All asphalt work on the main campus has been completed. The kitchens and high school band room renovations are also complete. The fieldhouse flooring in all areas, except for the actual gym floor, will be completed this week. Cleaners will finish everywhere except the gym by the end of next week. Furniture is scheduled to be delivered by the end of November for the offices, locker rooms, and elsewhere. The gym floor is scheduled to be completed by mid December. Once we are closer to the completion, details about a ribbon cutting will be announced. A $25.00 gift card to McBee’s Coffee & Car Wash 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 ‘Spotless’ in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 am on Monday, October 30. Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing. Thank you for helping us have a successful start to our school year. The amount of work and care provided by our staff does not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated. Thank you for all you do to help support our students. Senate Bill 190 went into effect in Missouri on August 28, 2023. The law allows each county in the state to adopt an ordinance which will provide senior citizens with a tax credit on their residential tax bills. On September 18th, Jackson County passed Ordinance 5787 which, beginning in 2024, will impact residents age 62 or older with their residential property taxes. In a nutshell, a resident 62 or older whose primary residence is assessed at $550,000 or less, will not see an increase beyond their 2023 residential tax bill. If someone moves to a new residence, their residential tax bill would start over at that year’s assessment. Per the ordinance, homeowners who qualify for the tax credit will have a timeframe to notify the county if they would like to receive the tax credit. Since school districts receive residential tax revenues, the future financial impact to Fort Osage is unknown at this time. Fort Connect is a new program for students grades 9-12 where students earn credits through projects and hands-on learning. The program is currently housed at the Campus Grounds Event Space while the program awaits its permanent home at the Eastgate Commerce Center currently being built on Little Blue Parkway. Students use the design thinking process to solve problems for clients via client connected projects. The program is always seeking partnerships within and outside of the school community to give kids real world experiences.
School Protection Specialists have proven to be a valuable addition to our team. We have received great feedback regarding the work they are doing in our schools. It is encouraging seeing them patrol our campuses and provide assistance and feedback in regards to school safety while building rapport with students and staff. Thank you for making them feel like a part of your building team and members of our Fort family. Located in Sibley, Missouri the Sibley Orchard sells cider, apples, pumpkins and more. A $25.00 gift card to the Sibley Orchard will be given away to one lucky winner utilizing the RNG. For those of you interested, please send an email to [email protected] with ‘Fall Fun’ in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 am on Monday, October 2. Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing. The first day of school is one of my favorite days of the year. It’s always enjoyable to see students enter the building with excitement ready to tackle the day. Staff members are enthusiastic as they greet their new students to begin the year. Thank you for making the first day, and each day since, a success! You are all champions for our students! Team Fort Osage met for the first time this year on August 22nd. There was discussion about health insurance, Career Ladder, salary and benefits summary document, and superintendent advisory committees (information provided below on each). Health Insurance The annual health insurance renewal is coming up January 1st, 2024. Pending board approval at the September meeting, Fort Osage will continue to be a part of the consortium and offer four Cigna health plans to eligible employees. My recommendation will include continuing the District’s contribution of $781.00 per employee per month making the yearly contribution per eligible employee $9,372. A few minor changes include an increase to the $3,000 deductible plan to $3,200, due to federal guidelines. Second, the $3,200 deductible plan will cost employees $25.00 per month, and, third, the PPO buy-up option will increase for employees an additional $25.00 per month. There will be two plans completely covered by the District, while both plans will also provide significant HSA contributions. Open enrollment will take place October 16th-27th. More information will be provided in the coming 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. The deadline to enroll for Career Ladder is September 15th. The link can be found here. For those who enroll, Career Ladder plans are due October 1st. Please see information from the human resources department regarding this process. 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 Compos 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 ‘Mexican’ in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until 8:00 am on Monday, August 28th. Giveaway prizes are not purchased with District funds. Only Fort Osage employees are eligible to enter the drawing. |
Archives
May 2022
Categories |