001Before we begin our regular business meeting, the board would like to recognize a moment of silence in honor of Christine Pegnati who we recently lost. Uh Chrissy has been part of the Francis How family for the last 15 years. Most recently serving as the lead clerk for the accounts payable department. She also served as an office secretary at both Fairmont Elementary and Sager Middle School. I invite you to join with me in a moment of silence for Christine Pagnati. Thank you all. >> Tonight we have leaders for our pledge of allegiance that are from Cosley Elementary School. Uh we're going to welcome Mary, Emma, Vhon, and uh Anna who will lead us in the pledge of allegiance. So invite the kids to come forward. And these kids are all part of the K kids team
002at Kazy Elementary that initiate kindness and did the um spaghetti dinner for first responders the last couple of years. Why you all stand for the pledge of allegiance? I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you very much. Uh before we approve the agenda, uh we're going to again restate our vision as part of our strategic plan for the year 2030. Um this is part of what you can um scan as a QR code to access our strategic plan. Invite um Director Harmon to begin uh identifying what our vision is for the year 2030. Recognized as one of the top 5% high performing districts in the state. The employer of
003choice for talented educators, leaders, and staff. >> Fiscally sound with a track record of smart, long-term planning. Known for graduating well-rounded students who are equipped with the skills and experiences they need to be successful in the world. >> Celebrated for the work we've done on culture, morale, and ensuring all members of our community feel safe and welcome. >> Trusted by families and the community to make good decisions and do what's best for students. We have created an agenda that helps us get closer to that vision. And with that in mind, I invite the uh board to make a motion to approve the agenda for November 20th, 2025 as presented. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Director Pushkar followed by Director Ponder. >> All those in favor say I. >> All those opposed say no. >>
004Motion passes. At this time, we'd like to invite our communications manager, Jeannie Smith, to present. >> Good evening. Thank you, President Blair. As you know, our strategic plan includes five core values that we want all members of the Francis How community to uphold. Number one, we pursue growth and learning. We strive to be a little bit better and a little bit brighter every day. Effort and perseverance lead to excellence for all. Number two, we focus on what matters. People, relationships, and strategic priorities deserve our attention every day. Number three, we spend time and money wisely. Strong stewardship requires long-term planning, smart systems, and efficient actions. Number four, we are kind and safe. We act with integrity and are accountable for the things we say and the choices we make. Words and actions matter. Number five,
005we embody one how. The power of our community shines when we find common ground, lend a helping hand, and we work together for a common purpose. So last month, we sent frame posters with the core values to every school building. We want to ensure our students, staff, families, and visitors know and understand our values so that they can align their thoughts and actions with them. For this month's strategic plan spotlight, we thought we'd show you some of those posters that are hanging around our 150 square mile district. So, let's take a look. [music] >> [music] >> All right. So, we are one hell. 23 schools, 150 square miles, and there's one of those core value posters hanging in all of those buildings. All right. Next up, we have the honor of recognizing our 2025 Emerson
006Excellence in Teaching Award winners. The Emerson Excellence in Teaching Awards is now in its 36th year. It's one of St. Louis region's most prestigious teacher recognition programs. Their school's administrators select honores for their accomplishments and dedication to their students and the teaching profession. Winners are recognized each year in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. We are excited to celebrate Tara Richards and Michelle Ridlin who are among the roughly 100 St. Louis area teachers selected this year as examples of truly outstanding educational excellence. I'm going to share a little bit about each of them from the nomination forms and then we'll call them bold forward to be recognized. Miss Richards has worked in the Francis How School [clears throat] District for more than two decades. She's taught for the past 23 years at Francis Howell Middle School.
007Principal Kirsten James, who nominated Richards, praised her impact on the school. She said, "A leader among her peers, Mrs. Richards serves as our building's dyslexia trainer and instructional technology specialist, sharing her expertise, and guiding others with humility and grace. Every day, she facilitates and writes curriculum, leads with character education, all while continuing to grow herself as an educator. In her classroom, students are challenged and supported through innovative research-based practices. Her lessons consistently reflect critical thinking, creativity, engagement, and personalization. Anybody who visits her classroom will walk away with strategies they can immediately use in their own instruction. And our second Emerson Award winner is Frances House Central High School art teacher, Michelle Ridlin. Miss Ridland began her career in 2001, transitioned into a district leadership role in 2009, where she wrote curriculum for grades K through
00812, led professional development, and built community connections. Later, she returned to Frances Hall Central to continue teaching art while also serving as a mentor to new teachers. Most recently, Miss Ridlin modified the intro to art curriculum to create an adaptive art course designed for students with severe learning disabilities. She worked closely with case managers, attended essential skills PLC meetings, and recruited A+ mentors to help ensure the class met the students needs. In the nomination letter, assistant principal Ashley Mayor said, "Miss Ridland's inclusive approach to teaching empower students to take risks and see themselves as capable artists both in and beyond high school. Miss Ridlin tirelessly creates enriching academic opportunities for every student in art education. She ensures that learners of all abilities feel valued, supported, and challenged to reach their highest potential. She's devoted to
009excellence, inclusivity, and student success. Please join me in congratulating our 2025 Emerson Excellent and Teaching Award winners, Miss Tara Richards and Miss Michelle Ridley. [applause] CONGRATULATIONS. [applause] CONGRATULATIONS. Right here back just a little bit. There you go. Perfect. All of you guys all take one step back. >> One step. Perfect. Okay, now take one step this way. [laughter] >> There you go. Right there. >> All right. Love it. That's perfect. Thanks you guys. >> Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Congratulations to both of you. What an honor. Next up, I am very excited to introduce our student board rep for the month of November. As you know, the purpose of the student board rep program is to honor and recognize talented students, elevate the student voice, and provide growth opportunities in the areas of public
010speaking, leadership, and governance. Students are selected for this honor by their principal and input from the student body. They have an opportunity to prepare and deliver a short speech to the board and public that is focused on their school or the district as a whole. And with that, I'd like to invite Francis Hall Middle School Principal, Dr. Kirsten James, to the podium to introduce our student board rep. [applause] I am honored to recognize Miss Harper Graaser as the student board member representative for Francis Hall Middle School this evening. Harper Graaser is an exceptional student whose character and work ethic shine in every area of school life. She is universally described by her teachers as remarkably kind, thoughtful, and dependable. Someone who treats every peer and adult with genuine respect. As a National Junior Honor Society
011member, Harper excels academically, approaching learning with curiosity, persistence, and a positive attitude, consistently giving her best effort, and asking insightful questions that deepen her understanding. As an active member of our FHMS Viking voice for the past three years, Harper was recently selected to serve on our principal advisory. In this role, she offers valuable insight, shares ideas, and helps guide important decisions that shape the continued improvement of our school, particularly in the areas of climate and culture. She is a strong advocate for inclusivity, always brings thoughtful suggestions to the table, and was selected for her consistent empathy, leadership, and unwavering support for her peers. She is truly a role model within our school community. Beyond her academic success and meaningful leadership contributions, Harper stands out for her integrity, the genuine care she shows others, and her
012willingness to help others without seeking recognition. She uplifts her classmates, creates a welcoming and inclusive environment, and leads by example. Harper's intellectual curiosity, compassionate nature, and unwavering dedication make her an extraordinary student. and her teachers agree that she is poised to accomplish incredible things as she moves on to high school. When asked to describe Harper, her teachers and peers had incredibly kind words to say about her that portray her character. I will share a few highlights with you this evening and we'll share them all with Harper. Driven by a desire to learn, she is intellectually curious, seeking out new knowledge and challenging herself with complex ideas. Harper Graaser has stood out as one of the kindest, most thoughtful, and most dependable students I've ever had the privilege to teach math to. It has been so
013refreshing to have a student like Harper in my class because her excitement towards learning pushes me to be a better teacher for her and to the rest of my students. [clears throat] Harper approaches every challenge with impressive effort and a can do mindset, making fantastic progress every day. Harper always has a smile on her face. She has a genuine curiosity about the world and is eager to challenge herself academically. >> Uhoh. >> Wow. From her peers. Uh, Harper is a kind and very helpful friend. She is always willing to help you out when you need it. Harper is very funny and I feel like I can be myself around her. What I appreciate most about Harper is her kindness. Outside of school, Harper plays soccer, loves to be outside, and is a great big sister
014to Tegan, who attends second grade at John Weldon Elementary. Harper shared with me that she might be interested in a career in interior design and hopes to attend LSU, Oklahoma State, or the University of Alabama. Harper, thank you for your for the quiet strength, kindness, and integrity you bring to Francis Hall Middle School each and every day. We are grateful for you, and we cannot see wait to see where your journey takes you. [applause] WOULD you like all those again? >> My picture. Perfect. Okay, you guys take one step this way. Perfect. >> Perfect. All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Welcome. Harper has prepared a speech. >> Hello, my name is Harper Graaser and I'm an eighth grader at Francis High Middle School and a graduate of John Walden Elementary. Currently at FHMS,
015I'm serving in National Junior Honors Society and Viking Voice where I also participate as a leader on the principal's cabinet, working directly with students and administration to make our school a better place. One of the reasons why I love the Frances House School District is the teachers I have had over the years. Whether at whether at Howell Middle or John Weldon, my teachers have listened, supported, and challenged me, making me the student I am today. Thank you for recognizing me tonight, and I'm grateful for being part of this community. [applause] And Director will get you comfortable over there. >> Hi, Welcome, Harper. We're very glad to have you here tonight as our student guest member of the board of education. Your voice and your perspective are very, very important to us, and we hope you
016feel comfortable participating and listening to our discussions. You're welcome to ask questions. You get to use this very powerful microphone. So, with great power comes great responsibility. So, make sure we do a good job. You won't be able to vote on any motions until you're officially elected, hopefully in the future. But in the meantime, um if you feel uncomfortable or need to get going because it is a school night after all, just let us know and we'll make sure we get you out of here at a reasonable time. Okay. >> Thank you. Welcome Harper. And thank you, Director. Uh during patron comments, the residents of the district and staff members are invited to address the board of education on issues related to the school district. Speakers are called forward in the order of signup and
017each speaker has three minutes to make their remarks. Please remember that only one speaker is allowed at the podium at a time and combining time or giving your time to someone else is not permitted. The board appreciates that you have taken the time to come this evening and we value both your input and perspective. I would like to remind everyone that we expect the speakers will remain civil and respectful when giving remarks. If anyone fails to comply with board policies, regulations, and rules, we reserve the right to cut those three minutes short. We also ask that patrons in the audience remain quiet in order to be respectful of the speakers allotted time. And with that, I invite the first person to come forward, uh, Catherine. >> It's my first time. >> Awesome. Ready? Yeah. Awesome.
