For those of you interested, a $20.00 gift card to QT 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 February 12. Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing. I can’t believe 2023 is nearing its end. I’m proud of the many accomplishments the District’s students and staff have had the past year. There is certainly much to celebrate as we enter 2024. Thank you for your continued work to make Fort Osage a special place to educate students. Enjoy your much deserved break! Team Fort Osage met for the second time this year on December 6. It was a productive meeting with exceptional feedback provided by the committee. There was discussion about the budget, Career Ladder, health insurance, salary and benefits summary, salary studies, school calendar, and superintendent advisory committees (information provided below on each). The next Team Fort Osage meeting is scheduled for February 1. Budget The state is fully funding the foundation formula and transportation, however, the year to date state revenues are down as compared to this time last year. I’ve continued to monitor the court case involving two Jackson County business owners vs. Jackson County regarding assessed valuations. A hearing was held on December 13 in front of the Missouri Supreme Court to determine whether to dismiss the case or move it to trial. On December 19 the Supreme Court dismissed the case, keeping the assessments at the 2023 values. Career Ladder Beyond providing additional income for certificated staff, there have been tremendous opportunities for students created by Career Ladder. This year 40% of the school districts in Missouri participated in Career Ladder. The state is funding 60% of the cost which left Fort Osage budgeting $750,000 to fund its portion of Career Ladder. Health Insurance The insurance will renew on January 1, 2024. Fort Osage will remain with the SipGKC consortium with Blue Springs, Grain Valley, and Smithville School Districts. The health insurance provider will remain with Cigna. The Consiglio Wellness Center continues to be a strong point for the district’s membership of the consortium. If you have any health insurance questions please contact Laura Ford, Benefits Coordinator, at [email protected]. Salary and Benefits Summary The team provided positive feedback about receiving the salary and benefits summary in the mail this fall. The information is helpful to know all the benefits provided by the district. Salary Studies After completing the teacher and classified salary studies last year, the district is performing additional studies this year including the extra duty assignments, administrator/director salaries and substitute teacher pay rates. Once the information is received by the company performing the study, the data is reviewed, and next year’s budget is prepared, I will make recommendations to the board along with all other salary enhancements. 2023-2024 school calendar Feedback was provided on the two 2023-2024 calendar options. The staff survey closed Monday, December 18th and input is being reviewed. The final draft of the student calendar will be recommended to the board in January. Superintendent Advisory Committees I have continued to meet with each superintendent advisory committee this year. The committees have provided an opportunity to disseminate information, celebrate accomplishments, and discuss areas of improvement. Effective June 1, 2024, Dr. Karla Essingler will become the Missouri Commissioner of Education after concluding her work in the Missouri Senate. Dr. Esslinger will assume the duties as Commissioner following the retirement of Dr. Margie Vandeven who served a total of seven years in the position. Dr. Essingler has over 30 years of experience as an educator including her work as a teacher and superintendent in Missouri school districts. She also previously worked at DESE as an assistant commissioner of education. For those of you interested, a $20.00 gift card to Casey's General Store will be given away to one lucky winner. To enter, send an email to [email protected] with "Casey's" in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 3. Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing. I'm consistently amazed by the exceptional dedication of our staff. Your daily commitment to meeting each student's needs with care is truly remarkable. Across all of our schools, there are two standout achievements this year compared to the previous one: improved student attendance and a decrease in disciplinary incidents. These accomplishments are truly remarkable! Congratulations to the entire team for your collaborative effort, and we look forward to the continued progress ahead! It is amazing how many activities occur in our school district each week. There are multiple opportunities for parents, patrons, and staff members to support our students outside the classrooms. Supporting our students in their activities and clubs makes an immediate impact on building effective rapport that carries over to the school day. Thank you for all you do for Fort students both in and out of the classroom! In June, two business owners in Jackson County filed a lawsuit against the county, requesting the 2023 assessed valuations go back to the 2022 assessed valuations. Since that time, the case has been moved to the Missouri Supreme Court to determine whether the case should proceed to trial or whether it should be dismissed based on the existing appeal process available for property owners to protest their taxes. Should the assessed values revert to those of 2022, it stands to impact local revenues for the Fort Osage School District and other taxing jurisdictions in Jackson County. This potential adjustment would reduce the district's local revenue not only in the current fiscal year but also in subsequent years. A hearing is scheduled for December 13 at the Missouri Supreme Court, although a decision deadline is unknown. 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 [email protected] with "Coffee” in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 a.m. on December 4. Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing. Fall is my favorite time of year. As the weather changes our school year also progresses. Fall parent teacher conferences mean the leaves are changing and cooler temperatures are arriving. Thank you for your continued work in helping us successfully proceed through the school year. Your hard work and dedication are greatly appreciated. Thank you for making a positive impact on our student's lives! |
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