri and the Constitution of the State of Missouri and that I will faithfully and impartially I will faithfully and discharge the duties of school director discharge the duties of school director in and for the Parkway school district county of St. Louis state of Missouri county
012of St. to the best of my ability and according to law. Congratulations. [Applause] So at this time, Rob, you are excused. John So awkward. I didn't open the water. All right, we are going to now turn the meeting over to Dr. Marty briefly. So, welcome Mr. Cobber and we're going to put you to work right away here. Uh, so it's my pleasure to proceed with the election of board officers for the upcoming year. Do I have a nomination for president of the Parkway Board of Education? I nominate Jeff Todd. Do I have a second? Do you have a second? Any other nominations for board president? Okay. Hearing none, may I have a motion that the board of education elect Jeff Todd as president of the board of education for a one-year term commencing on April
01316th, 2025 until the next organizational meeting in April of 2026? So moved. Second. Okay. And do uh will all those in favor please indicate by saying I opposed. All right. Mr. Todd, congratulations on being selected as the board president, reelected as board president. Uh, congratulations. Okay, now we move to the election of the vice president. Do I have a nomination for vice president of the Parkway Board of Education? I've done some soularching in this regard and uh decided that I think it's time to nominate Deb. Do we have a second? Second. Jeffrey, a second. Any other nominations? Hearing none, may I have a motion that the board of education elect Mrs. Hopper, Debbie Hopper, Deer Hopper, as vice president of the board Parkway Board of Education for a one-year term, commencing on April 16th, 2025
014until the next organizational meeting in April of 2026. So move. Second. All right. All in favor? Opposed? Hearing none. Mrs. Hopper, congratulations on your re-election as vice chair. Congratulations. And I just want to say even though I will not be uh at a couple more meetings uh I I appreciate the the board and board of education and welcome John and I think the board is in excellent hands with president and vice president continuing their role. So thank you very much. Congratulations. Okay. Uh, next, uh, we we aren't going to do nominations because we're all pretty well happy with things. Um, so I may have a motion in a second that the board of education appoint Mickey Stove as secretary of the board of education commencing April 16, 2025 until the next organizational meeting in April
015202. Summit. Second. All in favor? And yes, go right. And uh also may I have a motion in a second that the board of education appoint none as our treasurer of the board of education commencing April 16, 2025 until the next organizational meeting in April 2026. So move second car. You're stuck. Uh let's see. I have been an MSBA delegate Missouri School Boards Association uh for the past year and would be happy to continue serving as an MSBA delegate. Matt has agreed to serve as the alternate. Is there any discussion or Anyone else wish to serve in those roles? Done. And I have a motion and a second that the board of education appoint Jeff Todd as the MSBA delegate and Matthew Schindler as the MSBA alternate delegate from April 16, 2025 until the next
016organizational meeting in April 2026. So move second. All in favor? Opposed carry 70. Um and and we have we have one more back there. Uh I have a motion and a second that the board of education appoint Elisa Tomich as the custodian of records commencing April 16, 2025 until the next organizational meeting in April 2026. So move second. All in favor? I car. [Applause] Uh finally may I have motion to adjurnn the organization. Second. All in favor? Opposed? Carry 70. We'll begin our regularly scheduled board meeting in about We got some family pictures here, too.