018So, my name is Katherine and I have two young children at Prince School District. I have a son that goes to Henderson. I also have a son that goes to Hackman Early Childhood. I am also on the Henderson PTO and I'm also the vice president of PALS, parents actively lending support. This is a nonprofit organization that supports families of young children in the Francis House School District. Tonight, I'm here to talk about how valuable our full-time early childhood program is. And I ask that you please consider these three topics that I'm going to highlight that are important when considering the future of full-time early childhood programming. First, I want to emphasize the importance of quality early childhood education. Studies have repeatedly shown that studies who participate in quality early learning programs perform better academically and
019are identified for special education services earlier, which allows them to return to standard programs sooner. Children without these opportunities often face fewer options later in life. When access to quality early childhood education is reduced, we place additional strain on an already strained system that we call daycare and early childhood care. Secondly, I'd like to highlight the early childhood landscape in St. Charles County. All six school districts that reside in the county offer full-time care for children ages 3 to 5, though the number of hours does vary. However, when we account for differences in these number of hours, Frances How's program is still 47 to 201% more expensive than the other districts. Despite this, 106 children are still enrolled in full-time care this year, generating over a million dollars in tuition and supply fees. Families in
020Francis How are choosing to pay the highest cost in the county because they value this program. Lastly, I want to acknowledge the district's recent financial challenges. From the overspending and the Hell North project to more than a excuse me to almost a quarter of a million dollars paid to a superintendent who unfortunately never worked a day here. And even when I was growing up, I know that Francis House struggled with its management inconsistent policies because I was a part of the St. Charles community growing up. But I also know that this board is committed to improving and staying focused on what truly supports our students. I hope that the board continues to look forward and considers how best to support our youngest learners. Eliminating full-time early childhood education would close the door to families like
021mine that require this quality education for our children. [snorts] I would not be serving today as the vice president of PALS and my children would not be thriving. Ch families who want to be a part of this district would lose a crucial entry point. So, I respectfully, respectfully ask that you consider these points when deciding whether to continue offering full-time early childhood education. These programs not only strengthen families, they strengthen our district and they strengthen our future. >> Oh, and since I have 30 seconds left, I also asked some kindergarters. >> Thank you. Your time is up. >> Is it? >> I got you. Thank you. Sorry. [laughter] I got so excited. I appreciate it. >> Thank you. [applause] We welcome uh Grayson Justice to the uh to the microphone. >> Good evening. My name
022is Grayson Justice. I'm an alumni of Francis Howell Central, class of 2013. My pronouns is he and she. um from trying to get rid of elective courses like African-American history and literature to discriminating trans and non-binary students with their anti anti-trans locker and restroom policy. And now in their final 5 months of being a board member of friends tell their main focus is now banning high school books with dealing with reality topics. The books of this particular board member who read parts are the books I read are a Pulitzer Prize bio and an author of the Macob and most ban author Steven King. Instead of going to every conservative radio stations with your soon-to-be candidates for the next school election funded by uh PAC Francies, you could have just helped with the rest of the
023board members on real issues that really impact this district, but you've gone your own way. I hope everyone have a great and safe Thanksgiving. And let's remember our trans brothers and sisters who lost their lives due to the lack of empathy and bigoted hate groups and people like Jane on transgender of remembrance. Thank you. >> Point of order. >> Next guest um speaking is Ron Pushkar. Good evening board directors, superintendent Delaney, executive staff. First and foremost, I believe in and applaud the dedication, the professional knowledge, and the skills of a vast major majority of the Francis how teachers, administrative leadership, and support staff. Secondly, as a Christian, a parent, and a taxpayer, I am obligated to expose serious problems and abhore what is evil in my community, specifically in the Francis Hall educational community. My
024agenda tonight is not to blame or chastise any person for their actions, which is your responsibility, nor will I spew anti-Christian speech about others, as has been heard from this podium many times. And I know that some in the community want to keep America's faith culture out of our schools. However, that does not influence my obligation to expose culturally inappropriate sex and aberant lifestyle literature in teaching methods in our schools. I understand there are over 80 sexually inappropriate books that are being offered to children in Francis how libraries and secret classroom shelves. I have read four of these books which contain graphic stories and implicit topics including sexual immorality, lust and rape, incest and pedophilia, homosexuality and cross-dressing contrary to nature, drug use and vulgar and racist language on par with most evil of thoughts.
025I've spoken with several parents both in and out inside the district as well as non-parent Francis Hall taxpayers about the sexually inappropriate and perversive literature in St. in Francis Hall school libraries classrooms and the curriculum. I have received responses of shock, dismay, and anger about this reality in St. Charles County. Francis House School employees and the school board are in violation of some state statutes 1573.040 040 and district policy themselves, policy 6116, for distributing sexually seen obscene materials in libraries and classrooms. There are serious problems the taxpayers would find disturbing and would not want to hear about before the next tax levy or bond issue request. Also, your lack of correcting these behaviors will surely support the demand for school vouchers, [clears throat] especially by Christian parents. I request that you please identify Francis How
026employees responsible for acquiring books for libraries and classrooms and provide appropriate training of the state laws and board policies regarding inappropriate sexual materials for minors and provide staff with sensitivity training regarding the religious and cultural norms of our community. And I implore the Francis how school leadership to do the right thing. Purge French educational system of these inappropriate materials quickly and let our kids be kids in a safe and comfortable school environment. Protect their innocence. Do not destroy it. Thank you for your time. Uh up next is Jack Jarvis. Hello everyone. My name is Jack Jarvis and I'm the president of Francis Hall Middle School Student Council. I'm joined to I'm joined today by Selakanti, our vice president. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today. We're here to we're here to
027share some exciting details about Winterfest, Francis Hall Middle School's annual fundraiser to support students in need. Winterfest is a completely studentled and studentrun event that brings our entire school community together to celebrate the winter season. It's not just about having fun. It's about the entire community coming together for a great cause. Admission to Winterfest is free for all Francis Hall School District families. The only thing we ask is that guests bring a food pantry item, which will help us give back to our community in a meaningful way. If you're wondering what Winterfest is like, we have had activities such as ring toss, shuffle board, everyone's favorite garbage game, trash ball, and many others. But this year, we're excited to introduce something completely new, a glow-in-the-dark putt putt course, the first of its kind for Francis
028Al Middle School. There will also be gift baskets, a silent auction, secret guest appearances, they're even kept secret for me, and of course, plenty of food and warm drinks to keep everyone cozy and energized throughout the night. We really hope the board can join us for this wonderful event. We have we we had personal invitations um ready for each of you, but I gave them to Mr. Steven Blair. Um you know uh and as most can see, he handed them out already. [laughter] Um, on behalf of Francis Howell Middle School Student Council, thank you for giving us the opportunity the opportunity to be here tonight to discuss Winterfest. Thank you for your time and have a great rest of your night. [applause] Up next, we have Allison to come forward. >> Next speaker is Allison.
029>> Well done. >> She couldn't make it. She >> Thank you for that. Um, next person, Amanda Harrison. >> Good evening. My name is Amanda Harrison and this is my eighth year teaching kindergarten at Independence Elementary. This is also the third year sending my own children to these amazing schools that we call home each and every day. I have one child with me in kindergarten and another one, my youngest, is in his first year at Hackman Early Childhood Center. My older son spent two years at Meadows and I cannot can cannot express the amount of growth he made academically and socially. My youngest spends his entire day in the multi-age program at Hackman where he receives speech services. Based on his IEP, these services will continue to the next school year. If these programs are
030cut, you are stripping the opportunity of these services for my child and many like him. Not only can I attest to what these programs mean for my own family, but from a teacher standpoint where these children feed directly into my classroom, there are notable notable differences in the social and academic capabilities of these students that attend our early childhood programs versus those that have not. The past 3 years, kindergarten teachers have been required to complete comprehensive kindergarten readiness assessments on each of our students. Assessments that take weeks. These reports are sent straight to DESIE to communicate the readiness of all incoming kindergarteners. Based on that data that I have personally reported in the last three years alone, it's clear that our early childhood programs are making a positive impact on their learning and giving these
031students the head start that they desperately need. The last point I'd like to make is about the value of this program. The argument towards early childhood and that it isn't required by the state and therefore should not be should be entirely self-funded. I have to argue against that on the basis of the value that the full day program offers to this district. There are many things in the district that are not required yet the district funds because of the value that they offer to our students. One example would be sports. We have some head football coaches in the district that receive on average $7,000 per year sip and pay to run these programs. this increasing the yearly salary of the coach sorry and their district funded requirement retirement contribution as a result. This is entirely
032district funded and there isn't even a question that the district will pay for that because of the value that the football program brings to the students in our district. Another example would be the district funded ACT for all juniors. The cost of the district the cost this costs the district around 90 to $95,000 per year. This is a huge expense that is not required yet the district pays it anyways because of the value that is seen to offering that opportunity to students. Kindergarten is also not required yet entirely funded by the district and it's not even questioned. The full day program is valuable to the families that it serves and the teachers and staff are some of the best around. My own children are guided with love and compassion as well as taught age appropriate
033curriculum. These teachers have dedicated decades of their lives teaching our young children. I believe that these programs help to contribute making FHSD the top district in St. Charles County and one of the top in the state. The deficit that this program is running on is pretty minimal when you consider all of the other unrequired things that the district chooses to spend money on. >> Thank you. Your time is up. [applause] >> Thank you. Uh next up is Justine Lansancy. >> All right. Good evening. All right. My name is Justine Glansancy. I'm a parent of four children in the district. I'm here tonight to urge parents in this board to take a deeper look at what our kids are being exposed to in our schools. I encourage parents to be fully engaged, know what your children
034are doing, what resources they're using, and what they may encounter both in person and digitally. That includes what's available in our school libraries. I'm also asking for full transparency from this board. On the district website under learning commons, parents can search library books and review policy and regulation 6341. I strongly encourage every parent to do that. And please opt in to notification so you can see what your children are checking out. If something doesn't look right, you have every right to question or challenge it. And the board has a responsibility to clearly communicate what challenges are being made and how they're handled. There are books in both our middle and high schools that are not age appropriate, containing graphic, sexual, and violent content that would never be acceptable in any other setting involving minors. Why
035is it acceptable here? Protecting children should be at the center of every decision. Our district takes pride in excellence. Our high schools rank in the top 5% in our state. With that comes an obligation to safeguard students. I'm aware that some materials are under review, but those reviews are not visible and um they should be posted. Parents deserve transparency. The term censorship is used too loosely. I'm not calling for a ban. I'm asking for transparency and responsible labeling. If a book is written for adults, it should not be placed where minors can freely access it. That's not banning. It's establishing boundaries which parents rely on librarians, teachers, and administrators to uphold. I will not be dismissed or labeled simply for questioning whether certain award-winning books are appropriate for minors. Parents have every right to ask
036when content is graphic, sexual, or violent, and research shows the impact such content can have on developing minds. I also want to address the division on this board. Recently, I was labeled a conservative simply for expressing concerns about safety. This is not political. It is about right and wrong and modeling unity for our children. Finally, the Children's Internet Protection Act requires schools receiving federal funds to block minors from accessing harmful online content. If that standard applies to the internet, it is reasonable for parents to expect similar protections in our physical and digital libraries. It is time for unity, transparency, and action. Our children deserve better, and we can do better. Thank you, and go Vikings. >> Thank you. Up next is Harry Harris. Okay, thank you board. Uh wanted to acknowledge the young man who
037came up here earlier uh because [clears throat] he did a great job and I know it's not easy to come up here especially at that age. So uh hopefully if he plays this back he'll he'll hear that. Uh I wanted to come tonight and say thank you for the introduction of a policy revision to address modeling respectful communication from board members. Recently, I and other community members have been made aware of a board member's efforts to participate in local radio interviews bashing the district educators and even students once referring to them as, and I believe this is a quote, mushrains. This is extremely different behavior from the goals I just listened to at the beginning of this meeting, which included being an employer of choice for educators and that all members of our community feel
038safe and welcomed. I do not understand a desire to serve on a board and bully our staff and students at the same time. The concept that we've heard of this one howl does not include harming or speaking down to our educators. I hope that would extend to any future board candidates as well. We know it takes a village and I encourage our administrators and board to step up when staff are bullied and made to feel less than by any board member. [snorts] To this end, I'd ask that our board enforce the policy we have and work to make sure that this behavior stops. And I also want to take a minute to to address this whole book thing. Um, I understand being concerned for what our kids see. I have a child in the district.
