SG R-II Family Connection
Parents & Guardians
Hello, SG R-II Family,
I am excited to share with all of you that Deputy Superintendent Dr. Paul Taylor has been hired by the Board of Education as Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District’s next superintendent beginning July 1, 2023.
As you all know, last year, I made the decision to retire with an effective date of June 30, 2023. While this was not an easy decision by any means, I knew it was time to focus on my family. And of course, I hoped to leave our district with someone whom I trusted implicitly, and who always has our students’ and staff’s best interests at heart. Over the years, Dr. Taylor and I have made a great team, working and learning together, and there is no one else I would rather see lead SG R-II going forward.
In order to create a proactive, effective transition period for the district, Dr. Taylor has held the role of deputy superintendent this school year with the goal of applying for the position of superintendent. This provided us the opportunity to have Dr. Taylor work closely with me and with other area superintendents and state organizations to learn the various roles and responsibilities of the superintendent position. Like other surrounding districts, we recognized that the landscape of public education has changed drastically over the last several years, and SG R-II had several fronts with which we had to focus, including: the Prop SG bond issue; ongoing legislative initiatives regarding funding, literacy programming; the district’s academic and social-emotional planning in response to COVID-19; navigating the district’s financial positioning given the uncertainty of Holcim and Mississippi Lime’s taxes; and more.
I feel strongly that due to our planning and strong leadership at both the district and building levels, our district is equipped to face these challenges and find the best way forward for our students and their futures.
I have the utmost confidence in Dr. Taylor’s ability to lead our great district with heart, reason, and dedication. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Taylor and wishing him well going forward!
And as always, please be sure to check out our five things you need to know below! We have more exciting updates regarding our facilities projects, as well as upcoming events!
Always a Dragon,
Dr. Julie Flieg
Superintendent
Prop SG Updates
At the Jan. 17, 2023 Board of Education's Regular Meeting, Romy Uelk, President and Principal in Charge of Programming for KRJ Architecture, and Colin Rogers, President of Project Management for Brockmiller Construction & Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR), co-presented an update on Prop SG. This included an overview of the facility projects, design plans and current timelines and cost estimates. The five project areas discussed are below:
Early Childhood:
- We are excited to share that the district has officially obtained an additional 5 acres adjacent to the 6.08 acres purchased in March of last year. This new parcel was acquired from Mississippi Lime, and is located at the western end of Maple Drive in Ste. Genevieve. This additional parcel will better allow the district to build an Early Childhood Center with the necessary classrooms, resources, playground and parking for our preschool and early childhood special education students.
- This preliminary layout shows 10 classrooms with a possible four classrooms to be included in an alternate bid. This means that if funds are available, it would be possible to add these four rooms into the construction project. If not, the design lends itself to additional classrooms in the future. This preliminary rendering shows possibilities for the front of the building, evoking school spirit and a welcoming feel.
- Now that the district has officially obtained sufficient space for building an Early Childhood Center, we will launch an Early Childhood Committee to determine specifics related to the Center’s development, including building plan and design, reorganization of current early childhood programs, before and after school childcare, transportation services, extended school year, and more. It will be important to take into consideration the surrounding neighborhood when planning and designing this new center.
Bloomsdale Elementary:
- The new secure entrance for Bloomsdale Elementary is composed of an approximately 1500 sq. foot addition as the new main entrance. This would allow the school office to securely welcome visitors and route them either into the office space or into the building. This space includes the double-gated entry, offices, a work space and a restroom. The existing spaces where the offices are currently located would then be renovated. At the time of the Board of Education meeting, bids were being received for this project, and were due on Thursday, Jan. 19. More information about the timeline for the Bloomsdale Elementary project will be shared next week.
- A preliminary rendering can be seen here.
Ste. Genevieve Elementary:
- The preliminary design of Ste. Genevieve Elementary’s new gym and on-grade, ADA-accessible entrance can be seen here. This project will take some parking spaces, but there are areas that have been identified as able to provide potential new parking. The district will discuss parking possibilities with the civil engineers moving forward.
Ste. Genevieve Middle School:
- The addition consists of an elevator spanning three floors in order to make our middle school accessible, and is located in the back corner of the school to avoid detracting from the traditional facade of the front of the building. The three floors are as follows: nurse’s office, elevator and corridor on the basement level; elevator and new counseling suite on the first floor; and elevators and bathrooms on the second floor.
Ste. Genevieve High School Gym / Wrestling Area:
- The main project consists of a practice gym addition on the side of the existing gym building. Currently, the design is one story. The current wrestling area will be renovated into a new weight room, and the current weight room will be renovated into a locker room for visiting teams. Originally, the plan was to make a two-story addition where the new wrestling area would be on the first level with the practice gym on the second level. However, Colin pointed out that it would be more cost effective to pull the two areas apart and leave the gymnasium one level while utilizing a metal building elsewhere on campus for the wrestling area. This new plan could possibly offer space within the metal building for other programs, such as a turf area for football and marching band, as well as batting cages for baseball and softball.
