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Schools

Fort Zumwalt Board Reviews Year End Reports, Makes Minor Change to ID Policy

Less than a month before the start of the new school year, the Fort Zumwalt Board of Education was given summary reports of the past year from it's administrative leaders, but made no major changes to its recently discussed student ID policy.

The administrative staff of the presented its end of year department summaries to the board of education at Monday's regular session. Superintendent Dr. Bernard DuBray highlighted some of the notable accomplishments of his team.

He cited administration’s efforts to slash the district's , which was reduced from $8.9 million to a final tally of $5.2. The district also successfully negotiated a two-year salary deal with teachers, parents, parent educators and nurses—along with bus drivers and support staff through next year. O’Fallon voters passed an with nearly 67 percent of the vote. All-day kindergarten was a big hit, too, he said.

“That turned out to be so successful that we’re likely going to have to adjust our first-grade curriculum because the kindergarteners are really advanced moving into first-grade next year, so that’s exciting,” DuBray said.

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The Missouri School Improvement Program, which recertified Fort Zumwalt this year, requires each of the major administrators to summarize the district’s activities in that department every year.

Despite brief debates at its last two regular sessions, the board approved only a slight alteration to the district’s student ID badge policy: Those caught “not possessing or wearing their student ID badge” a total of five times will now be given four hours of Saturday detention rather than one day’s suspension.

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Board member Laure Schmidt was the lone dissenter in the 6-1 vote. Schmidt wanted the badges done away with entirely. She said they were a waste of administrators’ time and did little to promote a safer school environment.

“The problem is, they’re not wearing the badges,” Schmidt said. “I highly respect what the principals have to say about this policy. If they say it’s not effective, or it’s more trouble than it’s worth, then I would look forward to starting off the new year with a new plan.”

DuBray admitted that high school principals would prefer to do away with the badges, but said local law enforcement supported them, and principals would enforce whatever policy was decided.

“Principals would just as soon not have ID badges, they think it’s a lot of work to implement,” DuBray said. “I don’t particularly worry about that, they’ll do what we ask them to do. Frankly, that’s not new.”

DuBray noted the badges are also used by students to purchase lunch and check out library books. He said his staff would work to gather better information on the effectiveness of the policy over the next year.

In other business, the board also approved the leasing of additional space at its Transitions Center for students displaying autistic tendencies. Assistant Superintendent of Special Services Paul Myers said the added 2,800 square feet would cost the district around $40,000 per year, but to contract the services to outsiders can easily cost $25,000 per student per year–which the district would be required to pay, by law.

The board also approved Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Jackie Floyd’s Professional Development Plan budget for the 2011-12 school year, as required by the MSIP.

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