039I've been here the whole time since he's been in kindergarten. Our children get exposed to a lot of things, but the one thing I've always felt is that when my child went to school, he was getting the best education he could protect by those folks who were in that building. I have met and become friends with so many educators who have done nothing but really look out for him and his best interest. And not once, not once did I think that one of them pulled in some sort of pornography. They have had so many books and trust me, this kid is not a reader. And they've helped him grow. They've helped him learn those skills. And we've gotten this far because of those folks. And we can't continue to belittle them. and talk bad about
040them. And I have to say the books that I have seen, while yes, they do have real life situations in them, they are not harming our children. Now, you can have an opinion on that and that is fine. You can go through all the steps if you have an issue with a book, but we've got to quit belittling our educators. Thank you. [applause] Thank you. Uh, Sarah Simpson. [applause] >> Hello, I'm Sarah Simpson. Thank you for your time today. Um, I'm here to talk about the full-time early childhood program. My son graduated from Hackman Early Childhood Center in May. As you can see, I'm smiling because I'm just so proud. Um, but I'm out of the preschool game. I came here because I believe in it. I want to see it sustain for the kids
041that come after mine. It was such an amazing, enriching program for my son and it got us into the district at the ground level. Um, I hope that you've consider that, you know, when parents have to go to a private preschool, sometimes they may not come back. they may decide that this is the school work we've established ourselves in and here's where we want to stay. Um I also came because Hackman became a community, a family. Um the other women that are there's parents here that also didn't speak and we've all become a little friend group outside of um Hackman. Like I said, my son's graduated but we still stay in touch with these families. So it's also built a community. Um, so my pre-prepared thoughts, um, I'm talking about early childhood, but what I'm
042really going to go into is kindergarten. So today is roughly, give or take a half day here and there, the 60th day of school. In those 60 days, my 5-year-old has been taught to read, to understand plural nouns and verbs, identify parts of a book, the setting, main characters, table of contexts. He's learned to look for context clues for comprehension, and how to glean information from a non-fiction book. He knows how to write his full name with upper and lowercase letters. He's able to write a full sentence. He is learning addition and subtraction in kindergarten. He's expected to count to 100 by the end of the school year, which he can already do. Um, and that's not necessarily a brag on me. It's a brag on our early childhood program. He we even have homework.
043The expectations set for these kindergarteners are very high and the curriculum moves very quickly. All the things I stated the first 60 days of kindergarten. It's been overwhelming for me just as a parent. The full day preschool program ensures that these kids are able to meet these expectations that are set for them. My son and many of his friends from Hackman are excelling in kindergarten. They already know how to follow routines, sit still for periods of time, follow directions, how to resolve conflict, how to be a friend, how to be part of a community, how to hold scissors and a pencil, how to recognize letters and their sound, to write their name. When they arrive at elementary school, the baseline has been set academically and socially. >> [applause] >> Thank you. >> At this time,
044we welcome uh FHEA for comments. Breath. I can read through this. Good evening. My name is Francine Hill and I am the president of FHA. Thanksgiving is just a week away and we want to be sure to thank all our teachers and support staff for all their hard work. FHA is thankful for all of you. We know it has been a very difficult start to the year, especially for many of our special education teachers. Many of our building administrators do a great job of supporting their teachers, but with so many new administrators and special education teachers, some buildings are struggling. FHA is working with some of our special education teachers and administr and administration to help these buildings. We appreciate the support from the district and trying to problem solve some of these issues, but
045our teachers need action on these issues. It is our goal to ensure that all teachers and students are in safe, engaging environments for teaching and learning. The path to this is providing the support for both teachers and students to develop plans that help with behaviors. Providing this support to our teachers is one way we can try to improve retention. FHEA wants to recognize all the extra time and work our teachers have put into the implementation of our new resource and testing in elementary schools. This extra time is after contract hours that takes away time from their own families and livelihood. They have also shown great creativity in scheduling with the new MTSS schedule. We're sure everyone is looking forward to Thanksgiving break and time to recharge with family and friends. Thank you. [applause] >> Thank
046you. At this time, we welcome FESA for comments. >> Good evening, President Blair. My name is Heidi Nixon. I'm the FISA vice president for technicians. I must remind all staff that the workplace culture survey closes tomorrow. Your input is invaluable. As our negotiation teams prepare to enter discussions, comprehensive data outlining staff experiences and concerns will directly inform administration and pave the way to more equitable and meaningful resolutions. In our spotlight this month, special education pair of professionals. Our special education pair of professionals play an essential role. We need to align their compensation with their immense contributions. Did you know that these professionals perform duties that are not merely supportive, but are foundational to the well-being and education of our most vulnerable students from early childhood through high school. Their responsibilities include deeply personal care, assisting
047with feeding, toileting, and managing other significant physical needs. Furthermore, they operate in a physically and emotionally demanding environment. They routinely endure challenging behaviors that while stemming from disability and not malicious intent, often involve the risk of major aggression, including being struck, hit, bit, and other forms of physical violence. This is work that requires unwavering dedication, skill, and profound compassion. With this high-risk, high stress labor, we must acknowledge a significant issue. Our par professionals are grossly underpaid with an average wage of approximately $17 per hour. Special education paras are routinely scheduled for 6 hours and 50 minutes per day totaling only 34 hours and 10 minutes per week. This matters because even a seemingly generous $1 per hour raise ends up being equal to giving a staff member working 40 hours per week only 85. Given
048their complex and demanding roles, an average wage of approximately $17 per hour is inadequate. This isn't only about fairness. It is a matter of valuing human dignity and ensuring that our school system remains compassionate and highly effective. We must recognize the critical challenging nature of their work and compensate our special education pair of professionals in a manner that truly reflects their worth. With only three instructional days remaining until the Thanksgiving holiday, we wish everyone a restful and enjoyable break. Thank you. [applause] >> Thank you. Board, I have a motion to approve the consent agenda for November 20th, 2025 as presented. >> So moved. >> Uh motion by Director Pushkar, second by Director Ponder. All those in favor say I. I. >> All those opposed say no. Motion passes. Uh board would like a motion to
049approve the financial report as presented. So move second. >> Director Pushkar for the motion, second by director Ponder. Uh at this time I'd like to invite Dr. Amy St. John to uh present. >> Good evening. Thank you for having me to provide the finance and operations update for November 20th, 2025. during the presentation. This will be the first month that you will see a budget amendment and transfer, which is normal for this time of year once the allocations for most of our federal programs come in and get settled. Um, to go back a notch. So, when you end the school year and you approve the budget for the upcoming school year, you oftent times just end where you were at and you build the next year's budget until you see those allocations in the fall.
050So then once you get to the fall and then the um directors have a chance to make those adjustments, then that's when you would come to the board and say, "We're going to move some things around." So it's not like a major change. It's just a sort of a re look reallocation of those funds. Oh, we're going to boot again. So you can imagine what my charts look like right now. They're being a little finicky today, aren't they? Um when you're reading this screen, um you have at the top box the revenue and you have it broken down by fund and then you can see the line that just indicates what has been changed for November. And it's a good idea for you just to kind of have a um an eye for reading that
051across. So from fund one, moving some of the funds [clears throat] from that to fund two. As you might remember, fund one is the fund that would pay for uh support staff, supplies, purchase services, where fund two is known as the teachers fund. Um nothing major has changed in that except for just as I mentioned before um just kind of resetting that after the year gets started. The debt service fund in fund 30 is um just a slight decrease again based upon newest information and that carries out for a sum total change of an increase of 245,000 and 245305 is the number. Sorry, it's a little distracting. [laughter] Do you want me to wait or keep you going? >> You could use more hand gestures. [laughter] Let me mine it a little bit. >> That
052would be nice. >> Yeah. >> Fewer questions if I have no screen, I guess, to look at. Um, with the expenditures, what you see is a major difference is a $20 million $20 million expenditure. And um, that's really paying for some of those projects that we just finished up over the summer. And so that's why you see such a large number there. The next couple slides do provide a bit more detail for that same um amount that I just shared. So that 245,305 is broken down. Um you can see interest came in a little higher than what we had budgeted for. Um the county stock insurance came in a little less than what we had budgeted for. And then as I mentioned some of those title um changes that had come in with the final
053allocations and it's oftentimes moving those numbers around. Um, one of the questions that had come in is asking if our federal funds were decreasing and they have seen a slight um, decrease over the last three years and that's nothing that we can control. It's based on census data of our population and it's just an allocation that's provided to us. So, it has no correlation to any of the other changes that you might have heard that are happening um, with the federal um, department of education. In the next slide with the expenditures, what you see there is really again just some alignment um moving some things around in order to um put them in um the best place. So like when you see that first one alignment based upon um the title one. So as that
054funding comes in and then those decisions are made, it's just updating those fields um in the budget. some increases just based upon um when you start to pro format out what those numbers might look like for the entire school year. And we noticed that there will run hot or trending up. And so we'll just make those adjustments and bring those to you um on the amendments that we would bring. Then I have the trajectory chart um that you're used to seeing. And with those changes, we are still in the 27.5.9 um% fund balance projection for the end of the year. So again, that middle column, the green column is the year that we are living. And then I have um the um area there on the right side is just to show you again some
055of those assumptions that we have in the budget as we move forward and we go into um what we would look at building the next school year's budget. And these are the pieces that as new information comes in, we would be updating it. But this is the the assumptions of a 2% increase um with that local tax, a flat state adequacy target, gross pay being a change of the overall salary amount by 3% and then benefits at 8% and then this still includes the $5 million transfer to capital to cover some of those maintenance items that we have each year. Um but of course that's something that we would make a decision on um toward the end of the year to [clears throat] to continue that process. This is the same information shown to you
056in a chart format. Um again not to show doom and gloom but just to give you an idea with those assumptions um being made with the conservative revenues and sort of a um as best guess we can today for our expenditures. it would still be that downtrend um putting us um just under the board policy of 15% um in this but again we update this each month and and keep track of that with the bond financials um those also get updated as again those things are getting paid for um not much change the remaining and not started still sitting at about $600,000 and that information would be used or that dollar figure would be used to pay for the arbitrage payment you might remember that in prior months where I explained um if the earnings
057on those fund those bond dollars is higher than expected then um you have to pay that money back um to to uh to that fund through what's called an arbitrage payment. This is the self-insurance fund and this is um we have an ongoing um employee insurance committee working through this in great detail and this is its rolled up version. But what you might notice is if you look at the total revenue in the top portion there you will see that we are down 12% from the prior year at the same time and the expenditures are up 22% 22.95%. And so that employee insurance committee is really looking to break down those expenses and better understand each one of those and kind of what is trending higher. Medical is trending higher, pharmacy is trending higher than
058it was a year ago. And really understanding each of the um the things that um pull that together. Making those decisions uh that we would be looking at as the um MMA brings us what we expect the the next year's um benefit increase to look like. This is the same page as before. We haven't had much change since um last month. Um as I mentioned last month, there has been um the lawsuit that has been filed and um is new information is shared with that. I'll bring in and update these slides, but I wanted to make sure that we keep that in front of everyone. Just understanding that that's still on the horizon for April of 2026. And then the next two slides just show what that effect would look like. Um again with that
059decrease of $4 million based upon the current state with the updated um 27.59 that would bring it down to the 6.55%. And then this would include the House joint resolution effect. Um what I think I might do starting next month is also include what this could start to look like if that debt service transfer were to occur. that we talked about at the work session as I think that might kind of give us another lens to that information. So that would be in April of 2027 and then what that would look like as we would potentially have that additional $5.5 million in the operating budget in the month of November. You're going to hear from Saloon Settzer soon about construction projects um and um the things that have gone on um and he's very excited
