Schools

Mehlville School Board Says Farewell to Mike Ocello, Approves Several Bids

As Ocello exits the board, several bids were approved that could save the district money.

Last night’s Mehlville School Board meeting began with Deputy Superintendent Dr. Eric Knost giving a “shout out” to the Mehlville High School band, who represented the district in a concert at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis earlier this week. They were directed by a world renowned composer.

“There was a comparison made that it was similar to if Tony LaRussa came and gave a clinic to one of our baseball camps,” Knost said. “I can’t tell you how proud I was of these kids.”

The meeting continued with the secretary’s report, consisting of Mike Ocello’s resignation, which was contingent upon the sale of his home. Superintendent Terry Noble read a statement acknowledging Ocello’s service to the board.

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“During this time he has provided outstanding leadership and always asked tough questions. Our district has benefitted greatly from his keen business sense. I know everyone really appreciates his contribution in this area,” Noble said in his statement. “What I most appreciate about you is that I watched our staff come to appreciate the concern, care and compassion you have brought to the process. I have seen people react to you because you share concern for them. They aren’t just an employee. I hope we never lose that and you deserve a great deal of credit for bringing that to our district.”

Official election results were then approved with no opposition, and Facilities Manager Steve Habeck went over the maintenance budget and future maintenance challenges, such as maintaining district roofs, fleets and HVAC equipment. Incoming Secretary Elaine Powers then commented that she hears across the district how timely maintenance responses are and wanted to acknowledge Habeck for his good work. The maintenance program budget was then accepted.

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The building usage report was given and approved from Chief Financial Officer Noel Knobloch, with a request to come back at a later date to set new rates.

Habeck was then back with a bid to remove existing worn carpet in the Mehlville High School commons area. Replacing it with vinyl will make cleaning transitions easier, with no wax on the carpet. The bid was approved. Habeck also presented a bid for Oakville High School track resurfacing to keep it protected from UV damage. Tracks at both high schools must be resurfaced every 5 years. Mehlville’s track was resurfaced last year. The bid was approved.

Robin Anderson, communications coordinator, went over the “wish list” for the communications department, which included offices in the administration building and a new media/social media coordinator. She said with the launch of the new district website, tagline and logos coming this summer, the department is working with School Fusion to produce the new site. Mehlville’s communication department is significantly smaller than other districts. The board discussed comparisons between outsourcing social media and web projects versus creating a new position. The discussion was then tabled until a projection of these comparisons could be presented.

The 2011-2012 Board of Education calendar was then approved, with future amendments possible.

Knobloch discussed a new bid with IKON, for copier and print centers across the district. The new bid would reduce costs by approximately $230,000 a year.

“That is not the final number—we could probably reduce that number a bit more as we get to final negotiations in the contract,” Knobloch said.

The bid was accepted, followed by a discussion about how the district can reduce their paper usage. Knobloch said that paper usage begins at the classroom and curriculum requirements level, and the classroom-based information was different from building to building.

The meeting ended on a similar note as it began. Ocello addressed the board, saying that it had truly been a great honor to work with the group.

“I am 99.9 percent sure this is my last board meeting,” he said. “I’ve never worked with a group of people so committed to a singular cause. Even though you can’t please everyone, it has been a thrill to work with you guys.”

Ocello then turned his thoughts to the new board members.

“When I began on the board I always told myself I would do what’s right for my kid and if I kept that in mind I knew I’d make good decisions for everyone else’s kids,” he said. “They only have one shot at an education and that’s an awesome responsibility.”


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