Thursday, September 13, 2012
Also, during the evaluation discussion at Saturday's Mehlville school board retreat, one member disagreed with the involvement of the Missouri School Boards' Association.
A discussion about the Mehlville school board’s development and evaluation led to a debate about an organization’s role with the board. The Missouri School Boards' Association (MSBA) is an organization that represents school boards across the state in legislative and administrative efforts. “Not all of us on this board support the mission of the MSBA,” board member Rich Franz said. “In fact, some of us, considerably myself, see the MSBA as a political organization with the separate agenda from what’s of the best interest of the school district.” The discussion began after Larry Felton presented the board with a self-assessment tool at Saturday’s school board retreat. Each board member will complete an evaluation form and then the board …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The board approved a new format for their meetings and will implement it in October.
The Mehlville school board is trying to make meetings shorter and more efficient by aligning the agenda around its goals. The agenda format and meeting efficiency were both discussed Saturday, at the board’s annual retreat. The new format was approved unanimously. Superintendent Eric Knost said he’d make adjustments over the next two meetings and implement the new format in October. The format is based on the board’s goals of student achievement, fiscal responsibility and strategic planning. Presentations and reports will be orchestrated to fit into the main topics. Board member Larry Felton introduced the new idea and said it was growing in popularity across the state. “The main thing we’re adopting if we do this is that we’re going to …
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Superintendent Eric Knost will also give an update on the district’s auditorium and tennis courts at Thursday's meeting.
The Mehlville school board is scheduled to meet Thursday and set the agenda for its annual board retreat. The retreat’s purpose is to organize the board’s priorities for the upcoming school year. They’ll also assess last year’s goals, Secretary Elaine Powers said at the July board meeting. It is tentatively set for 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 8 at Rogers Elementary School. Last year, with four new board members and a new superintendent, the board focused on community engagement and student achievement. The starting point for the district’s town hall meetings and facilities plan also came out of the retreat. Here’s what else is on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting, slated for 7 p.m. in the administration building:
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Superintendent Eric Knost said architects are looking at moving it from the north end of Mehlville High School to the south end.
With construction obstacles and increasing costs, Mehlville Superintendent Eric Knost said he was considering another location for the district’s new auditorium. The superintendent told the school board Wednesday that he asked district architects to examine moving the proposed auditorium from the north side of Mehlville High School to the south side. (See attached PDF of the north side proposal.) Knost cited problems with utility and large sewer lines at the north side location as well as soft soil. Although re-routing the sewer line would increase costs, Knost said the project could still be done within the $6 million cap. “But if we can get it done in a situation where we don’t have to move utilities and we don’t have that expense, well …
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The Mehlville school board initiated its new members Wednesday night.
The new Mehlville school board is officially in place as Board Secretary Elaine Powers administered the oath of office Wednesday to Katy Eardley and Ron Fedorchak, who were elected out of four candidates to serve on the board April 3. Fedorchak has served for the last nine months when the board appointed him after Michael Ocello moved out of the district. He is the father of three girls and resides in Oakville. Eardley, who also lives in Oakville, has three young children, one of which attends John Cary Early Childhood Center. She is a stay-at-home mom with a masters in business and will be earning a masters in education in May. The board voted unanimously to accept the unofficial election results from St. Louis County, which said Eardley …
The board voted 4-3 in Venki Palamand's favor.
In a 4-3 vote, Venki Palamand was elected to a second term as Mehlville school board president Wednesday night. Palamand was first elected to serve on the board in 2010 and earned the president’s seat last year. After the vote, Palamand said he was looking forward to another year of working with the board and Superintendent Eric Knost. Knost presided over the officer nominations and Rich Franz began by nominating Mark Stoner for board president. New board member Katy Eardley seconded the nomination before Ron Fedorchak nominated Palamand. Elaine Powers seconded that nomination. Palamand won by a 4-3 margin with Franz, Stoner and Eardley voting for Stoner. The president said the board has much to accomplish, but felt positive about the …
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Mehlville School District Board of Education met Saturday morning to set goals for the 2011-2012 school year.
The Mehlville school board met Saturday to establish their goals for the 2011-2012 school year, and made tuition-free, full-day kindergarten a priority in the near future. The board was originally scheduled to create goals at its retreat in August, and again in September, but delayed the task due to other agenda items and long meetings. At the Nov. 30 meeting, the board devised a system for developing goals. Each board member compiled measuring points or goals around the topics of: facilities, strategic planning, board development and governance, technology, student achievement, highly-qualified staff with professional development, community engagement and fiscal responsibility. Board Secretary Elaine Powers organized the board members’ …
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
The person who receives the most votes will be the Mehlville-Oakville Person of the Year.
The nominees are in and now is your time to vote for the Mehlville-Oakville Person of the Year! The following people received the most nominees in the community. Please cast your vote below before Jan. 2. Dave Buckel is the owner of Ideal Landscape Group on Lemay Ferry Road and was nominated for donations of time and labor to make improvements at Point Elementary School. The business helped to install new playground equipment, a pond and improve the athletic fields at the school. Buckel and his wife Leanna have children in the Mehlville School District. Connie Konersman is a volunteer coordinator at PetSmart on Lemay Ferry Road. Konersman along with her team of volunteers care for homeless cats and dogs that are waiting to be adopted. She …
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Mehlville school board met Thursday to pass the school's improvement plan and approve a new insurance consultant.
Town Hall Meeting Superintendent Eric Knost announced the date for the district's next town hall meeting. More than 75 people attended the first meeting, which was held in October. At the meeting, residents can ask questions and share opinions about district issues. The next town hall meeting will be Jan. 19 at Faith Lutheran Church at 7 p.m. Board Calls Special Meeting to Form Goals The board adjusted the goal-setting process it laid out in November, and scheduled a meeting for Jan. 7 at 9:30 a.m. in the administration building to finalize their 2011-2012 goals. Board Secretary Elaine Powers will compile the board members’ input on the topics they wanted the goals to center around and will write out preliminary goals. Originally, Knost …
Monday, October 17, 2011
Patch caught up with Powers now that she has six months under her belt as a member of the Mehlville School District Board of Education.
As the executive director of the Lemay Child and Family Center and a member of the Mehlville School District Board of Education, Elaine Powers sees teamwork as an important aspect of making a difference in the South County community. Powers has lived in the Mehlville School District since 1993, and was elected to the board for a three-year term in April. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism along with a master’s degree in public administration. She has worked more than 20 years in the not-for-profit world, primarily with organizations serving children and families. She has been at the Lemay Child and Family Center for nine years. Powers is the only female on the school board, but said she doesn’t even think about it being a boys’ club…
Mike Stevens
12:06 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012
I agree, Mr. Franz needs to make his contact information available, or find some way to get community feedback other than at a board meeting where no real discussion can happen between board and community, only comments. Mr. Franz needs to realize that his "vision" for the district isn't one that everyone shares. more ›