060to share. So I don't want to steal any of that thunder. Um we had an amazing um work session in the um early part of November regarding the facility master plan and demographic study and expecting to see that final and full report in January. The safety update is that we were able to offer um to a um Harvest Ridge Elementary a new SRO officer and we're very excited about that. We wrapped up the director of transportation interviews and that will um be announced officially tomorrow in terms of being able to um who will be joining our team. We're very excited about that. Nutrition services um is excited about the staffing levels. Um as you might have heard um that's been something that we've struggled with in that area as well. We've done uh Lisa and
061her team have done a nice job pushing that information out and getting um few more folks in that area. And then um the wellness committee met on November 10th and that is to take a proactive approach to the um insurance costs that are rising. So it's not necessarily a onetoone fix but it's definitely um us looking at the data as to some of the highest areas of claim in our insurance and really starting to work on things um that could help um prevent some of the the illnesses and the medications that are needed. And so that's what the wellness team is starting to look at. We're very excited about the plans. will be rolling out um a from January to June. We'll be rolling out some events and some challenges and some fun incentives that
062we'll be able to offer. That is fully funded with Sigma funds that come back to the district. Uh there's $150,000 that comes back to the district intentionally to put into wellness um education. So that's the funding that we'll be using. There's no additional cost to the district. had a chance to work with Jin Joles in the PTO um president forum and it was wonderful to get to visit with them about purchasing fundraising and advertising. They do such amazing work in our schools and really looking for ways um to assist our buildings and that I described it as I would be the mom, they would be the fun aunt and then they would get to pick and do all the fun things for the building and they thought that was pretty fun. So just looking for
063ways to partner and additional um revenues that can come into the district to help take care of things is really um something that we're pretty excited about. We also wrapped up the director of finance Julie Walsh and myself met with each and every building principal and the finance AA to discuss purchasing cash handling procedures and internal controls and ensuring that they are monitoring their budgets at the highest level to ensure um the fiduciary duty that we all hold in in making sure that we're spending the dollars um as accurately as we can. And then a look ahead as I mentioned the onboarding of the director of transportation. Um, we wrapped up the USDA audit just today. We were um able to to have that at Independence Sager and Francis How North and I'm happy to
064uh say that we had zero findings at the first pass of it. We'll have a full report. Yes. Um, coming to us probably in late January or early February. And so I'll bring that at that point. But exciting and appreciate all the help from all the buildings and Marilyn Cen as she led that work. the safety visitor management system um implementation. You will see a full um report of how that will get rolled out to our buildings in the spring. And so that'll come to you in January so that you'll understand kind of what's going to happen in each of the buildings. And again, it's just for that entry portion going in and out of our buildings and scanning and getting a visitor patch. those capital requests are starting to come in and Salum is
065working with the buildings and making sure that they have what they need in terms of um those areas. And then the director of technology and myself and Glenn have been working on what does the next 5 years really look like in the area of technology and for our students and where the devices are and what we um believe from the um curriculum department and the assessment area really just making sure what do the buildings think that that could look like. And so we're working on a team to um to bring that together. And then again, as I mentioned, the uh employee insurance committee work, it's a it's a real deep dive. Um I try to make it as fun as possible, but it's it's heavy work. It's difficult work, and I just appreciate um all
066that have worked with me to do that. So with that, do you have any questions? >> I do. Um with the raptor system, I' I've seen this because it it's it's I believe it's in Parkway. I think that's what they're using. It's pretty cool actually. Um, when it works for my badges just usually have coffee stained on it and Okay. Any employees are not required to use personal devices with it, are they? >> No. Employees will just use their badge to scan in. Um, and so right now we have fobs and we'll move to badging. Um, same technology just um in a so you'll have a a picture ID and it'll we'll be scanning that. The outside um friends and visitors will go through the Raptor system. So, not the employees. >> Thank you. >>
067Question. >> Any other questions for >> I wanted to call I've been doing this each month. Um, we have about 800 or so people who watch and view this afterwards. And for those 800 people who are watching and those who are here as well, uh, Senate Bill 3 is on the ballot in April. And what it does, it freezes a person's property tax um the the assessment of their property as of September 2024. And therefore, uh while their house might inflate in in price, um they lock in whatever they are paying. Um the result of that is that the entities that use um property tax, schools, ambulances, fire, uh libraries, and the development disability board, all of them would be negatively impacted. Um can you speak um about um I mean just the clarity of
068what $4 million is that's the number most recently shared. what a $4 million damage or decrease in funding to our district might result in. >> Yeah. >> For the first year. >> Um, and this is a difficult response because I would not want to create fear or um scare folks in terms of saying um certain things and how much they cost. But let me tell it in a more proactive approach so that we don't think of it as cuts but maybe freezing us in the future. So, moving on, the um the salary schedule for the teacher salary schedule is in the neighborhood of about $2.5 million um for just that um 3% change. And so, if you didn't have that new money coming into the formula, you would have to think about what you would
069be able to afford moving forward because the same dollars in essence would come in. It's just you wouldn't have those future dollars based upon those changes going forward. And so I think that's when you would start to then ask um more critical questions of if things need to be reviewed or um shored up and that but that's just a good way of thinking of it. >> Yeah. >> I just wanted to call out thank you for sharing that. Um in November we had a work session where we had a special moment where we approved the purchase of smart screens as part of our budget. Um but by doing it a couple weeks early we were able to save the district $6,000. And for the board, we are impressed by the ability for all the administration
070to be looking at those purchases even at that level on how we can save $6,000. And for everybody watching, we are paying attention to the small things, too. And to be saving $6,000 in one place and then to prepare to possibly lose $4 million in funding on year one and year five, a $20 million loss in funding. >> Right? Senate Bill 3 isn't just one of those it doesn't matter if it passes or you know it's six one hand half dozen in the other. Um it is a destroyer of school budgets. Um and while the administration cannot share opinions on it, you can just share the information. Um the board members can and I want to make sure everybody who's listening understands that this is not a red thing or a blue thing. It's just
071a green thing. And um we are uh thankful for your information, the transparency on a monthly basis that you share this piece. And um I just wanted to make sure we name that clearly for anybody paying attention. Um not just for the small things, but what could be uh a destructive force for any school district. So >> I would tag into that just real quick. Um, next month I do hope to also bring to show you the effect of Senate Bill 190, which was the senior citizen version that was similar to this. So, it freezes their property tax in time. And so, you may have heard some of that information in the St. Louis County. They have their information a little sooner. We're expected to see ours in December and be able to sum total
072that and give a explanation of kind of what that looks like. Um but but in essence that also gives us a peak into the future as to what would the decrease look like into the operating budget. >> I appreciate that. Other board comments. >> Yeah. Um I wanted to compliment you on following up with um on the state audit item that didn't treat us so friendly about the uh purchasing cash. Uh >> very specifically. Yes. >> Yes. I had been asking for a while for you know that the what where we we're at on that whether or not so >> we expect to have a full closure of that report um also in December according to um the conversation I have with the auditor um they've been really amazing to work with um and then
073anything we can um proactively work into the work that we're doing right now um that's exactly what we're doing. So if they're coming back with things that >> again could shore up things or make it more streamlined that's what we're working on. So, I also had a question about the employee insurance committee. As you know, in the past, there's been um um a disconnect or a time lapse between the time that the the bills are received and when they're we are finally told how much we've had to pay because of the reporting systems that they have. I assume that's still an issue. >> Still lag about >> still lag. Okay. And you talked about doing a deep dive. Now I know when sorry your predecessor was here she kind of had every once in a
074while she'd mentioned that yeah we think it's because maybe we've had some people that have been super sick that have increased the the cost and are um other reasons. Is there any preliminary idea of of what these costs are? >> That's a great question. um we will have a full um report actually I have one in the morning um where it's going to go over um the whole prior year and that information will then go to the committee in the December meeting and so I expect by next month that this report I'll be able to give a little bit further but just in the first piece of it um really the deep dive I'm talking about is really just understanding is we offer benefits to our employees and some are things that are you have
075to do and some are things you don't always have to do it's what we do. And so it's really helping the team to understand that and have context for that before we ever have to make any sort of recommendation or decision. We just want to understand the current reality of where we are and how much things cost and um and then really looking into what are fixed costs and variable costs so that we can make informed decisions. So we've just been working on scaffolding that up for the team and then once more of that information comes in, we'll be teed up and ready to go for making it kind of all pieced together. >> Okay. So yeah, >> thank you so much. >> Yeah. >> Anything else? Board. >> All those in favor say I.
076>> I. >> All oppose say no. Motion passes. Uh board. I'd like to motion to approve the purchases as presented. >> Director Pushkar the first, a second by Director Ponder. Uh any questions? >> All those in favor say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. Motion passes. Uh motion to accept the $20,000 donation to the Daniel Boone Elementary from the Busaker family as presented. >> Motion by director Pushkar, seconded by Director Ponder. Any comments? >> Um question. >> Thank you. >> Oh, yeah. >> Yeah. Yeah, >> of course. Thank you very much to I hope I say their name right. The >> Bud Buster >> Buster family. Thank you very much. Um with that donation, where does it go? What fund does it go in? How do we use that money? >> So, it
077was strictly stated that it could only be used at that elementary. Um the um I forgot her first name. Um she asked us to put it with special education students only. She had served as a parah for special education for a good amount of time. And so um working with the team there actually they have come up with ideas that would best serve their students um in that special education area. Awesome. >> And before we vote I want to take a moment to share a little bit about the amazing human and family behind this generous donation to Daniel Elementary. Uh Mabel Buster uh dedicated a great deal of her life to education and to the children of our community. She began her teaching career at Capeln School um a one room schoolhouse in Capell and
078later served for 20 years as a parah educator at Daniel Boone Elementary retiring at the age of 70. She also substitute taught at both Daniel Boone and Francis How High School in the 1960s. Her four children and two of her grandchildren attend Daniel Boone. Mabel was a lifelong member of St. John's United Methodist, I'm sorry, St. John's United Church of Christ and a 4 uh project leader for more than 40 years. She actively supported her family's farming operation and was an amazing cook. She was known for her warm rice pudding that she would bring to the monthly staff meeting at Daniel Boone. Mabel enjoyed piecing quilts and wall hangings. People who knew Mabel said that when you were lucky enough to be with her, she made you feel as if you were the most important
079person in the world. She was warm and kind. She was always teaching you a lesson while embracing you with stories of her childhood. Mabel passed away nearly two years ago at the age of 96. She spent her life in service to her family, her church, and her community. And in in her honor, the Busager family has chosen to make a meaningful donation to Daniel Boone Elementary. We are grateful for Mabel's impact on our community and for the entire Busager family for making this generous donation so that Mabel's legacy lives on. Is there somebody from the Buster family here? I I received different u we will find a way to again continue to thank them for living out Mabel's memory in this way. And uh while the family is not here to hear it, um I
080feel compelled to have a round of applause FOR MABEL BUSTER. [applause] THANK YOU ALL. OH, and then and now um so a motion has been for uh motioned and seconded. Um all in favor of accepting this donation say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. >> Motion passes. Right. A motion to approve the summer school proposal as presented. Second. >> Director Pushkar of the motion. Second by director Ponder. Invite U Francis how union principal Brian Thompson to present. >> Thank you board of education. Excited to be here again tonight. This time to present our summer school proposal that Dr. Garland and I have been preparing for the last couple of weeks. Uh much like this year, much like many years in the past, the district is very proud to announce one of the most
