 The 2024-2025 school year is off to an excellent start! Your efforts and ability to effectively educate students is incredible. It's amazing how everyone comes together to educate nearly 5,000 students on a daily basis. Thank you for everything you do!
 Team Fort Osage met for the first time this year on August 20th. There was discussion about the budget, health insurance, Career Ladder, salary and benefits summary document, and superintendent advisory committees (information provided below on each). The next Team Fort Osage meeting is scheduled for December 5th.
Budget On August 6 the state tax commission sent an Order to the Jackson County Assessor and County Executive purporting to cap every assessment for the prior year at 15%. There are several unanswered questions regarding the Order and the response from the County and County officials. According to County officials, the Order would impact the Fort Osage School District by an estimated $3.7 million in loss of revenue. Fort Osage School District must set the tax rate by October 1. In determining that tax rate, the Fort Osage School District relies on the assessed valuation provided by County officials. Recently, Fort Osage received an updated assessed valuation which is similar to the values prior to the Order. I have continued to be engaged in the situation with several stakeholders including other Jackson County taxing jurisdictions. More information will be shared once it’s known. Health Insurance The annual health insurance renewal is coming up January 1st, 2025. Pending board approval at the September meeting, Fort Osage will continue to be a part of the consortium with Blue Springs, Grain Valley and Smithville. My recommendation will include increasing the District’s contribution to $800.00 per employee per month making the yearly contribution per eligible employee $9,600. In 2025, I will also be recommending to update our available health plan choices from 4 to 3 options. The IRS has updated the minimum deductible for a plan to be considered a Qualified High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) to $3,300 for 2025, an increase from the current $3,200. As a result, in order to maximize the benefit our employees receive from these plans, we will be merging our current $4,000 HDHP Plan with our $3,200 HDHP to create a new $3,600 QHDHP for 2025. Team Fort was in agreement that this will have a positive benefit to plan holders. Fort Osage is committed to covering 100% of the Employee Only level premiums for two of the plan options while continuing to offer strong district-funded HSA contributions for those plans. Further information regarding all 2025 changes will be shared during the Open Enrollment period this fall. As we approach the Open Enrollment window (October 14th-25th), we will be organizing in-person group informational meetings for staff to attend. Keep an eye out for more details in the upcoming weeks. Career Ladder Career Ladder is an exceptional way to provide support and programming for students while providing additional opportunities for certificated staff to earn supplementary compensation. Career Ladder plans were due August 28th. For those who enrolled, student clubs and tutoring may start the week of September 3. Please reach out to your building Career Ladder representative or the human resources department if you have any questions. Salary and Benefits Summary Later this fall, we will be sending each employee a document which will show a breakdown of their total financial compensation from the District. The document will come by mail and will include total compensation including salary, benefits, retirement contributions, Medicare tax, social security tax (if applicable), and other district-paid benefits. An email will be sent to All Staff when the documents are mailed out. Superintendent Advisory Committees I look forward to continuing to meet with each building’s Superintendent Advisory Committee this year. Three meetings have been scheduled throughout the year in order to have dialog with certificated and classified staff regarding various topics relevant to the district.  A $25.00 gift card to Los Compas Mexican Restaurant located on 24 Highway will be given away to one lucky winner utilizing the random number generator (RNG). For those of you interested, please send an email to [email protected] with ‘Los Compas’ in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 am on Tuesday, September 3.
Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing. Fort Osage has had a tremendous year! I appreciate everyone's hard work and dedication for making the numerous celebrations possible. You play an important role in the great things happening across the District. Thank you for your efforts in helping Fort have an outstanding year! Have a wonderful summer!
I will be proposing the 2024-2025 budget to the Board of Education at the June 11 meeting. The state legislators approved the Governor’s budget proposal which includes full funding of transportation as well as the funding of Career Ladder. I’m continuing to closely monitor the Missouri Attorney General’s lawsuit against Jackson County which is requesting the 2023 assessments go back to the 2021 values. Per my recommendation, the board approved to submit an Amicus Brief, which provides information to the court, regarding the financial impacts of going back to the 2021 assessments. It would impact the Fort Osage School District by nearly $6 million. The case is scheduled to be heard before a Clay County judge this summer.
