The Karl Frank Jr. Communicator

With several articles in the various papers around town about Mehlville’s budget situation, I thought it might be helpful to post the actual minutes of the discussion for everyone to view:

board-minutes-from-2007-budget-approval

You will see that there were a series of tough questions asked before the final decision was made, including the question from Ken Leach to the CFO making the presentation to the board, Brent Bell.

Mr. Ken Leach asked for assurance that approval of the 2007-2008 proposals will not place future budgets in jeopardy.  Mr. Bell responded that the district will not be financially distressed.

You will also see that the budget was approved unanimously by the board.  After the vote is taken, then it is announced by the President of the Board that the vote is 7-0, at which time, anyone can move to reconsider or announce a discrepancy in the vote totals.  To suggest that a board member voted “no” when they really voted “yes” is disingenuous, at best, and ridiculous and banal drama in the least, especially when it deals with a board member who was in their ninth year of service.

I also think that it is helpful for the residents of Mehlville to know that the video of the meeting is available at Central Office.  You just have to provide a blank tape, or pay for a district tape.

Read more >> Options >>

LINK: - The Cost of Smarts - New York Times
The Cost of Smarts
By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

Research on animal intelligence always makes me wonder just how smart humans are. Consider the fruit-fly experiments described in Carl Zimmer’s piece in the Science Times on Tuesday. Fruit flies who were taught to be smarter than the average fruit fly tended to live shorter lives. This suggests that dimmer bulbs burn longer, that there is an advantage in not being too terrifically bright.

Intelligence, it turns out, is a high-priced option. It takes more upkeep, burns more fuel and is slow off the starting line because it depends on learning — a gradual process — instead of instinct. Plenty of other species are able to learn, and one of the things they’ve apparently learned is when to stop….

Mehlville School District Seeks Finance Committee Members

For more information contact Jennifer Rolwes Volk at 314.608.8424

St. Louis, May 5, 2008 – The Mehlville School District is looking for community members to serve on the newly created Finance Committee.

Committee members will work with District staff to develop five year budget projections, recommend ways to increase revenue and decrease expenditures, and to develop and present annual budget proposals to the Board.

“The committee will consist of staff and community members with an emphasis on community patrons with knowledge and expertise in finance and accounting,” explains Superintendent Terry Noble.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Sharon Peiffer at peiffers@mehlville.k12.mo.us or 314.467.5002 for an application form. Application forms can also be downloaded from the District website at www.mehlvilleschooldistrict.com on the finance page. Application forms are due by May 28 at 4:30 p.m.

Link … Princeton University - Princeton University survey finds pain gap
Princeton University survey finds pain gap
by Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 1, 2008; 07:00 p.m.
Those with lower incomes and less education are in pain more often, researchers say

A novel study that attempts to paint the most accurate and detailed description yet of how Americans experience pain has found that a significant portion of the population — 28 percent — are in pain at any given moment and those with less education and lower income spend more of their time in pain. Those in pain are less likely to work or socialize with others and are more inclined to watch television than the pain-free.

The study, which appears in the May 3 issue of The Lancet, was prepared by Alan Krueger, a professor of economics at Princeton University, and Arthur Stone, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Stony Brook University. The work is the first of its type, according to the authors, to quantify a “pain gap” in American society, with the “have-nots” suffering a disproportionate amount in relation to the “haves.”

“To a significant extent, pain does divide the classes,” said Krueger, the Bendheim Professor in Economics and Public Policy. “And just how the levels of pain vary among people and across activities — that has never been found before until now….”

“Thank you, Karl, for taking the time and caring deeply about the future and education of the Mehlville students. I don’t live in the district, but Mehlville is blessed to have you as an advocate! Your commitment and dedication to the students is a tremendous asset. Congratulations!”