081robust summer program schools programs not only in the local region but across the state. Tonight, I'll share with you our offerings from elementary through high school, including our interventions, enrichment maps, credit recovery, as well as credit advancement opportunities. You see here on the screen, a listing each of the programs that I'm going to cover in more detail on the upcoming slides. We anticipate being able to hold our summer school program entirely in June this year instead of overlapping the July month with it starting the first week of June, ending four weeks later on June 26th. However, we do have to monitor the weather and the number of snow days we use as we progress throughout the school year. And we may have to modify this slightly as the year comes to an end. And we'll
082make a finalized plan sometime after January. We know how many snow days have been used. I'd like to begin by highlighting the summer school programs plan for elementary students. This year, we'll continue to offer elementary summer success program. It'll focus on targeted reading intervention hosted at Becky David Elementary. Last year, the program was housed at a single site and doing so many positive results. We plan to continue that same format in the upcoming school year. And I'm also really thrilled to announce we're going to offer the same camps this summer that we have in the past. However, by offering them at Fairmont, we anticipate being able to facilitate more students than we have previously. You can see there's a tremendous array of opportunities that meet the students and needs in our communities and a wide
083array of student interest. These camps have always been very popular and we're excited to provide even more enriching opportunities for the students and families in our community. For middle school, we'll continue to offer the middle school summer success program, providing students with target interventions in both reading and mathematics. And in addition to those core subjects, the students enrolled in the program will also have the opportunity to participate in PE and other elective courses throughout the day. And this year that program is planned to be housed at Francis Holl High School running those same dates from June 1st to June 26th. Middle school students will also have the opportunity to participate in enrichment camps where the STEM camp, AB camp, theater, and biomedical camps. Our biomed camp will run for I'm sorry, we'll [clears throat] offer
084for two weeks. The theater camp will span for four and the STEM and app camp will run for three weeks. At the high school level, we're going to offer similar programs that we have in years past. The high school program will run concurrently with the middle school program and housed at Francis Holl High School. On the left, you'll see our high school summer success program where we offer credit recovery for students who have previously failed those courses. In doing so, the program is broken up into two different sessions, 20 days total, 10 days for first semester, 10 days for second semester, allowing students to recover the credits from those courses. We'll also be running an opportunity to give our students opportunity to earn a full credit of credit advancement. Students will be attending during the
085same session but offer take offering courses that they might advance for their coursework. In addition to that in July we'll be offering an opportunity for students to take credit advancement through the Springfield launch program. Last year we had about 900 students who participated that in the district and our intention to offering both sessions is to provide an opportunity for flexible needs for the families in our community. Finally, on the far right, in addition to the credit recovery and credit advancement, we'll once again offer a running start program for students who have been identified in 8th grade by their middle school teachers, counselors, and administrators as needing a head start and jumping into high school. And lastly, students participating in the early college program can take up to two classes towards their college degree. In recent
086years, we've seen that program grow and hope to see that it advances even more in this upcoming year. At just over $1.9 million, it does take quite a bit of money to make all of this happen. However, we were able to submit the average daily attendance minutes to DESIE for reimbursement for those programs. And by looking at the historical attendance and enrollment data and making projections based on that, our revenue should be slightly above that amount. Our staffing will account for the significant portion of this budget at just under $1.3 million, followed by supplies, which does include the cost of virtual programming from other vendors. And then after that will be our transportation expenses at the lowest amount. In years past and in this year, we budget conservatively and we'll monitor that budget as we
087progress throughout the summer, ensuring that the ideal goal will be at worst to break even. But in years past, we've actually made a profit through offering our summer school programs. And as you can see, our anticipated revenue this year is just slightly under $16,000. With that, thanking you for giving me a bit of time to present our summer school proposal, and I'm happy to answer any questions that the board might have. Any questions board? >> None. >> No, just a great presentation. >> It sounds we answer all the questions. So, >> all right. Okay. So, board uh all those in favor say I. >> I. Any oppose say no. >> Motion passes. >> Thank you. And now at this time, we'd like to invite our executive director of facilities and operations, uh, Saloon Stubser, to
088present our construction update. [laughter] >> Thank you. >> Better. >> Good evening, board. And uh again, thank you for the opportunity to provide our quarterly update on district construction and facility initiatives. Uh the updates you'll see this evening, excuse [clears throat] me, continue to demonstrate our commitment to transparency, responsible stewardship, and the successful delivery of projects that directly support district's vision and strategic plan. Each milestone you'll see this evening reflects our ongoing work to ensure that our facilities align with instructional needs, operational priorities, and long-term community expectations. So, with that, I'll go ahead and jump right into um the presentation. We will start over at uh Fairmount. Um, and again, just a reminder, each one of the projects will have a four slide, what I call it, that really marks the timeline in terms of
089the process we took to get to where we are, um, with the milestones that we'll we'll talk about here this evening. So, over at Henderson, as you recall, uh, I think the last time I presented, the storm shelter edition was complete. students were in the gym lag behind just due to a lot of things outside of our control, weather, relocating of underground utilities and uh that's the gym today. Okay. So, over fall break, we turned that over to the building for use and just uh always want to take the board back in time a little bit uh in terms of why the need. If you recall, Henderson was really our last school that had uh what I term a gym cafeterium. So students um would pick up their food in the kitchen, which was attached
090to the gym, but they'd walk all the way down to the multi-purpose room, eat there, walk all the way back, turn in their trays because we needed the gym for instructional time. So now they have dedicated spaces that those functions take place in. Um, and also frees up the gym, the the cafeteria I should say, when it's not um on the lunch schedule to host events. Uh, I believe they hosted um a nice event in there on uh Veterans Day. So, this is the product as you see the, you know, I this was about a couple of weeks ago. um instructors in there. The teachers are able to set up uh in the morning uh and and board the night before and be able to leave their their items up to be ready for students.
091That wasn't possible before. So, I believe students have actually uh gained instructional uh minutes uh specifically on PE and health. We'll move over to Fairmont. Uh again, here's the timeline. I won't spend too much time on that, but uh just want to point out that this is another project where um permitting and weather was really a challenge. We got a really late start. And uh here's where we're at today. Just articulate that the exterior masonry is almost uh complete. In fact, they were taking down their scaffolding equipment. Roof is watertight. Uh if you look there on the parapit uh roof walls, there is some metal coping that still needs to be installed. U and I believe that is take we had a progress meeting this week that's going to take place uh next week, weather
092dependent. All of the windows uh for the facility. They're again uh storm rated windows. Those are installed. We're going to leave the door openings um open right now as you see on the interior. The masons are still working on uh laying the interior CMU walls that will make up all the uh spaces inside. Plumbers have all their roughening uh for the art room classrooms as well as the restrooms that will serve this facility. All of that works ongoing. So, we're leaving the door openings uh the exterior door openings open here pretty soon. We'll um install plywood. We're still running a lot of uh masonry block materials, forklifts, and we really don't want to damage those. Those uh have a special rating for the storm shelter, and um if we were to damage one of those,
093it'd be a really long need item to get one replaced. So, that's where uh we're at. Again, we anticipate turning this space over or at least completing it around spring break of 2026 uh in visiting with the building leader. We will wait to transition uh the folks that will occupy that space until the end at the end of the academic school year uh just to minimize disruptions for instruction. uh transportation fuel island. A lot of progress has taken place there over the last uh several weeks. The building is for the most part dried in. And here on the left slide, you can see that we've uh again plywooded the garage door uh openings as well as exterior doors. Again, we're still moving um heavy equipment in and out to perform the scopes of work on
094the inside. And so as that tapers off and the work really boils down to finish work, uh those doors will get installed just to to protect and minimize damage. Uh the little rain that we did receive here over the last couple of days. Um we were supposed to start grading. Uh we've done some rough grading here on the what would be the north side where we need to pour concrete. Uh we're going to try to schedule that for that first week of December, allow that to dry up. But also on the right side, you can see the canopy uh was erected. Uh the state inspector did come out uh to inspect all of the underground fuel tanks. So we back filled and just to sequence activities, we're going to pour the concrete for the fuel
095island um pavement as well as what's left around the new building uh all at the same time. This is still at uh transportation. One of the uh requirements uh from the county as well as the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Uh with the development of that building, we needed to enlarge in the storm water detention bay that is on the north. Uh it doesn't look like much, but there was uh 10 trucks that ran 8 hours a day and hauled out about 400 uh truckloads of dirt um out of that detention basin to be able to enlarge in that to collect the storm water uh from from the site and all the pavement work that we've done. um middle slide there. Uh you can start seeing finishes uh go go up in the uh restroom.
096They're restrooms. They're finishing uh that work and the crew that's doing the tower work will transition to the locker rooms. Floor uh work will start with resonance flooring in those spaces. Uh probably sometime next week. Obviously, it's a short week with Thanksgiving. So, we're hoping that we can uh get some real good production on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week. Then the last picture there is the inside of uh the the bus maintenance facility, at least a portion of it. The one wall there where the drywall has already been installed. Uh the other side of that is where the wash bay for the buses uh is. Uh there's actually crews in there that are installing the bus wash system. And then the alternate bay that the the board had approved as as an alternate
097on this project with a future expansion for to relocate the facilities department uh to the same site. Uh there's also work taking place in there in terms of electrical and other above ceiling work. Uh over at Francis How High, uh the wrestling, this is the wrestling storm shelter uh edition. It's actually wrestling and multi-purpose cuz it's going to serve multiple functions uh for that building and um they couldn't wait to get in there. This I literally was getting in there to take pictures to update the presentation and uh mats were already down and the space was being utilized. So uh you can't see it on on the side on the left side of the screen but there are two restrooms and mechanical room that will uh serve that serve that space. uh staying at Francis
098Hell High um auditorium is complete there. The picture on the left um represents what that space was before and the picture on the right uh represents the complete finished space. And I think for for those of us uh including board members and anybody any community members that have been in that space prior to and uh hopefully will be there or maybe have already been there. I know they hosted a band concert in there uh I believe last Monday or maybe this Monday. Uh the feedback was was uh very the space was very well received. It was very conducive for all of the things that needed to be improved in there. Uh one of the big things that as we met with the building uh to develop the scope uh to bring forward to the board
099was increasing the capacity. So, prior to construction, uh the auditorium's capacity, and this factors in the broken seats, was about 225 uh occupants, and uh we were able to increase that to 396 um with uh also being able to add uh ADA spaces for those that um need accessibility accommodations for them to be a a part of the uh the environment there, which we lacked before. That was one of obviously the key uh components that we brought uh with the recommendation when we made it. Uh then all new lighting uh new acoustical panels. We also one of the items that uh needed to be replaced was the mechanical unit that served this system. This is the old part of Frances House. So it still had many of the original elements. >> Um and that unit
100was loud and so when they did use the space it was difficult to hear. So there's a much more modernized efficient unit uh that now heats and cools uh that space appropriately. Um again this is the entry the what we call the pre-unction area lobby to Francis Halh High. Uh image on the left represents what it was before. Um I know the picture looks pretty but really when you walk through it uh the place needed a lot of work and the image on the right represents all the improvements. So, flooring, lighting, uh trophy cases, display cases to be able to to display many of many of the awards that they earn there and will earn moving forward um for uh participants to see. And then the uh dreaded restrooms uh that I know many board
101members had also walked through, but uh those are also uh improved. Uh image on the left is before and the right is uh their current status. Moving over to Francis House Central. Um again, uh same story. Image on the left represents what we had uh before. Uh you had the non-supporting columns on either side. And so as part of the scope, again trying to maximize space. Uh those were demoed and expanded seating. And if my notes if believe before construction we had a capacity of about 530 and with removing the columns and being able to expand out uh we were able to increase uh capacity to 567. So uh pretty nice jump there that we'll be able to really facilitate that student body uh programming that will take place there. Then this is the lobby.
