Schools

Parents, Teachers, Students: We're Ready to Welcome Riverview Transfers

Follow the live updates from the Mehlville School Board meeting's Thursday night discussion on school transfers from Riverview Gardens School District.

Tonight, the parents, teachers, students and staff of Mehlville Schools will discuss the transfer of students from the Riverview Gardens School District at tonight's board meeting. Follow this story as we update live from the meeting with updates from speakers and school officials.

9:05 p.m. - I thought I was done, but here's one more cool update. When Trey Marlette, the Oakville junior who spoke up to welcome transferring students, tried to leave the meeting, Dr. Knost's face got super serious. He stood up during the consent agenda, crossed the room and firmly shook Trey's hand, thanking him for what he said. "That was awesome," I think I heard Knost say.

Read Trey Marlette's full statement here.

9:04 p.m. - That's it! At least, that's all for the Riverview talks. Folks are leaving in droves. The meeting continues with a few unrelated pieces of business.

8:55 p.m. - Enrollment for the next school year starts Aug. 1. By August 2, we'll know how many Riverview folks are applying to transfer. Those students will be told Aug. 9 where they'll attend, Knost says.

8:45 p.m.
- All the speakers are done, and the meeting is moving on. Board president Mark Stoner wrote down a few questions from the Q&A, and now Dr. Knost is answering them. We're starting with - How do we get Riverview parents involved in their kids so students who transfer here are prepared and high achieving?

"It's a lot about community," Knost says. "It's contact, it's communication. "

Here's our photo of Trey Marlette, a junior at Oakville High School and a Boy Scout, talking about how he and his fellow students will welcome all new students..

8:26 p.m. - 
The largest applause of the night comes for Trey, an Oakville student, who asks why this is even a big deal. He says the minute students transfer, they're part of the community.

8:24 p.m. -  Kenneth Deal, an almost-80-year-old great-grandfather: "We shouldn’t even have to be here tonight, and those kids up there should be able to be educated."

Emma Jean, an educator: "Our kids will handle this. Thats never an issue. They're very resilient. They’re very willing."

8:17 p.m. - Watch my video of former state senator Jim Lembke talking about the school transfers from Riverview. Click here for the video.

8:12 p.m. - 
Lots of folks say their concerns have already been addressed - especially class sizes and transportation time - so they're passing on speaking.

8:06 p.m.
- Jim Murphy cracks a joke: "Congratulations, we're not Fort Zumwalt."

8:02 p.m. - 
Theresa Douglass shares her grandson's story. A month into first grade, her daughter "scrimped and saved" to move her son from Riverview Gardens to Hancock Place School District. "When he got here, one month into first grade so this is very early on in his educational experience, they started realizing he was far behind all of the other students," she said. "It's going to be a long road to bring these children up to where your levels are."

7:56 p.m. - 
State Sen. Scott Sifton says he's looking in to how Riverview and other unaccredited school districts make their decisions on their chosen transportation districts. Sifton says it may be smart to give a governmental body some oversight to ensure the chosen district isn't too far from the home district.

"The reality is, this issue isn't going away," Sifton said. 

7:41 p.m.Knost spoke for a straight 40 minutes, and now it's time for comments from the crowd. Read Knost's comment on welcoming students here.

7:35 p.m. - Knost describes Mehlville as a diverse and welcoming school district, drawing applause from the audience.

Knost on the families considering transferring to Mehlville: "People who care about their children obviously must care if they're willing to put them on a bus and drive for maybe hours to get to a school district that is high achieving. I would suggest that those are parents that care. Those parents who want to see good things for their children, and I think we need to keep that in mind."

7:27 p.m. - Will the additional students transferring in to Mehlville and Oakville cause the current quality of the education here to deteriorate, Knost asks? "I won't let that happen. There's no reason that would happen."

Knost reiterates one point — Any students who transfer here are more than welcome: "We will accept them with open arms on day one."

Erin Christopher blogged a welcome letter to Riverview students on Mehlville-Oakville Patch. Read it here.

7:24 p.m. - 
The Mehlville School District will probably be able to accept 150 students from Riverview Gardens - maybe 200. Already, the number of applications has peaked (as of last night) around 450. 

7:22 p.m. - 
Dr. Knost starts with the background: Missouri law dictates that unaccredited school districts can send their students to accredited districts in the same or adjoining counties at the original district's dime. The Riverview Garden district, which is unaccredited, has selected Mehlville School District as their transportation district, meaning Riverview will pay for transportation to Mehlville schools.

"I cant really speak to their decision because the Mehlville School District had nothing to do with the decision," Knost said. "We never fathomed—I didn't as superintendent—that we would ultimately be selected as the transportation district. I struggle to understand the logic of that decision. I absolutely agree that we are one of the highest performing districts in the state...I also know there are many other high performing school disricts in closer proximity."

Also, State Sen. Marsha Haefner of Oakville is here.

7:04 p.m. - Dr. Eric Knost, superintendent of the Mehlville School District, starts the meeting off congratulating the community on their support during the conversation about school transfers.

"I can't go anywhere without being approached by somebody, and I'm happy to say this about this community, its all positive," Knost said. He emphasized the input of students: "We truly are a district of character, and that's because of our students, oftentimes, more than the adults."

Knost asks folks to keep student enrichment at the forefront of their thoughts as they make their comments.

6:37 p.m. - The St. Louis Beacon is here asking folks to share their thoughts and questions on student transfers. Email any questions you'd want a team of investigative journalists investigating to Linda Lockhart at llockhart@stlbeacon.org or fill out the St. Louis Beacon form. The Beacon also blogs about politics with Patch.com in St. Louis.

Also, former state senator Jim Lembke is here, chatting with other alumni of Mehlville High School. He graduated from here in 1979.

Update: 6:31 p.m. - A half hour before the meeting begins, and about 20 folks (and two news crews) are already in the audience. Also in the audience are former Mehlville School District board president Venki Palamand and State Sen. Scott Sifton.

Check back here throughout the night for updates!


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