LINK - 25 Years of U.S. Education: Reform Still Needed | Newsweek Education | Newsweek.com
…But the argument that public schools had to give a rigorous academic education to most students was a radical proposition. It challenged a core assumption of public education dating back to the beginning of the 20th century: that the education best suited to a majority of the nations students after they acquired basic literacy skills in the early grades was one that emphasized not intellectual training but the acquisition of skills that had practical uses on the factory floor. For decades, public educators had embraced an emphatically utilitarian vision of public secondary schooling.

Overwhelmingly, they saw public schools as sorting machines, giving different students different educations based on assumptions about their futures. Most students, they believed, should be taught primarily to use their hands to prepare them for the blue-collar jobs that they would have. (Before 1984) As a result, even students who stayed in high school long enough to earn diplomas in many cases were given the equivalent of eighth-grade educations….

Link - Noble making an impact in moving Mehlville forward - i.call
April 23, 2008 - While introducing Superintendent Terry Noble to those attending a leadership summit Saturday, Mehlville Board of Education President Tom Diehl made an excellent observation about Mr. Noble — he wants to be here.

“This is Terrys 34th year in education. He had a choice. He could either retire or he could join our community to work to move this district forward to a higher level of performance. For some strange reason, he chose the latter, Mr. Diehl noted.

Mr. Diehl also said, “Ive been told by educational professionals from outside our district that we have the best superintendent in the entire metropolitan St. Louis area. Having worked with Terry for better than a year, I have to agree with their assessment. He has the unanimous backing of the Mehlville Board of Education and Im confident that with Terry Nobles leadership, we will be a premier school district in this state …

This explains why I can not get in to American Idol. Perhaps it also explains that “how did I get here feeling” after a long drive…

LINK - Discovery News : Discovery Channel
Dull Tasks Numb the Brain, Literally
AFP

April 22, 2008 — It turns out that dull tasks really do numb the brain. Researchers have discovered that as people perform monotonous tasks, their brain shifts towards an at-rest mode whether they like it or not.

And by monitoring that area of the brain, they were able to predict when someone was about to make a mistake before they made it, a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found.

LINK: - ET Likely Does Not Exist
April 21, 2008 — Earth-like planets have relatively short windows of opportunity for life to evolve, making it highly doubtful intelligent beings exist elsewhere in the universe, according to newly published research based on a mathematical probability model.

Given the amount of time it has taken for human beings to evolve on Earth and the fact that the planet will no longer be habitable in a billion years or so when the sun brightens, Andrew Watson, with the United Kingdom’s University of East Anglia in Norwich, says we are probably alone.

Earthlings overcame horrendous odds — Watson pegs it at less than 0.01 percent over 4 billion years — to achieve life. The harsh reality is that we don’t have much time left.

There has been a recent story in the news about some synthetic turf fields containing lead. All of these fields use nylon blades.

We use Sprint Turf, which in turn uses lead-free polyethylene blades.

There were apparently 6860 voters in the April 8th election.  I received 3440 votes.  According to my math, that means that 50+ percent (50.15%) of those who turned out to vote, voted for my candidacy.  I am very happy with that, considering that there were 8 people running for 3 spots.

Link - Warren Buffett: Prioritize Career Building Over Market Studying - Personal Finance Education
Fortune magazine drops in on a Q&A Warren Buffett offered to 150 business students, and the advice dispensed by the Oracle of Omaha on investing and money in general is elegantly simple. When one student asked Buffett how to best spend his free time to further his investing knowledge, Buffett avoided generalized advice and told him to stick to what he knows. Fortune paraphrases:

For most people, the bulk of their income is going to come from earning power in their chosen profession. Therefore, from the standpoint of building wealth, free time is better spent sharpening one’s professional skills rather than studying investing.

Buffett also advises that those who can’t commit serious time to being active investors should stick to buying index and other diversified funds over time, a thought echoed by our commenters. Hit the link for more questions and answers with a man who knows from investing.

As most of you know, COMPASS (our community engagement program) intends on presenting a proposal to the Mehlville Board of Education that will most likely include a Phase 1 tax levy of 37 cents. As a board member, we receive communication containing varying levels of support, some who adamantly oppose such a thing, and some who whole-heartedly support it.