102Again, very similar to Francis how uh just modernizing those spaces uh with the auditorium work. And then this is uh the back of the house. Uh these are the restrooms that uh this is the restroom that serves the dressing rooms. Again, those needed to be modernized and cleaned up uh with the comprehensive work that took place. And then this is the makeup room. Um the image on the left there is uh before we started construction and we we had we the lights there that they're not off. They're all out and we couldn't really kind we couldn't source the parts uh to be able to make those work uh just because the light bulbs are obsolete and um as you see in the image on the right it's a nice bright u space for uh students
103to put makeup on and and get dressed for their performances. Then uh Francis How Union. Again, this was a project that uh we were hoping to get done over the summer, but again with all of the other work that was taking place on that campus with the asphalt uh improvements, uh we had to really sequence activities. That was a busy campus. If you recall, we had the track improvements that were part of capital and then this was a bond project. uh and then you have the addition uh for the wrestling storm shelter and then the auditorium. So it was a it was a happening campus. So we had to sequence this work a little bit uh later and we also had some additional asbestous uh uh remediation in that building that we needed to to
104abate and properly dispose of. So image on the the left there was probably they made quick work of it about a month ago and uh on the right uh they've got the building down. when they're really hauling out uh remaining debris. Uh I will point out that uh there were some tunnels that were found uh that took a little bit longer and then the uh where the mechanical room was uh the footings were deeper. So as we backfilled, we're actually uh short on u on dirt. So uh we're kind of reviewing what we need to do to raise that elevation and we'll uh bring the appropriate recommendation to the board. >> What kind of tunnels? the tunnels uh really allowed uh for people, you know, mechanical systems, piping that crawl that uh went from one
105end of the building to the other. Uh there was a chase where all that uh uh infrastructure ran uh that uh we didn't know it ran all the way across to the other side of the building and uh so that was unknown and we weren't going to see it until the building was pretty much down. So we discovered it when we were demoing all the the concrete footings for the building. make sure to save some of that dirt from the retention pond. [laughter] You know, I'm glad you brought that up. Uh because of [clears throat] sequencing and the needing the need to be able to um get paving uh done and also get all of the plantings that are required to go in that detention pond. Obviously, fall is the optimum time for growth and
106uh those plantings are really key uh in terms of what the what Missouri Department of Natural Resources requires. We couldn't wait because of sequencing, but yes, I would have loved to have had that dirt because I'm not looking forward to bringing a recommendation to the board to add dirt to it. So, and then um this is phase 2 mechanical. Again, that work hasn't started. Uh the board has approved that uh contract. It was awarded to Dyken TMI. Uh they've gone through during fall break and this is on my narrated uh piped out report. Um they they did kind of pre-insspections of all of these facilities that are part of phase 2. started looking in the ceilings to see what the you know what they need to do to develop a schedule that we can have
107and start engaging with building leaders to set expectations and what they uh what their role will be as uh we start developing a schedule for this summer's work. Uh we do have a meeting on I believe December 9th with the entire team to start u cleaning up that schedule if you will or I should say developing that for the purpose of having those kickoff meetings with building leaders. So hope at the at the next quarterly meeting I'll be able to provide kind of an update on where that schedule sits. What I can tell you is the equipment's been ordered um because of long lead times. I think lead times jumped up uh probably about it's about a six-month lead time. So that's why we brought that recommendation to the board for approval. That way we
108can have the equipment here hopefully uh early spring um and and in town ready to be installed as soon as demo of the old equipment is complete. So uh I'll transition over to regular capital here. Um really the biggest uh thing that still uh was was left to share is the uh track. Uh if you recall uh we brought a a capital budget recommendation to the board uh I think March of uh 2025 is uh to replace the track of Francis how high you can't quite see it or I think you should be able to see it but the two images there uh that track was for the most part uh it was original but had been recoded several times but the base had really started deteriorating which has created uh the rubber of separating
109there. So creating just, you know, trip hazards and unsafe conditions for students as they participate on that surface. Image on the right is u the completed track. And as you see, there's no no cracks. And then the only thing that we have pending from uh from a project standpoint is the installation of uh or the replacement demo and replacement of uh Jim Bleachers at Sager and Hollandbeck. Uh again, those were ordered, but uh they're we're starting to see some manufacturing delays with some components. Initially, this was supposed to be fall break work. Uh but now it's going to be more over the the the winter recess break. We'll do the demo and we'll work with the building leaders to to hopefully carve some time there in early January where the install uh can take place.
110install will probably take about four or five days um a site and so we'll coordinate that as uh we have final confirmation from the manufacturer on when they're shipping those. So outside of that uh that is all I have. I'll be happy to take any questions the board may have. Any questions? >> I wanted to thank you for your work. um because not only are you adding these construction projects, you also oversee the maintenance of 2.9 million square ft of space as well. So, thank you for all the hard work both maintaining and uh extending. Um I do want to point out that in the picture of the FHC uh bathroom, somebody left the toilet seat up [laughter] and uh we all saw it. >> We all saw it. All right. >> Thank you for
111your work today. >> All right. Thank you personally. >> All right, board. the uh policies and regulations um that are before you. Um we have a partitioned 11A. Um these will be brought back for a second read and vote at the December 11th, 2025 board meeting. Um just um while we will vote on this in December board, is there any comment in you want to share? Okay. Can we what a little history or a little uh introduction on the P 0340? >> Um say again for which number? >> P 0340. >> That'll be the next one. So this is an 11. No, good question. This is on 11A. Um yeah, so the ones on 11A um that will be brought for second reading and votes. Those are initiated by our regular review of policies to
112make sure everything is up to date um policy um writing uh resource takes care of that for us. All right. So 12A refers to 0340. Uh Treasurer Owens is bringing this forward for a first reading. It will be brought back to the December 11th 2012 uh board meeting for a second read and vote. It has been reviewed by policy committee and legal. So any discussion? So, uh, Dr. Harmon, >> well, I was hoping Carrie Lee would give a little intro on it. >> Um, well, I had myself thought and some other uh some district patrons had reached out to me and they thought that um the policy lacked any teeth that um there were no consequences for uh bad behavior. And you know our students have to follow a code of conduct and there are
113consequences for that. So I think we should be setting the example uh and be responsible for our actions. If we do something we shouldn't do that we would have consequences also. And then I also researched and found that um this is in place all across the United States in uh pol board policy and it uh actually went to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court upheld that um school boards can have policy that uh censures members for bad behavior. >> So who determines belittling, shaming, rude, disrespectful or inaccurate? Who does that? >> The board based on >> the board. >> That's what's written into the policy. >> Okay. And so you have a bunch of consequences. Um so we'd have to agree on that. >> Um just a majority. >> I think the other examples
114do use a board majority. >> Yeah. >> Uh where is the appeal process? I mean I think every criminal in this country gets an appeal. Where where's the appeal process? >> Um appeal for apoll I don't know. >> Well I mean okay so the these words um belittling shaming rude disrespectful >> um mean different things to different people. You have different tolerances. >> Well then we'd have to agree whether we thought those things did happen. >> Okay. That's why one person would not be determining it. >> [snorts] >> right or inaccurate would be another >> what >> inaccurate I mean belittling, shaming, rude, disrespectful and inaccurate towards the district. I think um some of those I think we don't necessarily need definitions for, but I mean we as a board could come together and have
115those discussions to determine if if that and the intentions behind those actions were detrimental in our modeling of behavior in our communities. >> And we are here as elected representatives of our community. So, we should be upholding, you know, those model behaviors, I believe. And I mean, I'm sure there's situations where there will be necessary explanations or grace or, you know, mistakes that can get made, but I think that it is something that the board needs to have >> transparent, not transparent, but conversations about. Um, and and I think that's important for us to uphold, not just the core values that we expect our students to have, but the core values that we too as a board, you know, are elected to model for our community. >> Yes, I think we need to set the
116example for our students. >> There's no doubt about that. So I think this is a way of um maybe making us think one you know two or three times before we write something or say something or appear somewhere or you know do anything that could be construed as detrimental to people in this district. >> Oh detrimental to the people in the district. Would you care to expound expound on that? Give examples. >> Teachers, administrators, things about teachers that are that shouldn't be said. Like what? >> Calling them groomers. >> Well, we don't know until >> Oh, I haven't said you have. I'm just saying like that's just an example. >> This is for all of us >> and future board members. >> Point of order. Yep. >> Yeah. >> Can we voted not too long
117ago about what several sessions ago about the decorum of giving each other maybe two minutes? Mhm. Okay. I I didn't want Yeah, I didn't want I just wanted to start >> start a conversation here. >> No, I appreciate So, u So, Ron, yeah, that was a good use for point of order. Um that the the two-minute version that was when we had a predetermined like discussion item. Um that's when we made sure everybody had their one point. Um and we could apply that here if you like. >> Is that is that what you're suggesting apply that? >> I don't think we necessarily need to do that. Maybe it's more we'll be more prepared for the next meeting. I wanted an introductory conversation as to where this is coming from and why it's needed >> because
118it seems like >> since others have spoken, I'll just speak real quick. The first time I read this, it just seems rather pointed as it was directed towards a certain person. Um, and it it just alarms me that a majority it just thinks I think we're subjecting the board to group think and I I I don't think that's a direction we necessarily want to go. or a group of individuals. And we've already we've just come through an era where we're discovering that so-called inaccuracies weren't absolutely inaccuracies as more studies and more conversation, more deliberation has come out. So who's who decides what's inaccurate? Who decides what is reasonably perceived? And so those are just conversations I think we need to have. And so I think Jane has a good point as to who determines what's
119belittling. I get it. A majority will vote and say that it is. So I understand that's what you're saying. >> Well, I think that it's all with that though. >> Yeah. >> Is the is not just a majority. The super majority. If it's if we are censuring one, then the the other six of us have to agree, >> right? >> It can't just be four and then the other two disagree with it and then they are part of a censure that they don't agree with. I think that would solve that problem. >> Okay, I see. Okay, I was going because it doesn't say a super majority. It just says majority. >> Yeah. >> And so that is the purpose for us pausing moment to discuss this at first reading so that things like that could
120be shared and people can consider what that looks like um whether that is a uh friendly amendment to add or whether it's not. So that's why we paused in this moment to discuss a first reading um so that people can share their concerns or opportunities as well. So um I'm going to make sure Uh, Vice President Grinder, is there anything you want to share on this topic? >> No, I just think the concept of this. I I'm got conflicting viewpoints. I mean, I see it. I I lament the fact that we feel that there's a need for this, but I also understand that it's common practice in other districts. Um, ultimately, boards of directors are limited in the consequences that we can dispense because the we are each individually elected by the community. Um so
121the real impact of this is just saying that um board majority or supermajority if we you know propose the amended language puts it on record that we don't speak that that person is not speaking for us as a representation of the district. Um so I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I just lament the fact that >> anyone is out there disparaging the district or other board members. So, for the sake of of tonight's conversation, we've all had a chance to share something. Um, I'd like to have Koli one last since you're the one who wrote it. Um, if you want to share one last point, then move on to the next item. I I'm I just I just want us to always look like we're above board all the time and they're always
122trying to do the right thing and we're very careful about how we speak about our district, about our teachers, about librarians, about students that are different. Uh you know, kids that don't look like all the other kids, uh teachers that dress differently than the other teachers. We all need to be careful of how we treat each other because as we all know in this day and age um people have become very cruel. >> We also need to be aware of freedom of speech. >> Yes. But we need to be not cruel to others. >> Right. And so next month we'll have a a good conversation about where do we draw those lines and what does that look like? Um, and so I appreciate uh uh Director Harmon um asking the question for more clarification. And
123then um at the next meeting there can be amendments or adjustments to different areas and if you want to suggest conversations with Treasurer Owens, anybody between now and December, I encourage you to do so. So thank you all board for uh that conversation. Uh and up next is item 13. Uh so we're talking about policy 0412. This is a motion to approve uh policy 0412 as presented. We have a first move. >> Director Pushkar, do you have a second? >> Second. >> Director Ponder. Does anybody have any questions about uh policy 0412? This uh would extend the amount of time given to uh a resident to speak um if they go through a certain process or a special extended patron count. Um so uh any questions about this? This was brought by director Pushkar. So
