Friday, August 24, 2012
Superintendent Eric Knost said the bids for the district's new tennis courts and first auditorium will go out on Monday for an October ground-breaking.
The district’s first auditorium and tennis courts are one step closer to breaking ground. Construction bids for the two projects will be posted on Monday, Superintendent Eric Knost told the board at Thursday’s meeting. He estimates both projects will break ground in October. Knost said he’d bring a recommended bid for the tennis courts at the September board meeting and one for the auditorium in October. The superintendent said he wanted a four-week bidding process—rather than two weeks—for the auditorium because of the intricacy of the project. Auditorium The board approved the district’s first auditorium in January and set a $6 million cap for the project. Knost still expects to be under budget. The 525-seat auditorium is proposed for …
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:
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Superintendent Eric Knost explains his vision for the 2012-2013 year in the Mehlville School District.
A school supplies store at Oakville High School and a new gym floor at Wohlwend Elementary School were among the summer upgrades in the district.
Students coming back to school will see more learning spaces, a new kitchen and several other improvements in the Mehlville School District. The improvements are part of a facilities plan, developed by Superintendent Eric Knost and approved by the board in December. It outlines five years of capital improvements and began this summer. Director of Facilities Steve Habeck said the first round of improvements were on target and under budget. “Since the board approved the five-year facilities plan, we’ve been able to accomplish so much that’ll do a lot of good for the students,” he said. “It’s been a big positive for the district.” Improvements over the 10-week summer: Buerkle Middle School has a new kitchen with updated equipment. The …
Monday, June 25, 2012
Schools across the state were required to add policies as a result of Senate Bill 54.
The Mehlville school board passed new policies at their meeting Thursday in relation to what the district can disclose about employees that have been accused of sexual misconduct with a student. The board passed the policies 6-1; board member Ron Fedorchak was opposed. The policies are a requirement of Senate Bill 54, sponsored by Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield). Six policies were written, but district officials shared concerns about the vagueness of the law at the May 17 board meeting. "The sticking point is if someone is alleged to have committed some sort of sexual crime, even if they're found innocent, you're still required to disclose that according to Senate Bill 54," said former-Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources …
Sunday, June 24, 2012
The tennis courts are set for completion in the fall with the auditorium following in the fall of 2013.
Two big facilities projects in the Mehlville School District are closer to starting construction, Superintendent Eric Knost reported at Thursday’s school board meeting. The tennis courts, which will be located in front of Bernard Middle School, received approval from the Metropolitan Sewer District. After one more meeting with the engineer on details, final bids will be sent out. The bidding window will be open for three to four weeks, Knost said. Auditorium District architects are “absolutely focused” on the location for the Mehlville's first auditorium, Knost said. Construction is set to begin in October and finish by the fall of 2013. Original location suggestions included the Witzel Learning Center and the north end of Mehlville High…
Saturday, June 23, 2012
The Mehlville Superintendent said the program would be funded from the state.
Mehlville Superintendent Eric Knost said he’s prepared to recommend tuition-free, full-day kindergarten for the 2013-2014 school year. At Thursday’s school board meeting, Knost said he’ll present an execution plan to the board in September. Implementing free, full-day kindergarten by the 2013-2014 school year requires the board's approval by December for January enrollment. Parents were concerned the half-day kindergarten option would disappear, but Knost said it would still be available. “I would like to honor the parents’ interest in the half-day option,” he said. “We’ll probably design it around having a designated exit point after morning lessons.” When discussing free kindergarten in January, Knost said two schools would not have …
Friday, June 22, 2012
The school board voted Thursday to terminate Walters' contract. Dr. Dan Gieseler comes to Mehlville from Ballwin Elementary School in the Rockwood School District, where he was an assistant principal.
Updated at 10 a.m. The Mehlville school board voted unanimously in a closed meeting Thursday to terminate Point Elementary School Principal Jim Walters' employment with the district. The board hired Dr. Dan Gieseler as the principal of Point Elementary School for the 2012-2013 school year. On March 16, Walters was issued a lewd and indecent conduct citation from a park ranger at Forest Park in St. Louis City. The ticket said the ranger "observed subject Walters grab his genitals while talking to a man in a vehicle who later confessed to what was happening." Walters was placed on paid administrative leave March 26 and in May, Knost said the principal would not return to Point. Neither Board President Venki Palamand nor the …
The 2012-2013 is predicted to have a $489,000 surplus.
The Mehlville school board unanimously passed a budget for the 2012-2013 school year that gives the district a little bit of breathing room, Superintendent Eric Knost said. The budget Chief Financial Officer Noel Knobloch presented Thursday provides funding for the salary schedule, facilities and the second phase of the district’s laptop pilot program. Total revenue tallied $101,851,000 with $101,362,000 in expenses, a $489,000 surplus. The district will end the 2011-2012 school year with approximately 22 percent in reserves, well above the district’s comfort level of 13 percent and the state’s mandated 3 percent reserve balance. (See previous: School Board Set to Pass Budget with $400,000 Surplus) Revenues Knobloch said revenues in the …
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The academy will be a stepping stone for eighth-graders who need help transitioning to high school.
The Mehlville School District is debuting a program for eighth-graders who need extra help transitioning to high school. Starting in August, 30 incoming ninth-graders will join the Freshman Academy, created to help students better adapt to high school. Superintendent Eric Knost called the academy another phase of the district’s alternative program. It is one of the first in the area specific to freshmen. “It either becomes an early identifier to our alternative program or career technical training,” he said when presenting the idea in November. “Or it will be that stepping stone for those kids that really floundered in middle school… to spend a year in a much smaller environment.” The students will spend half of their school day at the …
Peter Russo
1:13 am on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
"Free" is the most mishandled word in our public school system. Childless couples and businesses outside the district all "PAY" taxes to the state. Our Forced Real estate taxes and casino taxes are paying for "your" child's education. That's not Free. Look at your automoblie personal property tax and home tax. That's not Free. Wake up Residents. The public school system is the current day "mafia… more ›