Today I received an email from someone who opposes it. I will leave him anonymous, but here is the email, followed by my response, which is somewhat long, but clearly represents my feelings on the issue.

Mr. Frank,

Congratulations on your reelection to the Mehlville School Board.

I was hoping that candidates representing fiscal responsibility and sound judgement would be elected.

As I read in the Call, this 37 cents per $100 assessed valuation proposal would cost the owner of a $200,000 home an additional $11.71/month. The County Council’s imposition of a “voluntarily manditory” recycling program will cost me an extra $6.50/month. Government would soon be in my pocket for an extra $18.21/month increase without any consideration for how the taxpayer will get the money for payment.

Our three children graduated from Oakville Senior High and now have families of their own. Our grandkids (we have 10) are often confronted, “Is this how you want to spend your money? It doesn’t grow on trees, you know.”

END

Thank you for your email. I always appreciate the opportunity to further explain my position on issues such as this. I first want you to know that I could not agree with you more on the country trash/recycling issue. I think the way the whole issue has been handled is deplorable and a blatant abuse of power by our county government.

I also would agree that in the state and federal government, there are questionable expenditures of taxpayer money. Much of the money spent, should not be spent at all.

That being said, there is a clear difference between what the county government is doing with the trash, and what the volunteers that make up the Mehlville Board of Education are wanting to do for the children in our community. The difference is, our initiative will be going to a vote of the people. The people will get a chance to decide what they want.

In your particular case, I don’t know what your financial situation is, so I can’t answer all of your questions on a personal level, but you did indicate that you have ten grandchildren. I don’t want to assume that all ten of your grandchildren are attending, or will attend the Mehlville School District, but in cases such as yours, I would like to think that the extra 38 cents a day to better educate them would be well worth it, especially when you see, in a moment, what that 38 cents a day will provide for them. Again, I don’t mean to sound presumptuous, only you can answer the question of whether or not it is worth it for yourself, and your grandchildren.

This world is changing. I won’t get in to all the details of our new 21st century global economy because you are probably fully aware of the challenges we face…not so much you and me, but for our children, and our children’s children. However, it is important to know that the amount of information generated in this world is now doubling every 18 months. It is impossible to teach it all, and it is impossible to know it all. It is no longer enough to memorize your periodic tables and hope to get a job in science. A child has to be taught critical thinking skills, the ability to be able to discern truth from a constant bombardment of competing “facts” and information. It is no longer enough to memorize your times tables in hopes of getting a job in engineering. Times tables and periodic tables are still important to the educational process, but now more than ever, critical thinking skills are paramount.

A high school degree is now the equivalent of a GED twenty years ago. An associates degree in college, now, is the equivalent of a high school diploma, twenty years ago. In today’s 21st century economy, you have to have a four year degree or higher to make a solid, yet dynamic living, one that can change with the flip of a switch, as will often be the case. We have to prepare our children for a four year higher education. Your grandchildren are very likely to make more than a dozen career changes in their lifetime. That is just the way of things in this ever-changing, global economy. We need to properly prepare them for this environment.

Today, Mehlville is a good school district in its current form, but every year we fall further behind other area communities, and their school districts, simply because we do not have the funding to keep up. Tomorrow, this will not be the case. This is not good for your grandchildren, nor the rest of the children of the Mehlville School District. They must be able to compete with our neighbors’ children in this economy, or they very well may be “left behind,” and the quality of life for all of us will most certainly decrease as a result. All we are asking of the community is to let us put our tax levy back to what it was in 2006, before the mandated rollback, so that we may do our jobs to the best of our ability, with the resources provided to us. It is not all we would like to have, but it is certainly a start.