124if you have a question director Pushkar would be glad to answer. >> Okay. Um all those in favor say I. >> I. I. >> All those opposed say no. >> No. >> Do a roll. >> Okay, we'll do a roll call. >> We'll do a roll call vote just to make sure. Okay. >> Uh, Director Oki, >> no. >> Uh, Director Ponder, >> hi. >> Uh, Treasurer Owens, >> no. >> President Blair, >> hi. >> Uh, Vice President Crider, >> I. >> Director Pushkar, >> I. >> Director Army. >> Hi. The motion passes. Next, uh we have a series of policies listed. Um this is 14A on your agenda. Do I have a first? >> Second. >> Director Pushkar second. Director Ponder. Any discussion on this list? >> This is for second reading in >>
125these are all MCE, right? >> These are all >> pretty much mandated >> the mandated adjustments. Yes. Okay, seeing there's no discussion, all those in favor say I. I. >> I. >> Any oppose say no. Motion carries. Um, next we have U number 15. So this is 15A refers to a set of policies 1300 1301 regulations. Um, as you see it all written. Um, I need a motion to approve the policies. So move. >> Director Pushkar. >> Director Ponder. Any discussion >> again pretty much NCB mandate >> and these are mandate but there are also changes based upon who's the person we report to. Um I do um sort of point out uh when people are looking at the values of the district look at these policies very clear you know sexual harassment is prohibited
126in the district and we're about to again reaffirm that equal opportunity is we're committed to maintaining workplace educational environment that's free from discrimination harassment retaliation um and so everybody just take a look at that as well uh regarding equal opportunity Um, and in here there's also reference to meal charges. Um, but it's all wrapped together. This is brought for second and uh, excuse me, first and second reading all in the same meeting or vote because it's mostly just ornamental uh, information that's changed. So, if there's no other discussion, all those in favor say I. >> I. All oppose say no. >> Motion passes. This time, I'd like to invite our interim superintendent, Mr. Mark Delaney, to speak. Thank you, President Blair. Uh, forgive me in advance. I am going to be wordy today. I promise
127you that. Um, first, uh, I want to give a big congratulations to our newest state championship team, the Francis How High School Cheerleaders. The team has made it to the final four several times in recent years and finally clenched that state trophy this fall. We will formally recognize the team at the December board meeting and hope you will all join the team for a cupcake and punch reception ahead of that board meeting. Look for more details on that event in the next board preview email. So once again, congratulations to those Francis Howell cheerleaders. [applause] Earlier this month, we received our annual performance report, or as some of you know that as the APR, from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The APR measures how well we are meeting state standards and making progress in
128key areas, especially student learning and continuous improvement. I'm pleased to report that Francis How continues to show steady improvement in our achievement and overall performance. Our total percent of points earned for the 2025 APR is 90.2% up from 89.7% in 2024. [applause] Fewer than 50 K12 school districts in the state of Missouri earned a score above 90%. These results reflect the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers, staff, and the support of our parents at home. Thank you. Hall of Fame nominations are now open. Hall of Fame is among the district's most prestigious awards. The purpose is to recognize individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty to serve the district in meaningful ways. Be thinking about the many different parents, volunteers, community organizations, and staff members who represent the very best
129of Francis Howell and whose efforts have made a lasting impact on the district and its people. You can find a link to nominate somebody special on the district's website or social media uh channels. Nominations will be accepted until February 1st. I want to uh thank and I also want to welcome our newest school resource officer, Casey Ivers, with the St. Charles City Police Department joined the Harvest Ridge Elementary School community and will serve as a resource for students, staff, and families. The role of the SRO is to uh provide a a safe uh and supportive school environment, build relationships with students and staff, and serve as a resource for the safety uh safety education for our our kids and staff. Officer Ivers has been visible throughout the school day, participating in safety initiatives, class lessons,
130school events, and we once again want to welcome Officer Ivers to our staff. I also want to h highlight the many Veterans Day celebrations our schools hosted across the district on Tuesday, November 11th. I along with board members and members of the executive cabinet had the honor to attend several of the celebrations to honor the brave men and women who have served our country. I love that our schools continue to teach students about historical events, but also about service, sacrifice, duty, and honor. The celebrations and tributes were meaningful to students, staff, and the veterans themselves, and I am thankful for all of those who participated. The following day, the communications department hosted the first ever district's PTO president's forum. This initiative aligns with our goal four of our strategic plan. The event brought forth together
131PTO leaders from all 23 schools for collaboration and conversation. The group shared best practices in fundraising, volunteer management, learned about district news and events, and discussed the dos and the don'ts of PTO fundraising, purchasing, and more. I walked away from that event, gathering with an even greater appreciation for the many great things that our PTO's do to make our school communities who they are. I want to thank the leaders of each of those groups for taking time out of their days to meet with us, share all of those best practices, and ask each other questions. The group will gather again in the spring for continued collaboration. I had the honor of attending our district's 19th annual deaf storyteller event last Friday at the St. Louis County Library. FHSD's partnership with Storytelling Festival began in 2006,
132and it was the third time we've welcomed storyteller Peter Cook. The excitement in the room was an incredible to be a part of. I was happy to learn that the participation continues to grow each year. Last year, we more than doubled attendance and we matched our participation with over 200 participants and approximately 125 students with hearing loss from school districts in the St. area both within Missouri and the state of Illinois. This year, the students got a STEM experience with not only stories, but the games and activities completed together across districts. Thanks to the generous $1,500 sponsorship from the local HLAA, the Hearing Loss Association of America chapter, every student was able to join uh enjoy lunch at no cost. And a thank you to our dedicated staff, students, and of course the families who
133make this event possible each year. Their commitment to creating an inclusive communication accessible experience with interpreters, CART captions, use of remote microphones, technology, and low vision tools uh help to make sure that every student can fully participate in this special field trip. And I would be remiss if I just didn't give a special thanks to our teacher, Mrs. Lwanda Brewer, who's already working with the St. Louis Storytelling Festival to plan the 2026 event with Dak Varnig. I also want to provide a quick update to the board on the early childhood program review. As was shared at the last board meeting, due to the increased demand for early childhood special education services, full day tuition uh based classrooms have been reduced by about 30% since 2021. Based on current projections, we will need to add at
134least three additional ECSE classrooms at our early childhood centers next school year. Further reductions in full day tuitionbased classrooms in those EC centers will likely be necessary in the future to accommodate the growing special education population at our early childhood centers. As you know, we're legally required to provide special education programs. That said, we also understand the value of early childhood education for all students and continue to problem solve where we may be able to place these programs for the 2627 school year. I want to be clear to the board and to the public that administration has not made any decisions regarding the number of full day classrooms. Our desire is to continue to offer full day tuitionbased programs. We are exploring the possibility of holding full day programs at some of our elementary schools
135like we currently house at Becky David Elementary depending upon the space. We need more time to work through through these options. Our intention is to bring a recommendation to the January board meeting for the board to consider. No changes are expected for the current school year. We will communicate any changes in program offerings and tuition rates with early childhood families and the community following the January board meeting. I also want to remind everyone that we are committed to supporting families in monitoring the reading materials their children select. To help you stay informed, families have two primary ways uh to view the books their students currently have checked out. Option one is to log into our Destiny system with your students Active Directory AD credentials to view items currently checked out. Students can also log into
136the Destiny Discover by clicking the Destiny library link in their Canvas courses. No additional password information is required once a student has logged into Canvas. Option two is to request a daily email letting you know what books a student has checked out at the end of each day. If interested in receiving a daily email about the books your child has checked out of the Frank South School District Learning Commons, there will be there is a form online that every parent can fill out. The emails will start to be generated no later than two weeks after receiving a submission from a parent depending upon the volume of requests received. Please note that the daily email will reflect reflect the books a student has checked out at the end of a school day. If no items are
137currently checked out on a student account, an email will not be generated on that day. Our FHSD library media specialists are here to help all of our parents. If you have any questions regarding your child's book selections, please contact your school's library media specialist. And I promise you this is the last one. I will wrap up my comments today by reminding everyone of our Thanksgiving break. Our schools will be closed Wednesday, November 26 through Friday, November 28th. We continue to receive positive reports from our schools about the increased student engagement due to the stu student cell phone ban. Students are connecting to each other. In my career as a teacher for many years, I have to tell you how fortunate I've been to learn from kids. I learn from kids every single day. um they
138certainly teach us a lot of val valuable lessons. I'd like to encourage all of us as adults to follow the lead of our students and think about putting our phones away during the Thanksgiving holiday so we can be fully present with family and friends. I think we all might come back to school and work feeling a little bit more refreshed, a little bit more refocused if we can stay off social media, stop scrolling, and stop commenting for a bit and just engage with the people that we love. Thank you and happy Thanksgiving. >> Thank you. [applause] Um board, before um we do board comments, um I'm going to do a better job than I did last uh month. And so everybody, if you have a comment, you can share. Um, but we want to avoid
139the conversation back and forth because it's not on the agenda. They're having topics of conversation back and forth. Um, we want to be, uh, responsible and and faithful to that promise. So, uh, whoever board member if you want to share, um, feel free. Um, we'll start off with Director Oki and then we'll have a moment if, uh, Harper wants to share at the end. Start with >> you also get a chance. So, Harper, actually, Harper, do you want to go first? >> Or do you want to or do you want to pause moment? You've been >> Do you want to hear? >> How about this? >> You do it at the end of You want to go first? You want to see how it goes first? >> I'll see how it goes. >> See how
140I I also want to see how it goes? [laughter] >> Um, this is my first time doing something sincere at the end of a board meeting. Um, and it's it's an opportunity for me to say that in the Francis Hall School District, our teachers do far more than just deliver lessons. They are creating the foundation on which our students futures are built. Every day in classrooms across our community, they offer their guidance, their stability, their encouragement, and their understanding. For many of our students, school truly becomes a second home, a place where they feel seen, supported, and safe. That does not happen by accident. It happens because our teachers show up with compassion, creativ creativity, and unwavering dedication. Sharing our gratitude is not just a kind gesture to do around Thanksgiving. It's a constant recognition
141of the extraordinary impact that our educators have on the lives of our children and our families and our community. Their work shapes not only their academic growth, but their confidence, their resilience, and their sense of belonging. And every student deserves to feel like they belong. The time and the energy and the heart that they pour into their classroom makes our district stronger, our community closer, and our students better prepared for the world ahead. This message is to every educator, including administrators in the Francis Health School District. Thank you. Thank you for the long hours, the late nights of planning, the patience, and the belief that you bring into your work. Thank you for creating the spaces where students can be themselves, explore their potential, and know that they matter. Your efforts are not unnoticed. I
142see you. I appreciate you. And as a parent who has had two children graduate and pursue their own success in their futures, I'm deeply grateful for the role that you played not only in their lives, but in the lives of all of our students every day. I hope you have a wonderful restful Thanksgiving break. >> Thank you. Thank you. Uh do we have anotherbody else want to share something? >> You just want to go down the line? >> We'll go back and forth. So yeah. So uh Treasur uh >> uh a couple things. I'll try not to be as long as certain person. [laughter] Um >> which one you wait a minute? I think he was longer. >> Oh, I should turn this on for him. Um, first I wanted to say thank you uh
143to whoever challenged Symptoms of being human uh because I had the privilege of reading the book and I know everyone doesn't read books through the same eyes and I always books like this I read through the eyes of a teacher because I see I've seen these students and I've my heart has gone out to them. But some takeaways I had from the book that I think all educators should read this book and students that are old enough. >> Sure. >> Uh suicide rate is very high for our LGBTQ students. These students are often in a hostile environment in our schools and we can't see everything that happens to them that is bad, but it happens all the time. Empathy and understanding is the key to their survival. Every student matters. We must do better to
144protect every student. It is not our job to judge others but to love them. Uh also I got to go to Central Elementary PTO meeting this week and it was great for me as a former classroom music teacher. They had a percussion ensemble. And the ensemble uh played percussion on uh those plastic drums from uh Home Depot. [laughter] And they had regular drumsticks, too. And all these items were donated. And then they had uh pool noodles that they used. Those aren't quite as loud. >> You know, it can get very loud in a music classroom when you're doing percussion. Been there, done that. But this was great. And I really enjoyed getting to to see those kids again. It was awesome. So, happy Thanksgiving to everyone, especially the teachers and students who work so hard.