The end of the legislative session was Friday, May 17. Several bills impacting public education were closely monitored throughout the session. Without question SB 727, having 21 provisions has the largest impact on schools. The Governor signed the bill on May 7 and became law on August 28. The bill has 21 provisions that will cost the State up to an estimated $500 million after full implementation. Even though the bill has some provisions that will be beneficial, the primary concern is if the state will have enough revenue to fund the bill in its entirety. Beyond that, there are provisions that are very concerning. In the coming months Fort Osage will be working through the numerous implications of the bill including the 169 calendar which was previously communicated to staff.
For those of you interested, a $20.00 gift card to Golf Ranch, which includes a driving range and miniature golf, will be given away to one lucky winner. To enter, send an email to [email protected] with "Summer Fun" in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28.
Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing.  It’s hard to believe that MAP testing is upon us and summer school is just around the corner. I’m grateful for the many accomplishments occurring across the district each day. Thank you for your dedicated efforts to the success of each student. Have a wonderful end to the school year.
 Budget I continue to prepare for the fiscal year 2025 budget that begins July 1, 2024. The state legislators have until the May 10th deadline to approve the Governor’s budget proposal which includes full funding of transportation as well as the funding of Career Ladder. The DESE provision that has allowed districts to utilize their 2020 enrollment for state funding has ended which will have a negative impact on state revenue. I must be mindful of the state tax cut that went into effect on January 1st which will reduce state revenues by an estimated $1 billion. I’m also closely monitoring the Missouri Attorney General’s lawsuit against Jackson County which is requesting the 2023 assessments go back to the 2021 values. The case is scheduled to be heard before a Clay County jury this summer. To end on a positive note, the levy transfer of 2021 continues to have a positive impact on our revenues for the upcoming year. Taking all things into consideration, which includes the board approved salary enhancements from March, I’m working to create a balanced budget for the board’s approval in June. Health Insurance Fort Osage’s health insurance plan year runs from January 1 through December 31. The year to date insurance claims that began January 1, 2024 is 95%. In other words, for every $1.00 Fort Osage paid into the insurance fund, the provider, Cigna, was paid $0.95. This amounts to a savings for the district. Separately, we were recently notified that many staff members received a letter outlining negotiations between Cigna and Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). These are typical negotiation practices that occur every few years with insurance corporations and healthcare providers. Our contact at Cigna is confident there will be an agreement reached soon. There are no changes to plan coverage at this time. We will continue to keep staff informed of any updates. Career Ladder Career Ladder continues to have a positive impact on our school district. There are additional student clubs, tutoring opportunities, and more support for beginning teachers than ever before. A survey was conducted this Spring to receive feedback to determine what has gone well and what we can improve with Career Ladder. Based on feedback we will move our deadlines up to start clubs and tutoring earlier next fall. Career Ladder Celebrations Include:
Staff Survey The information below was discussed regarding the staff survey that was conducted. Celebrations and Feedback Include:
Wellness Plan The information below was discussed regarding the wellness survey. Celebrations and Feedback Include:
Legislative Update The legislative session began in Jefferson City on January 4th and will end on May 10th. There are over 500 education bills that have been filed. Below are a few bills to which I’m paying special attention. SB 727: The bill passed on April 18 and will be sent to the Governor for his signature. The bill has 21 provisions that will cost the State up to an estimated $1 Billion after full implementation. Even though the bill has some provisions that will be beneficial, the concern is if the state will have enough revenue to fund it in the future. Beyond that, there are some provisions that are concerning. It will take some time to review the entire 167 page bill to know how it will fully impact Fort Osage. A few of the provisions include:
HB 1989: Open Enrollment - Passed the House and now has moved to the Senate. SB 799: Personal Property Tax - It would depreciate someone’s personal property at a faster rate which would reduce revenue. Superintendent Advisory Committees The superintendent advisory committee meetings have continued to provide an opportunity for me to have excellent dialog with staff from across the district. In the next few weeks I will be sending an email asking for interest on filling the vacant positions for next year’s committees. Team Fort Osage Several years ago, Team Fort Osage was created in order to receive staff feedback regarding important topics impacting the district. Like in years past, ⅓ of the current members will rotate off the committee. New Team Fort Osage members will be selected to replace the vacant spots. The members of Team Fort Osage for the 2024-2025 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. The years of experience listed is based on the 2024-2025 school year. Certificated STaff
Classified Staff
 For those of you interested, a potted plant from the Fort Osage FFA will be given away to one lucky winner. To enter, send an email to [email protected] with "Plant” in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 a.m. on April 22nd.
Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing. |
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