So, what exactly will our children, maybe even your grandchildren, receive in exchange for this 38 cents a day? All of the following, and all of the intangibles that come with it…

Programs and Services

• Full Day Kindergarten
• Early Childhood Expansion
• English Language Learner Teachers
• Counselors
• Elementary Remedial Reading Teachers
• Allows Staff Salaries to Become Equal to the County Average

Technology

• Update Current Computers
• Wireless Technology
• Classroom Multi-Media Technology
• Related Technology Staff and Training

Safety & Security

• Full Video Security
• Scheduled Replacement of District Buses

Facilities

• Appropriate Facilities for Full Day Kindergarten
• Early Childhood Satellite Facilities Modifications
• Safety & Security Improvements
• Indoor Air Quality Improvements
• Improve Student Achievement
• Acoustic Improvements
• Infrastructure Improvements
• Performing Arts Center, with additional classroom space, at each high school

I hope that eventually you will agree with me on this issue. This would be an investment well spent, but unlike the extra expense placed on us by the county, you - and the rest of the community, will have a choice in this matter, and if it passes, will have something special to show for it.

Thank you again for writing, and feel free to keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Karl Frank, Jr.
Director - Mehlville Board of Education

Link - i.call
Frank told the Call that he believes last week’s election proves Mehlville voters value public education as he characterized Brown, Mooy and Bertelsen as “anti-public-education” candidates who ran on a platform of stating they would never vote to place a tax-rate increase on the ballot.

“Ultimately, I think that this community did what it always does — the community’s independent minded and they made up their minds about what was best for their community by electing independent-minded and highly qualified people with the common goal of public education …,” Frank said. “I think it’s great because there were a lot of sideline pundits that were trying to monopolize the debate over what was best for 11,000 students and ultimately this community did what they think is best for public education, and that means that public education means something to this community by electing what we believe is a new generation of leadership for the Mehlville School District.

“I think it’s great. As it relates to preparing the children of the Mehlville School District for the 21st-century global economy — not only surviving in it — but actually being active participants and shaping that economy, this board really is made up of the closest thing you could possibly get to the sports analogy of a ‘dream team’ for the children of the Mehlville community,” he said.

Charlie Rose Science Series: The Imperative of Science

Link - STLtoday - Elections pay off for bond issues and incumbents
In Mehlville, a slate of three candidates campaigned as “reformers,” promising fiscal responsibility and no new taxes. Just weeks earlier, district leaders revealed that, due to a budgeting error, they were on pace to be $6 million poorer than expected by the end of the 2009-2010 school year.

But none of the three won. Instead, relatively unknown district parents Erin Weber and Drew Frauenhoffer took home the most votes. Incumbent Karl Frank, Jr., came in third.

Frank said the election means the district has the leadership it needs to heal.

“We’re very excited with how the results came out,” Frank said. “Essentially what it means is that public education means something to this community.”

The reform slate “not once (talked) about what’s good for the kids,” Frank said. “They ran on their wallets.”

DIRECTOR MEHLVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT R-9
(VOTE FOR )  3
(WITH 48 OF 48 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
KARL FRANK, JR.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,434   17.53
CHRIS BROWN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     2,206   11.26
DAVID BERTELSEN  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     2,137   10.91
LINDA MOOY .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     2,235   11.41
DREW FRAUENHOFFER.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,585   18.30
DEB LANGLAND  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,253    6.40
MAREA KLUTH-HOPPE.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,285    6.56
ERIN WEBER .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,444   17.58
WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .         9     .05

I have made the rounds and worked several polls through about 1:00PM today.  The feedback I have received has given me a strong “gut” feeling that the outcome of this election will be as follows (entertainment purposes only) 

1.  Karl Frank Jr.

2.  Drew Frauenhoffer

3.  Erin Weber

4. Chris Brown

5. Dave Bertelson

6. Marea Kluth-Hoppe

7. Deb Langland

8. Linda Mooy

I guess we’ll know for sure around 9:00PM tonight.

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com
Kid finds teachers gun 1:31
An elementary school teacher has been arrested after her third-grade students found a gun in her drawer. KCAL reports.