- Currently, the plan is a 120 x 100 metal building that would encompass four wrestling mats, small locker rooms and bathrooms, which were identified as needs in Prop SG. Brockmiller Construction, Inc. has built similar metal buildings for other school districts, as it is a popular design. Colin explained to Board members that these buildings offer an economy of scale and a cheaper price point, meaning that districts receive more square footage for a lower price. Having this standalone structure could save the district money rather than build the two-story addition originally discussed. This metal building could be expanded upon to become a 120 by 300 structure with turf, if funds allow.
- The district will evaluate a report from GeoTech in order to determine a possible location for the metal building.
Preliminary Timeline:
- Romy and Colin then presented the current project timeline schedule. Bloomsdale Elementary’s project is first, with construction starting this spring with the hope of being completed before school begins in the fall. At this time, the SGHS gym addition is next, with construction possibly starting this spring and finishing by the end of 2023. The SGMS addition and SGE projects are planned to be packaged together and bid a few months after SGHS, with construction happening through the summer. It is possible that the SGMS project could finish by the end of the year, with the SGE projects taking longer into next summer but being completed before the 2023-2024 school year. The metal athletics building would be saved for last, in order to better understand how the funding will cover these projects, and in order to see what the possibilities can be for this building.
Preliminary Cost Estimates:
- KRJ Architects and Brockmiller Construction, Inc. both calculate cost estimates concurrently and better refine those estimates as design plans and bidding progresses. It is important to note that the $5 million listed for the metal athletic facility is a placeholder, as the scope of that project is not yet decided. Throughout the process, the district can take advantage of any potential cost savings identified, and some bid alternates can be held for the future when more funds are available.
- Colin also explained that some of these projects will include the value engineering process, where a project is bid, and then some items are identified by contractors as areas where we might be able to reduce costs and realize some savings. Within these cost estimates, contingency funds are also built in on the front end, in order to offset possible change orders if and when unforeseen construction costs occur. Cost estimates will be updated and shared as the district moves forward, as well as possible alternate construction decisions within each project.
- These cost estimates are preliminary, and it is important to note that there are a variety of variables that will come into play to ensure that these projects fall within the parameters of Prop SG.
Missouri Legislature’s 2023 Session
The Missouri Legislature launched its 2023 legislative session, and we can expect to see familiar educational topics return as some legislators hope to gain traction this time around. Some of these topics include:
As bills work their way through committees this session, we will share updates on those issues that would affect public school education. We hope that you, our Ste. Genevieve community, will join our educators and school board members in reaching out to our local legislators about your thoughts and viewpoints on these issues. As we have seen last year and in years past, our local representatives are receptive and will advocate for those issues that matter most to their constituents. When our schools succeed, our community thrives, and we want to thank you for your support and assistance to ensure that our students continue to receive a free, appropriate and quality public education experience at Ste. Genevieve County R-II.
Property tax elimination, open enrollment, early childhood special education, teacher salaries, school funding, parents’ and teachers’ rights, school safety, curriculum prohibitions and requirements, the movement of school board elections, among others.
To reach out to our local legislators on various issues, see their contact information below:
Representative:
Rick Francis
201 West Capitol Avenue
Room 306-A
Jefferson City MO 65101
573-751-5912
Senator:
Elaine Gannon (R-115)
201 W. Capitol Ave.
Room 426
Jefferson City, Missouri 65101
573-751-4008
Board of Education Updates
Board of Education Election: The district has completed candidate filing for the district’s Board of Education. In accordance with § 115.124, RSMo., the district will not hold an election, because the number of candidates filing was equal to the number of open positions. The following candidates will be sworn into office at the School Board’s reorganization meeting on Tuesday, April 18, 2023: Eric Basler, James Kirchner, and Martha Resinger.
Kindergarten Registration Dates
See the following Kindergarten Registration dates for the 2023-2024 year:
- Ste. Genevieve Elementary on March 25, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and at
- Bloomsdale Elementary on April 1, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Parents may contact the elementary offices beginning Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2022, to schedule appointments.
Ste. Genevieve Elementary Parents As Teachers also offer FREE Community Developmental Screenings year-round for all children within district boundaries ages 3 months to 5 years. Screening is the process of measuring a child's general health, vision, hearing and development. The areas of development focused on during this screening are motor, language, concepts, social/emotional, and adaptive. To schedule a screening, call PAT at 573-883-4500 ext. 2424.
2023 Polar Plunge Save the Date
Save the date and join us for the 2023 Polar Plunge on Saturday, March 4, benefiting our SG R-II Special Olympics team and inclusion events! This year’s theme is Survivor! More info to come!