Two years ago no one could have predicted the pandemic and how it would impact education. If I’ve learned anything during the pandemic, it’s to make one thoughtful decision at a time and be prepared to pivot when needed. I truly believe that the worst is behind us and I am looking forward to a wonderful spring. In August, I said that “we can only control what we can control”. Thank you for your continued support and care for your students. Your hard work and dedication to our school district is truly appreciated. Team Fort Osage met for the third time this year on February 10. It was a productive meeting with good feedback provided by the committee. There was discussion about the budget, health insurance, safety protocols, staff COVID days, school calendar, staff recruitment/retainment, solar panels, MSIP 6, legislative updates, construction projects, Team Fort rotation and the board election (information provided below on each). Budget Planning We are planning 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. 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 meeting. I will keep you updated as I have a more clear picture of the overall budget. Health Insurance Although still a concern, January claims loss improved as compared to prior months. All told, we sent $850,000 in supplemental payments to our insurance provider to pay claims from the prior year. Even so, we ended 2021 spending $350,000 less than had we been fully insured. If you have any questions, please contact our Benefits Coordinator, Laura Ford, at [email protected]. Safety Protocols At the February meeting it was my recommendation to the Board that they remove the sentence from the Safety Protocols and Continuity of Learning Plan that read “If the County Legislature adopts a resolution requiring masking in schools, the Fort Osage School District will implement such measures outlined in the resolution”. COVID Leave Days At the February meeting the Board updated the COVID leave document to clarify the practices that we’ve implemented since the beginning of the pandemic. The updated document is linked here. 2023-2024 Calendar Team Fort Osage will provide feedback on the 2023-2024 calendar at their April 14 meeting. After the meeting there will be a survey sent to staff in order to receive additional input before a recommendation is provided to the board. Recruit and Retain Staff In order to run a successful school it is imperative to recruit and retain quality staff. To help with this, the Board approved a new position at the February meeting. The Executive Director of Human Resources will be responsible for a number of duties within the human resources department including helping with the recruitment and hiring of staffing positions within the school district. Solar Panels Solar panels will be installed this spring beginning at Elm Grove and Fire Prairie, followed by the high school. We will be very mindful of instructional time and any testing that may be planned. MSIP 6 Although it has been delayed from the original schedule, 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 3014 This supplemental payment bill, that allows schools to receive the ESSER III federal relief funds, was passed and signed by the Governor on February 24. This is a total of $1.9 billion for Missouri schools, and $7.98 million for Fort Osage. There will be additional information regarding how these funds can be spent in the future. HB 1814 The passage of this bill would allow open enrollment for students in Missouri. Among other things, the bill would create concerns with school funding, budgeting and staffing. The bill has been voted out of the Secondary Education Committee after being modified. If passed, we believe that this bill would have harmful effects to schools and students across the state. HB 1747 This bill would allow for a member of any school board, of any public school district, to be subject to a recall from office by the registered voters of the school district. The recall election would be held upon the submission of a petition signed by registered voters of the district, equal in number to at least ten percent of the number of voters who voted in the most recent election held to elect the district board member. Construction Projects Winter 2021 New transportation, maintenance, technology, central office building (The work on the foundation has begun.) Design Phase Gym (Bid in March) Band Room Renovation (Bid in March) Parking and Road Improvements (Bid in March) Summer 2022 Kitchen Renovations (Board approved the bids at the February meeting) Blue Hills Buckner Fire Prairie Osage Trail Blue Hills Drive and Parking (Board approved the bids at the February meeting) Parking and Drive Improvements (Bids will be accepted in March, 2022) Fire Prairie Portion of Main Campus (east of Indian Lane) Summer of 2023 Kitchen Renovations (Bids will be accepted in March, 2022) Cler-Mont Elm Grove Indian Trails High School Band Room Renovations (Bids will be accepted in March, 2022) All Projects Completed Team Fort Rotation Beginning next school year, approximately ⅓ of the current members will rotate off the committee. New Team Fort Osage members will be selected to replace the vacant spots. Board Election There are six candidates running for school board on April 5. Information regarding the candidates can be found by clicking on the link here. As a board member of the Independence Economic Development Council, I have been heavily involved in attracting prospective businesses into our school district. Businesses provide tax revenue to the District at a higher rate than agricultural land or residential property. NorthPoint is the largest industrial property owner in the United States. The company 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. The proposal includes 15 large buildings that major companies would lease. 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. Beyond the additional tax revenue, NorthPoint is projecting the development to create 5,000 jobs. The project is scheduled to be voted on at the Independence City Council meeting on April 4. If approved, construction on the first building would begin this summer. The first building in the Fort Osage School District is scheduled to be constructed in six years. Specific details on the tax revenue and other possible benefits from this project are still to be determined. For those of you interested, a $20.00 gift card to Quiktrip, courtesy of the Fort Osage Education Foundation, will be given away to one lucky winner. To enter, send an email to [email protected] with "QT" in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 a.m. on Monday, February 28. Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing. |
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