Well, it is official. Cindy Christopher, Andrea Keller, and Mike Heins don’t like me. Fortunately for this community, three major institutions do.

The classroom teachers of the Mehlville School District endorse:

Karl Frank, Jr. - Drew Frauenhoffer - Erin Weber

South County Labor endorses:

Karl Frank, Jr. - Drew Frauenhoffer - Erin Weber

Call Newspapers endorses:

Karl Frank, Jr. - Drew Frauenhoffer - Erin Weber

Now that is solidarity behind strong candidacies, if I must say so myself.

Here is the Call’s endorsement language from this week’s paper:

	While the Mehlville School District faces a looming financial crisis and fiscal responsibility is critical, we also believe the district should serve students first. Given that, we feel that some candidates value their wallet more than students’ needs. With Karl Frank Jr., Drew Frauenhoffer and Erin Weber, you can rest assured that students and fiscal responsibility will BOTH be served — unlike other candidates.

In the Mehlville School District, eight candidates — David Bertelsen, Chris Brown, incumbent Karl Frank Jr., Drew Frauenhoffer, Marea Kluth-Hoppe, Deborah Langland, Linda Mooy and Erin Weber — are seeking election to three Board of Education seats that carry three-year terms.

In his three years on the school board, Mr. Frank has been a catalyst for positive change. The district is a much better place today than it was three years ago despite the financial challenges looming for the 2009-2010 school year.

We enthusiastically encourage voters to return Mr. Frank to another term along with Mr. Frauenhoffer and Mrs. Weber. These three candidates are the best suited to serve the Mehlville School District and its students. But don’t take our word for it. These three also have been endorsed by the Mehlville National Education Association and board President Tom Diehl.

While the district faces a looming financial crisis and fiscal responsibility is critical, we also believe the district should serve students first. Given that, we feel that some candidates value their wallet more than students’ needs. With Mr. Frank, Mr. Frauenhoffer and Mrs. Weber, you can rest assured that students and fiscal responsibility will BOTH be served — unlike other candidates.

This is a very thorough review of Mehlville’s future budget woes. It really tells the whole story. I know some people disagree with the Call’s coverage of various issues, but let this be the day that everyone knows that for as long as I have known Mike Anthony and have been involved in the Mehlville School District, everything he has written has been absolutely factual. It may not always be what people want to hear, but we all know, good news isn’t the only news.

I appreciate Mike Anthony for his factual reporting of the Mehlville School District, through good times and bad. It is up to those running the Mehlville School District to run a well-oiled machine. If you don’t like bad news, don’t make bad things happen. Of course, sometimes things happen that are beyond most people’s control, like this issue:

Leadership summit postponed after Mehlville superintendent hospitalized School board votes in closed session to demote district’s chief financial officer
MIKE ANTHONY Executive Editor
Terry Noble   April 02, 2008 - A leadership summit planned today — April 3 — to discuss the Mehlville School District’s financial situation has been postponed after Superintendent Terry Noble was hospitalized over the weekend, according to Board of Education President Tom Diehl. Noble was hospitalized for an intestinal problem, likely related to a hernia. At press time, it was undetermined how long Noble would be out of the office. In the interim, Deputy Superintendent Eric Knost will oversee the district’s operations. “I have a lot of confidence in (Chief Financial Officer Brent) Bell. He has a 10-year track record. There’s no doubt he made a mistake. He acknowledges that, but he is a person of integrity and I have confidence in him or else he wouldn’t be here today . . .If I didn’t have confidence in his integrity in that position, I would not ask the board to make sure we still have him here . . .” — Terry Noble, Mehlville superintendent         Jerry Chambers   The leadership summit has been rescheduled from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 19, in the Mehlville Senior High School library, 3200 Lemay Ferry Road. At the summit, the district’s financial situation will be reviewed and administrators will respond to questions. As first reported by the Call, financial projections indicate the school district’s operating-fund balance will dip below the state-required 3-percent minimum by the end of the 2009-2010 school year. Noble previously told the Call that he was taken aback by the new projection for the 2009-2010 school year as it differed significantly from a previous projection that the district would have an operating-fund balance of 5.75 percent on June 30, 2010. Projections for the current school year and for the 2008-2009 school year remain on target. For the current school year, an operating-fund balance of 9.58 percent is projected — greater than the 7.86-percent operating-fund balance anticipated when the 2007-2008 budget was unanimously adopted last June by the Board of Education. The projections indicate the operating-fund balance will be 4.95 percent at the end of the 2008-2009 school year. However, one scenario for 2009-2010 indicates the balance could drop to 0.92 percent and a more recent scenario indicates a 0.02-percent balance. Under state law, a school district is required to maintain a 3-percent balance in its operating fund — a combination of the general fund and the teachers’ fund — or be considered a “distressed” district. Noble has attributed the change in fund-balance projections to a variety of factors, including a downward trend in the economy, increased health-insurance costs, a decline in housing values resulting in reduced revenue to the district and a mandated hike in retirement rates to be funded by the district. “At the April 2007 board meeting when the salary proposal was presented, the board spent in excess of 30 minutes questioning Brent Bell about the revenue and expenditures of the district. The board was particularly interested in the effects on our operating balance and our reserves. Again, it is well-documented and available on videotape. Never did I try to take over the job of chief financial officer. It was my job to review the figures presented by the finance office and present those in the board packet along with other information from Central Office. Those reports were always given by the chief financial officer . . .” — Jerry Chambers, former interim Mehlville superintendent During a 5.5-hour emergency closed session last week, the Board of Education voted 4-3 to demote Chief Financial Officer Brett Bell. The board’s March 25 action returns Bell to his previous position as director of accounting along with a roughly $19,000 pay cut. Bell was paid $106,000 as chief financial officer; he now will make $86,804. Bell, a longtime Mehlville employee, was named interim chief financial officer in August 2006 and later named CFO. Board Secretary Mike Ocello’s motion to demote Bell was seconded by board Vice President Karl Frank Jr. Besides Ocello and Frank, Diehl and board member Venki Palamand voted to approve the motion. Opposed were board members Cindy Christopher, Larry Felton and Ken Leach. Under the 2007-2008 budget recommended by interim Superintendent Jerry Chambers and adopted by the board, employees received 6-percent salary increases, and Noble believes that the amount of those raises and the way the increases were funded exacerbated the district’s financial situation. In a March 7 e-mail sent to board members, Noble wrote, “… The board obviously received some poor advice last June when the administration recommended raises with one-time funds. When the district decided to use one-time funds — fund balances — to pay for recurring expenses — salary increases for this year — I expected there would be trouble ahead …” When the board voted unanimously in April 2007 to approve 6-percent raises for the district’s teachers, Bell provided spreadsheets depicting summaries of the 2007-2008, 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 budgets and their projected operating-fund balances. At that meeting, Frank made the motion to approve the 6-percent raises for teachers and his motion was seconded by Diehl. “While the motion was pending, Mr. Ocello asked for the impact of the proposals on future budgets … He (Bell) projected in his minimum balance analyses, which combined general and special funds but excluded food service, activities and athletics, 7.71 percent for 2007-2008 with an anticipated balance over the 3-percent minimum of $3,899,626; 5.16 percent for 2008-2009 with an anticipated balance over the 3-percent minimum of $1,786,577; and 5.84 percent for 2009-2010 with an anticipated balance over the 3-percent minimum of $2,347,422,” according to the approved minutes of the board’s April 19, 2007, meeting. “Mr. Ken Leach asked for assurance that approval of the 2007-2008 proposals will not place future budgets in jeopardy. Mr. Bell responded that the district will not be financially distressed,” the minutes stated. Diehl told the Call, “In spite of thorough questioning by the Mehlville School District Board of Education last spring, there was a misrepresentation of budget projections for FY (fiscal year) 2009-’10, not for this current year, or the upcoming school year, but the following year. Unfortunately, the interim superintendent, who is no longer with the district, presented the board and community with inaccurate budget projections for 2009-’10. “When Mr. Noble presented us with the revised projections, we moved quickly to address the problem, first verifying the new figures, and then conducting an investigation into how we were presented with incorrect data when making the decision on salaries last April. As part of the review process of this situation, the board has made the decision to demote CFO Brent Bell to his previous position for his role in presenting those projections,” Diehl added. But Chambers took exception to Diehl’s comments. “As superintendent, I never presented financial information to the board. Videotapes will show that financial information was always presented by the chief financial officer. That’s well-documented and it’s available on videotape from the district,” he said. “I also was hired as the interim superintendent for 550 hours. That averaged about 10 hours per week and oftentimes it was common for Dr. Knost to act as superintendent. Dr. Knost spent many hours with Brent Bell in devising budget projections for the coming years. “At the April 2007 board meeting when the salary proposal was presented, the board spent in excess of 30 minutes questioning Brent Bell about the revenue and expenditures of the district. The board was particularly interested in the effects on our operating balance and our reserves. Again, it is well-documented and available on videotape,” Chambers continued. “Never did I try to take over the job of chief financial officer. It was my job to review the figures presented by the finance office and present those in the board packet along with other information from Central Office. Those reports were always given by the chief financial officer, which is usually the case in larger districts such as Mehlville. “The real issue is where the district goes from here. All of us have known for some time that salaries are at the bottom when compared to other districts in St. Louis County. The board made a good-faith effort with the information presented to address those issues to try to at least keep up with surrounding districts. After the debate and questions, the board voted 7-0 to approve the proposal. I think that speaks for itself,” he said. Diehl said he believes the board took quick action. “We wasted no time in telling the public about this situation because we owe it to the residents of our district to be totally honest, whether the news is good or bad. I believe it is important at all times to discuss the status of our district in a factual manner as adults,” he said. On Friday, Noble said the board’s action to demote Bell and the now-postponed leadership summit are steps district officials are taking to “restore confidence in our business office and our administration and board in terms of how we manage the finances of the district. So the action was taken for that purpose and I thought it was immediate.” Furthermore, Noble said he his taking direct responsibility for the district’s finances as there are no plans to hire a new chief financial officer. “My job now is to restructure our administrative staff to ensure that we avoid future problems of this nature and I promised the board that I would accept direct accountability for the finances and accounting system in this district in the future,” he said. “… We’re talking about reassigning some duties. We have a couple of openings in our staffing — not direct administratively, but where we can do some shifting of responsibilities and we don’t have anything firm yet to present to the board …” Noble said he retains confidence in Bell. “I have a lot of confidence in Mr. Bell,” Noble said. “He has a 10-year track record. There’s no doubt he made a mistake. He acknowledges that, but he is a person of integrity and I have confidence in him or else he wouldn’t be here today. But I do believe he acknowledges that he made a mistake in his response at that time, but again, if I didn’t have confidence in his integrity in that position, I would not ask the board to make sure we still have him here. He’s a valuable member of our team as far as I’m concerned.” Noble said district officials have been receiving some “positive feedback” from residents, “thanking us for being open and forthright and proactive in our approach. And I appreciate that people would take the time to tell us that. I know there’s others who just may be looking at us under an aura of suspicion … but I think the public has an absolute right to expect credibility from us, honesty, forthrightness, all those things. That’s absolutely what they should expect. “That’s what they deserve and as long as I’m here, we’re going to have that no matter what. And when I say ‘as long as I’m here,’ I feel like I’m just joining a lot of other really outstanding people who have labored in this district for years, and I’m proud to be counted as one of them.”

