 Congratulations on completing the school year! Despite the challenges, everyone pulled together to make the year a success. I appreciate everyone's hard work and dedication for making the numerous celebrations possible. Regardless of your position, you play an important role in the great things happening across the District. Have a wonderful summer!
 Team Fort Osage met for the fifth time this year on May 19. There was discussion about the budget, Career Ladder, health insurance, economic development, bargaining, legislative update, construction projects and staff feedback (information provided below on each). Budget Maintaining a balanced budget is a priority for the Board, and my goal is to achieve that while continuing to provide appropriate staffing to ensure student success, good health insurance coverage, and to remain competitive with our salaries. Based on the anticipated revenues and expenditures for the coming year, I will be making the recommendations listed below to the Board at the June meeting. It is important to note that the Governor still has to sign various bills that significantly impact state revenues. Teacher Salary Schedule Provide Steps Provide Horizontal Movement (for those eligible) Add $500 to the base salary which adds $500 throughout the schedule (increases base to $39,500) Classified Schedules Provide Steps Add $0.05 per hour to cell A1 on hourly schedule which filters throughout the schedule Add $0.10 per hour to cell A1 on exempt schedule which filters throughout the schedule Certificated and Classified Administrators 3% increase (based on the average increase I'm recommending for other staff members, not including career ladder - see below) Career Ladder Sitting on the Governor’s desk, awaiting his signature, is SB 681 which includes the State providing 60% of the cost to fund Career Ladder. Career Ladder previously existed in Missouri for several years until 2007-2008. It’s a voluntary way for certificated staff (teachers, librarians, counselors, instructional coaches, etc.) to earn additional income for work outside their normal work day. When Career Ladder existed previously, teachers were required to submit a plan that met the state and District guidelines. In order to receive the money, teachers had to complete their approved plan and log hours. The Governor has until July 15 to sign the bill for Career Ladder to be funded. If he signs the bill it would take effect August 28, 2022. DESE is currently developing the guidelines for Career Ladder, which includes the amount of experience a teacher must have in order to qualify for the program, how much money teachers could earn, as well as other plan requirements. DESE anticipates having the guidelines completed late this summer or early fall. This would create a tight timeline for implementation for everyone involved. Career Ladder is an annual allocation line item in the state budget. Therefore, the legislation will vote whether to fund Career Ladder on an annual basis. Simply put, there are no guarantees how long the state would fund Career Ladder or what percentage of the cost they would contribute. There are numerous unanswered questions about Career Ladder. Having said that, I believe it’s important to reward teachers whenever possible for their hard work and dedication. My recommendation to the Board will be for Fort Osage to participate in Career Ladder pending state funding and whether the DESE guidelines are feasible to implement. More information will be provided about Career Ladder once it is known. Health Insurance The medical claims are being monitored as health insurance continues to be a large expense for the District. Our current claims loss is 97% which is a huge improvement from a few months ago. The District currently contributes $710 per month or $8,520 per employee annually for individuals on District health insurance plans. This summer I will be working with the Consortium’s actuary to determine the insurance rates beginning January 1, 2023 and will have a recommendation to the Board by the September Board meeting. Economic Development The Independence City Council approved of the NorthPoint development on May 2. Due to the amount of tax revenue it will generate and the number of jobs it will create, President Floyd Hawkins and I spoke at the city council meeting in favor of the project. On May 10 the Fort Osage Board passed a Community Benefit agreement. The agreement is between the Fort Osage School District and NorthPoint which outlines the benefits to the Fort Osage School District for the next six years. The six year timeline is based on when the development is projected to reach the Fort Osage District boundaries. The agreement includes the following payments over the next six years.
Additionally, NorthPoint is providing a space constructed near Little Blue and Necessary Road (in the Blue Springs School District) for Educational programming to be used by several entities including Fort Osage. I am leading a team of representatives from the Blue Springs and Independence School Districts, MCC Blue River, Mid-Continent Public Library and Community Services League on how the shared space might be utilized and designed. Bargaining A policy is scheduled to be on the agenda at the June board meeting for the first read. The policy will outline the step by step procedures for certificated staff to become the bargaining representative at Fort Osage. Legislative Update The legislative session ended May 13. Two of the bills that are sitting on the Governor’s desk that would impact Fort Osage are listed below: SB 681 is the Education Omnibus Bill that includes 28 amendments. HB 1552 is the charter school funding and MOCAP bill. If you’re interested in reading more about these two bills Click here Bond and Levy Projects
Staff Feedback Three years ago, Team Fort Osage was created in order to receive staff feedback regarding important topics impacting the district. Next year I will begin receiving additional feedback from staff with the creation of the Superintendent Advisory Committee. Each school will have Superintendent Advisory Committee members and I will travel to each building once every two months in order to receive additional feedback from staff. More information will be provided on the selection of the Superintendent Advisory Committee members at the beginning of the next school year. It’s important to note that the Superintendent Advisory Committee will not replace Team Fort Osage. Beginning next school year, approximately ⅓ of the current Team Fort Osage members will rotate off the committee. New Team Fort Osage members have been selected to replace the vacant spots. The members of Team Fort Osage for the 2022-2023 school year are listed below. Members were selected based on a range of years of experience, a variety of grade levels or subjects taught, and different positions held. Additionally, each building is represented on the committee. Certificated Staff
Classified Staff
 For those of you interested, a $20.00 gift card to Campus Grounds will be given away to one lucky winner. To enter, send an email to jsnodgrass@fortosage.net with "Tasty" in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31.
Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing.
 Team Fort Osage met for the fourth time this year on April 21. It was a productive meeting with good feedback provided by the committee. There was discussion about the budget, health insurance, economic development, staff feedback, bargaining, school calendar, late resignations, MSIP 6, legislative updates, and construction projects (information provided below on each).
Budget Planning We are continuing to plan the budget for the 2022-2023 school year. Maintaining a balanced budget is a priority for the Board, and my goal is to achieve that while continuing to provide appropriate staffing, good health insurance coverage, and steps and movement for staff. At the June board meeting, my recommendation to the board will be to provide steps and movement at a cost of approximately $900,000. We are looking at enhancing the salary schedule by an amount yet to be determined with funds available and will know more once the state budget is approved. The FY 23 budget will be presented to the Board for their approval at the June meeting. Health Insurance The medical claims are being monitored as health insurance continues to be a large expense for the District. The cost for the District has more than doubled the last eight years from $3,041,000 in FY 2014 to $6,200,000 FY 2022 (this year). The District's contribution has increased from $581.30 per employee per month in FY 2020 to $710.00 per employee per month in FY 2022. In other words, the District contributes $8,520 per employee annually for individuals on District health insurance plans. Economic Development The Independence City Council will vote on the approval of the NorthPointe development on May 2, 2022. Due to the amount of tax revenue it will generate and the number of jobs it will create, President Floyd Hawkins and I will represent the District at the meeting to speak in favor of the project. I've been working with NorthPointe to develop a dedicated space in one of the first buildings constructed that would be used for educational programming if the project is approved. Staff Feedback Three years ago, Team Fort Osage was created in order to receive staff feedback regarding important topics impacting the district. Next year I will begin receiving additional feedback from staff with the creation of the Superintendent Advisory Committee. Each school will have Superintendent Advisory Committee members and I will travel to each building once every two months in order to receive additional feedback from staff. More information will be provided on the selection of the committee members at a later time. It’s important to note that the Superintendent Advisory Committee will not replace Team Fort Osage. Beginning next school year, approximately ⅓ of the current Team Fort Osage members will rotate off the committee. New Team Fort Osage members will be selected to replace the vacant spots by the end of this school year. Bargaining In 2018 HB 1413 was passed, prohibiting teacher unions from negotiating with school districts until an election administered by the Missouri Department of Labor was held naming a specific bargaining representative for teachers. Months later, a court case was filed claiming HB 1413 was unconstitutional which halted the election process until the court could make a decision. In June 2021, the court case was decided by the Missouri Supreme Court which in essence allowed for a teacher union to become a bargaining representative through a bargaining framework established by the Board of Education rather than the State. I have received a request from both CEA and NEA to become the bargaining representative for teachers at Fort. We are currently working to create a policy which would need to be approved by the Board of Education before the election process is implemented. The policy will outline the step by step procedures to become the bargaining representative. 2023-2024 Calendar Previously, I communicated that Team Fort Osage would provide feedback on the 2023-2024 student calendar at their April meeting. Administration is still working on a calendar option that would increase teacher collaboration/work time without creating additional teacher student contact days. After this option is explored further, I will receive feedback from Team Fort Osage. A survey will then be sent to staff in order to receive additional input before a recommendation is provided to the Board. Given the time constraints of this school year, it is possible the survey may not be conducted until next fall. Late Resignations Prior to this school year the Board adopted a procedure, which is outlined in the Employee Manual, in order to recover the costs associated with certificated staff members who resign after June 1. These costs include recruiting and onboarding replacements, training replacements, and substitute costs if necessary. After receiving feedback from Team Fort Osage and comparing the monetary amount other Districts require, I will recommend an increase to Fort’s monetary amount at the May Board meeting. If approved the update will begin as early as July 1, 2022. MSIP 6 Although the original schedule was delayed, DESE is preparing to release MSIP 6 in the coming weeks. This spring’s MAP/EOC scores will be used for the Annual Performance Report (APR) next fall. Legislative Update The legislative session will continue through May 13. We are continuing to monitor several bills closely that are related to education. A few are listed below: HB 3002 This is the education budget bill. After significant changes were made by the Senate, the bill will be discussed and debated in conference committees made up of both House and Senate members before being sent to the Governor. The General Assembly is required to pass the budget by May 6. Some of the changes made by the Senate include: An additional $214 million to fund school transportation An additional $195 million from Prop C (sales tax) An additional $10 million for teacher recruitment and retention Provide $37 million to fund career ladder HB 1552 After being passed by the Senate, the bill returns to the House for final approval. The bill would shift the burden of funding charter schools to the State, require charter school board members to live in Missouri, and increase funding for transportation. SJR 39 and SJR 41 Both of these house joint resolutions would negatively impact the school district’s revenue and bonding capacity. SJR 39 would cap the amount a property owner’s assessed valuation can increase during assessment cycles. SJR 41 exempts taxpayers 65 years or older from any property tax increases. Construction Projects Spring 2022
o Fire Prairie o Bus Drive from East Campus to Main Campus o Main Campus East of Indian Lane Summer of 2023
 The Fort Osage FFA is holding their annual plant sale on Saturday, April 30 from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm behind the career and technology building. For those of you interested, one lucky winner will receive your choice between two plant arrangements (one of which is pictured). To enter, send an email to jsnodgrass@fortosage.net with "Flowers" in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 a.m. on Monday, May 2.
Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing.  Spring is one of my favorite times of year. Warmer temperatures mean flowers are coming into bloom, spring sports are in full swing, and the end to a busy school year is in sight. A successful year could not be possible without the hard work and determination of the entire team. Thank you for everything you do. You are greatly appreciated!
 Three years ago, Team Fort Osage was created in order to receive staff feedback regarding important topics impacting the district. Topics discussed include district initiatives, legislative issues, the school calendar, the budget and more. Next year I will begin receiving additional feedback from staff with the creation of the Superintendent Advisory Committee. Each school will have Superintendent Advisory Committee members and I will travel to each building once every two months in order to receive additional feedback from staff. More information will be provided on the selection of the committee members at a later time.
 We are continuing to plan the FY 23 budget which begins July 1, 2022. Maintaining a balanced budget is a priority for the Board, and my goal is to achieve that while continuing to provide appropriate staffing, good health insurance coverage, and steps and movement for staff. If the budget will allow, we are looking to enhance the salary schedule by an amount yet to be determined. The FY 23 budget will be presented to the Board for their approval at the June 2022 meeting.
A few things to consider regarding the budget while planning: State Funding The state is looking to fund the foundation formula for FY 23 the same as this year. Even though we had a decrease in student average daily attendance (ADA) due to COVID, the state is funding districts based on FY 20 ADA. This will prevent Fort Osage from losing approximately $750,000 in funding. Levy Transfer The voter approved levy transfer in the April 2020 election is proving to be beneficial in providing additional revenue for operating costs. Information is listed below. FY 22 + $0.20 to operating fund = $708,000 FY 23 + $0.06 to operating fund = $212,000 ESSER III This one time federal funding comes with a restriction that 20% of the $8,062,482 be allocated to address learning loss. The plan is to use this 20% ($1,612,496) for an additional social worker, interventionists, learning mentors, extended day mentors, and late transportation (if drivers are available). ESSER III funds come as a reimbursement to the District once funds are expended. Our plan with the remaining 80% ($6,449,986) of the ESSER III funds will be expended over two fiscal years (FY 23 and FY 24). These funds will be used to offset the increase in operating costs due to the pandemic. By doing so, this will provide $3,224,993 for both FY 23 and FY 24. Since we received $3,583,397 from ESSER II funding in FY 22 (this is also one time money that will go away at the end of this year), we will have $358,404 less in federal funding next year. Health Insurance Insurance rates continue to be a large expenditure for our District. We sent an additional $850,000 in supplemental payments to our insurance provider in FY 22 due to an unusual increase in claims. Having said that, claims have declined in January and February of this year, preventing us from making an additional supplemental payment. Last year we spent $6.2 million on health insurance as compared to $3.1 million seven years ago. As the January 1, 2023 insurance renewal approaches, we will continue to explore plan options within the consortium. Inflation The cost of supplies (i.e. fuel, electricity, food, technology, and materials) are increasing dramatically. We will continue to keep a watchful eye on our spending and take advantage of rebates and preferred pricing when available. Salary Salary and benefits are a priority to me and the board. At the June board meeting, my recommendation to the board will be to provide steps and movement at a cost of approximately $900,000. We are looking at enhancing the salary schedule by an amount yet to be determined with funds available.  The company NorthPointe is proposing an industrial development along Little Blue Parkway, starting near RD Mize RD and heading north to 78 highway. The development will then head east to 7 highway. Once the proposed development is complete, the buildings would stretch across the Fort Osage, Independence and Blue Springs School Districts. The project would include buildings totaling 10 million square feet with approximately half of the square footage in the Fort Osage School District. If approved, NorthPointe would be making a nearly one billion dollar investment in our community.
Due to the additional tax revenue and job creation, the Fort Osage Board of Education approved a resolution in support of the project. In March the project received unanimous support of the Independence Planning and Zoning Committee, as well as the Incentive Commission. The project is scheduled to be voted on at the Independence City Council meeting on May 2. If approved, construction would begin this summer. The first building in the Fort Osage School District is scheduled for construction in six years. Currently, the District receives $3,250 per year in tax revenue on the land the proposed buildings would be constructed. If the proposed project is completed, the tax revenue would increase to over $32 million over the next 33 years. |
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