145>> Thank you. Uh, anybody else have a comment? >> Um, first of I just wanted to say thank you to super interim superintendent Delaney uh for his reiteration of the resources uh that we have for concerned parents. I know the book thing is a hot topic right now, so I just want to make a quick comment on that. Um, I just want to say I know that parental concerns first of all are valid. Um, parents are their children's first and most important educators. They hold a deeply rooted and legally recognized right to direct the moral and valuebased upbringing of their children. When parents encounter material they deem sexually explicit or misaligned with their family's values on complex topics like gender identity, their concern comes from a place of protection. Their desire is to ensure their
146child is not exposed to themes they believe are inappropriate for their specific developmental level or home taught values. This is not an abstract concern. It is a tangible expression of their role as primary caregivers and the right to read is essential. The public school's mission is to prepare all students to be critical thinkers in a complex pluralistic world. Literature is a primary tool for this. It builds empathy, expands perspectives, and equips students with intellectual and emotional skills to navigate differing viewpoints. The libraries and public schools in general have an obligation to serve every child. For many students, such as LGBTQ plus youth, students of color, or those from different religious or cultural backgrounds, finding a book that reflects their own life, a mirror, can be profound, lifeaffirming experience that makes them feel seen, valued, and
147safe at school. For other students, reading about experiences from their own, a window is the very different from their own. A window is the very foundation of empathy and social emotional growth. Literature often challenges our perspectives and comfort zones. And that very process can be profoundly mindexpanding. Works that present shocking or unconventional ideas force us to confront different realities and develop a more nuanced understanding of the world and the human condition. So, I appreciate taking everyone's time for a moment just to express that because it is not an eitheror situation. It is very complex and I think it's fair to understand that all parents are coming from a place of concern. And I'd love that we have very clear policies and ways for parents who do have those concerns to protect the children their children
148from from what they feel is is dangerous for them. Um, last thing real quick, uh, also had an awesome experience attending Daniel Boone's Veterans Day celebration. I can't even express how amazing the work was that went into this. Just mind-blowing. Um, also a lot of money that was raised for honor flights, which is close to my heart as my grandfather was a World War II veteran and actually got to go on an honor flight. It's just a profound experience in and of itself. um also attended Francestown Middle School's How to Host a Murder Mystery Dinner Party, uh which was incredible performance. Highly recommend you guys if you have time, go out and just even if you don't have kids at these schools, just go check some of this out. It's just so heartwarming and impressive.
149Um this coming week also going to go into FHN has a choir concert. Acman Early Childhood, I'm going to hit their donuts with grown-ups. I think Westwood has an event next week, too. So trying to get out and about to visit as many of these schools as possible because if you need some bucket fillers at any given day, just go to a district event. You will be just amazed at what's happening. So thank you. >> Thank you. >> Sorry. That was a lot. >> Um first off, I want to thank our student board representative for being here and for participating with us. Um in order for me to make my comments though, I'm going to ask that all miners leave the room because it's >> Can we not do that? It's the What about today?
150Actually, excuse me. Actually, I have the right to my board comments. >> Violate Missouri statute. >> All right. Um, so we're going to hold off the conversation back and forth. Um, >> out of context. That is >> point of order. >> Well, hold on. >> So, you're you're wanting to read um sections from other books. >> Um, >> that's disgusting. Can I The hazard behind reading the books is that like you said there's minors who are here um who do not have the moment to be protected from that like you were talking about >> right >> and or people who are watching us online >> um >> I'm fully aware of that. >> Right. And it's different than um >> the book the book living in the library because >> if calling attention to an
151issue in this district is somehow maligning or making people uncomfortable maybe it's time that we do something about this issue more than just ringing our hands. Um >> so this is this is the point where we're not able to have a full conversation. How about this? Um how many books are you hoping to read from tonight? M three. >> How about this? Can you read from one? >> I can read from two. >> Can you read from one? >> Can we read from zero? Like this. >> I have orderate. >> If you want to read from one. Um and you can >> Are you restricting >> what >> are you restricting how many I can read from? >> I am asking you to read from one. And if you want to read more than one,
152we'll pay attention >> and see what happens. um we have an opportunity to create the culture that we want to live in >> and if you are wanting to read three books >> books agenda >> I the books have been challenged point of order. >> Okay. >> Um I have >> all right so um is there any legal guidance that we have on this moment? Um Mr. Delini >> our policy talks about being very sketchy. and that's in violation of it. So our policy >> Thank you very much to Harper. >> Yeah. Thank you Harper. Have fun at school tomorrow. [applause] >> In the meantime, my thoughts and prayers are with Jane Helper helper and her family during this difficult time with her mother being sick. I I will say um free speech does not
153mean the ability to do and say anything you want, >> right? I mean there's that's obviously but you can't yell and then you'll fire and um no this is not we can't have >> President Blair to to your question we we do have a regulation 1431 which talks about um use of uh profanity um and and that would be the only thing that I would see is if we're we're using words that would be considered profane allowed. >> Right. So, regulation 1430, what was that? Uh 1431, right? >> That's personal use of profanity, correct? >> Well, if you're reading it out loud, >> it's not my words. It's in the book. And these kids are reading this stuff. And if it's not appropriate to say inside of a boardroom, it's not appropriate to be in
154the library. there's >> if it can't be read on on the radio due to FCC requirements, if there's a state statute against it, not not that not only defines it but prohibits it. And if there's a board policy against it, then it doesn't belong in the in the hands of children. Period. >> In order to be legally obscene point of order, >> it has to meet all my parents. No. >> All right. Um, I'm obviously I'm stuck and I'm trying to figure out the right response because >> I get it. I get it, Stephen. This is this is not joyous for me. >> Well, it it could be this um >> Can you can you make your point without reading directly from the books? Can you identify where people can find the actual content of
155the book afterwards? So if they want to like go on your Facebook page, they can find the information there. [clears throat] >> They didn't write down page numbers, unfortunately. >> But you don't >> I'm not challenging the book. I'm reading it out loud. >> Right. >> Okay. Let let me just let me just >> Can you make your point without reading >> reading it? >> I'm not sure because in in this book, the word is what makes it. This is in in a book. This >> it says he asked if I want if I wanted a ride to. When I told him where I was headed, he frowned. That's that's Negerville, he said. What are you going there for? Stanley didn't want his friend to drive me there, so I walked. When I got back
156home later in the afternoon, the house was empty except for Irma and who never set foot outside. She stood in her kitchen stirring a pot of green beans and taking swigs from the bottle of hooch in in her pocket. So, how was Enville? She asked. It just it just goes on from there. This book is disgusting. >> It's at Francis Hall Central and Francis Hall North. >> What's the name of the book? >> The Glass Castle. >> Okay. >> Then the book tricks. Oh god. um >> talks about the fact that virgin sex isn't very good. >> Okay. >> And that charmers at Francis Central. >> Okay. >> Then the carnival at Bray, very explicit about what a young man is doing to a young woman. Very explicit. >> Mhm. >> So contrary to at
157least one comment on social media, I do not enjoy reading these passages. You must have a very sick mind to even think or say that. I'm asking the librarians at Francis Hall School District to get these books out of our libraries. Now, you had the singular power to put them in the school to begin with. So, please do the right thing and get them out. We can continue presenting these awardwinning books to the public, but each time I get patron comments, they are upset that no one is doing anything. If we are a truly ethical board, we will start following slash enforcing the policies we have now instead of trying to amend freedom of speech. And regarding maligning the district, uh that I have never mentioned a teacher's name. I have never maligned teachers. I
158have never maligned the district. What I have done is shown a light, shined a light on the fact that these books are in our district and that's maligning. then you are not properly representing your constituents. And if you're not con properly cons representing your constituents, I think you need to to search what it is you're here for. I am very upset about these books. I uh anybody that wants this, I'll send it to you. I won't read the whole thing. Thank you, Stephen. Um, I do not think that anybody on this board has the right to silence my speech if I want to read this. I think the problem the problem is you're shooting the messenger. That that's the real problem because I'm shining a light on something trying I I ran on the fact
159of safety and security and that's one of our pillars uh safety and security of these kids making all kids feel comfortable when they go to school. Not all kids are feeling comfortable. Not all parents know what's in each one of our libraries. And not all parents are able to spend the time to go through everything that their kids are reading or exposed to. I do not believe that's the business that we should be in. We should not be in the business of giving pornography or age inappropriate materials to our children. Period. That's not why we're here. But yet, it goes on pretty much on a daily basis. And if you want me to stop talking about this, well, I guess I have to claim my freedom of speech and we can discuss it outside of
160this boardroom and maybe in a courtroom. >> Point of order. >> Thank you to uh director >> point of order. >> Thank you to director Pushkar. Um, I appreciate you, um, voicing your opinion that you're right to have, um, through paraphrasing the pieces. Uh, that allowed you to communicate a way that was able to impress upon anyone the contents of the books that you're concerned about without using the actual words that were identified as a concern through the regulation that Mr. Delaney had just mentioned. Um it is there some strong opinions on this topic, right? And it's okay to have differing opinions on it. There is a line and we may disagree on where the line gets drawn. Um but there's a process that's in place. If anybody wants to challenge a book, there's a
161process and policy that's already there. Um there's five going on, a sixth one added to it. um conversations about potentially hundred other books being challenged and the policyy's there. We're following the policy and we'll see what shakes out. We will follow the policy that was approved within the last year. Um and through that measure decide which books >> I think the policy needs to be amended then because it's it's going to break the system. There's no way that Mr. Delaney can well this is 100 >> no well committees. >> But so that's a couple parts. Um that's >> but in terms of a point of order I think it's also it's not a conversation on this part either. Um we will follow the policy at because that's what we do. The policies in place we
162will follow it and if anybody wants to amend the policy you can have a conversation but the policy you're right has a challenge. if somebody tries to challenge 100 books at the same time, but there's a stipulation that the superintendent can apply to use it if we're trying to avoid the entire system being bogged down. Um, so I want to say a couple things on a different topic. What was it? Ron. Ron, did you want to share anything? >> No, I'm good. [laughter] He gave that look his face of um I'm good. Uh, a couple things. Um, I was lucky enough to go to Veterans Day celebrations at French South, Cosley, and Warren. Um, when what Warren does with the empty chair at the table, uh, it hits you and I want to thank those
163three schools and all the other schools that we were able to go to as well. I was going to call out Harper and how she was referred to as remarkably kind and whatever it was, that term is just fantastic and um, a good thing for us to pursue ourselves. Uh I was able to visit Central Elementary. Uh went on a tour and when I was there I saw the new reading curriculum in um place. I was able to see teachers using it and the kids excelling because of it. So to all the board members who helped um support reading by approving the new reading curriculum for elementary schools, I want to say thank you and good job. Um it looks like it's really causing um an improvement in reading. Uh la uh additionally in Henderson,
164I had a chance to visit there and I saw the the gym. Um had a chance to walk around and see the kindergarten part two and I saw a parah in the hallway with uh a female student who was just emotionally disregulated. And for me it was a good way of remembering that we have 16,500 students but we have 16,500 individuals and somewhere in Henderson somebody's daughter was having a bad day and there was a parah who was there trained and ready to go sitting with her for like 15 20 minutes before she was ready to come back and I forgot the pair's last name of a young man um but I just want to let everybody know that that's the kind of care that's happening in all of our schools and he was a
165great example for it. Um Ki stepped out for a moment but I was also going to share this. Um the eighth distinguished hall of fame inductee into the St. Charles High School is Koli Owens. Ki was a St. Charles school district employee for 32 years as a vocal music teacher. She was dedicated to her craft and is still an outspoken supporter for her students. As a Francis How uh school district board member, she also raised three wonderful children. And so St. Charles School District only has eight Hall of Fame inductees. And one of them is our own Kie Owens. And uh when you see her, I sort OF [applause] celebrate that piece. Um the very best days for Francis How are still ahead of us. um to the administration, to the teachers, um you have
166the strategic plan, you know, the the marching orders. Um you have the the trust and the direction from the board in order to apply that. So, we are thankful for you and we trust you to have another productive month educating students. So, thank you all and we will not do a motion to close because the board be going to close session. So, thank you all for attending. Thank you all for joining us. >> We have to we do have to adjourn, open and return to class. We do have to adjourn. Looking at that piece of paper. I want to I'm going to I'm going [clears throat] to trust you. [laughter] >> So, a motion to adjourn open session and return to close session. >> Director Pushkar followed by Director Ponder. All those in favor say
167I. >> I. >> Uh. All those opposed say no. >> All right. So, board will go into close session. Thank