I don’t know if I would go as far to say that Chris Brown, Dave Bertleson, and Linda Mooy are stupid, because I don’t believe that they are. I just believe that they are taking issues and making them political, playing on what they hope is the ignorance of a community to get elected.

That is just not how I operate. I believe in treating people like they are adults. I believe in giving them all of the available information that I have at my disposal, and letting them make up their own minds. They don’t need me to make up their minds for them.

All I have to say is, if you don’t want people elected based on mis-information, do your research when you vote!

Here is Glenn’s letter, as seen in this week’s edition of Call Newspapers:

Oakville resident makes an effort to ‘fix stupid’

“Over the years, I have found fault with many actions by the Mehlville School District. Let’s not tar them until they deserve it.” — Glenn Koenen, Oakville April 02, 2008 - Most every night, a former south countian told his radio audience that “you can’t fix stupid.” After reading campaign literature from Mehlville school board candidates Chris Brown, David Bertelsen and Linda Mooy, I feel I ought to try. As a leader of the Fair for All coalition, I am one of many who has advocated for a more equitable distribution of state education funds. The bottom line is simple: Since St. Louis County follows state law on assessments, we get screwed. Several years ago, we estimated that county residents send in excess of $100 million each year to Jefferson City to improperly subsidize out-state schools. When those out-state schools sued to get more of our money, many local districts joined a defensive coalition to counter that demand. The supporting districts contribute about $1 per pupil per year. At risk is thousands of dollars per pupil per year. Last year, a small-town judge ruled the state doesn’t have to treat all taxpayers equally. He also said the out-state districts shouldn’t get as much more of our money as they wanted, so, of course, both sides are appealing the decision. This matter will wind up before the state Supreme Court. Even after the high court responds, the threat to St. Louis County taxpayers will remain. We will spend decades trying to offset the mindset vocalized by state Rep. Shannon Cooper about his out-state people: “We want good schools, we just don’t want to pay for them.” In Mehlville’s case, being part of this fight is good business sense, not waste. Artificial turf seems like a luxury until you look hard at the numbers and the utility. The upfront price is higher, but you pay that once. You pay people to maintain a real grass field every payday. Plastic grass allows the football team, the band and every gym class to play on the surface all day long. As anyone who has stepped on to a local football field in mid-October can tell you, most grass fields become mud fields before the season ends. For the record, my wife and I have one daughter. She never attended a day in public schools. She went to parochial grade schools and a private high school before going to a private college. Over the years, I have found fault with many actions by the Mehlville School District. Let’s not tar them until they deserve it. Glenn Koenen Oakville

In light of Superintendent Terry Noble’s recent ills, I thought it would be fitting to put out this list of the 7 pains you shouldn’t ignore from WebMD.

Link - 7 Pains You Shouldnt Ignore
Whoever coined the term “necessary evil” might have been thinking of pain. No one wants it, yet its the bodys way of getting your attention when something is wrong. Youre probably sufficiently in tune with your body to know when the pain is just a bother, perhaps the result of moving furniture a day or two before or eating that third enchilada. Its when pain might signal something more serious that the internal dialogue begins:

“OK, this isnt something to fool around with.”
“But I cant miss my meeting.”
“And how many meetings will you miss if you land in the hospital?”
“Ill give it one more day.”
Etc.

You need a guide. WebMD consulted doctors in cardiology, internal medicine, geriatrics, and psychiatry so youll understand which pains you must not ignore — and why. And, of course, if in doubt, get medical attention.

Mehlville School District
News Release

Contact: Patrick Wallace
(314) 467-5152

For Immediate Release

March 31, 2008

Mehlville Community Leadership Summit Rescheduled

St. Louis, March 31, 2008 - Superintendent Terry Noble was hospitalized this weekend for an intestinal problem, likely related to a hernia. Because of this situation, the Mehlville School District Community Leadership Summit, originally scheduled for April 3, has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 19 from 9 – 10:30 a.m.

“We felt it critical that the Superintendent be available for this important meeting that will help answer questions the community may have about the District’s current financial situation,” explained Mehlville School District Board President Tom Diehl.

It is unknown how long Noble will be out of the office. In his absence, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Eric Knost will oversee operations of the District. The schedule for all other District activities will remain unchanged.