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.
Several Mehlville Schools Make Top 10 Map Scores in State
March 28, 2008
Add Blades (4th Grade Comm. Arts), Hagemann (5th Grade Math) and Rogers (4th Grade Math) to the list.
To: Oakville Middle Staff
From: Mike Salsman/OMS/msd
Date: 03/28/2008 09:50AM
Subject: Congratulations!!!
Mehlville School District
Principal Oakville Middle School
314-467-7401
Mehlville School Board Responds To Inaccurate Budget Projections
For Immediate Release
For More Information Contact:
Tom Diehl at 314.422.5330 or Terry Noble at 314.467.5002
St. Louis , March 26, 2008 – The Mehlville School District Board of Education held an emergency executive session on Tuesday, March 25 to discuss personnel issues related to the revised budget projections for FY2009-10.
“In spite of thorough questioning by the Mehlville School District Board of Education last spring, there was a misrepresentation of budget projections for FY2009-10, not this upcoming school year, but the following year,” explained Board President Tom Diehl, “Unfortunately the interim Superintendent, who is no longer with the District, presented the Board and community with inaccurate budget projections.”
“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,” said Diehl, “Brent is a long-time, valued employee with a ten year track record of serving the District.”
“Fortunately, current Superintendent Terry Noble brought this situation to our attention soon enough for the Board of Education and Administration to take the necessary steps to address the budget situation,” explained Diehl, “I want to emphasize these are projections for FY2009-10. This gives our community and Board time to find solutions for this challenge.”
“We as a Board are eagerly awaiting the COMPASS recommendations about a long-range plan for our District so we all may continue to provide a quality education for all of our students,” said Diehl.
Superintendent Terry Noble is currently looking at ways to fill the CFO duties and reduce administrative costs.
Link – COMPASS more important than ever for Mehlville School District – Call Newspapers – Mike Anthony
…To his credit, Mr. Noble answered every question we asked. He couldn’t have been more forthright in his responses — a welcome relief from the recent past when Mehlville administrators liked to play games or tried to pervert the intent of the Sunshine Law in an effort to delay the free flow of information that is vital to our form of government.
We asked for specific documentation and immediately were provided that information — no hemming, no hawing, no lame excuses about why our request couldn’t or shouldn’t be honored. Once again, a welcome relief from the recent past when administrators charged us the legal maximum for such requests.
Link – Eight seeking election to Mehlville Board of Education April 8 – Call Newspapers
“I believe the single most important issue in this race is the continued rebirth of the credibility of Mehlville’s administration. For several years, the Mehlville community suffered through indifference to openness of operation, a flat refusal of accountability to the public and perceived punitive actions on anyone who dared to investigate the inner workings of Central Office. Over the last three years, we have completely turned over the Board of Education, reconfigured Central Office with a new administration and a fantastic superintendent named Terry Noble and most of all, we continue to find new ways to engage the public, putting the community’s inquiries, complaints and ideas into immediate action,” Frank said.
Staff with concealed-carry permits should be allowed to carry guns in school, two candidates say- Call Newspapers
March 19, 2008
“There have been several instances where school administrators have run to their car, grabbed their weapon, come back to school and taken control of the situation when someone came in and tried to kill people. If you have a valid carry permit and you are trained, you are safe and if you’re an administrator, you should be able to carry your gun to school. It would be good for everybody…”
— David Bertelsen, Mehlviile Board of Education candidate
Mehlville superintendent taken aback by ‘09-’10 operating-fund balance projection – Call Newspapers
March 19, 2008
Link – Mehlville superintendent taken aback by ‘09-’10 operating-fund balance projection – Call Newspapers
“… When I saw that figure, I’m just going to tell you, I had what I call a knee-jerk reaction and in ‘Leadership 101,’ you’re not supposed to have knee-jerk reactions. But I did … This was on a Friday evening. I’m one of these people — I can’t go home knowing something like that that I think other people need to know. So what I did was I forward an e-mail to the board to share that information with them …,” he said, noting a variety of factors are responsible for the change, 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.”And, quite frankly, I also think that our previous superintendent, who really wanted to help teachers, I think he was probably trying to look at the bright side of things through rose-colored glasses, and so we did give a pretty nice increase to the teachers last year, but what came as a surprise to me was just that year there that showed the .9 (percent). I knew that we were spending down, but then when I saw that, that came as a surprise.
“So like I said, I really overreacted to it. In my e-mail to the board, I was somewhat critical of the previous administration for recommending that …,” he said.
March 17
Dear Staff,
As you know, I feel open and honest communication is one of the keys to successful schools. Over the past year I have worked diligently to build a culture of communication with our staff. I want to continue the level of communication and trust we have built over the past year by making you aware of some information that you may hear throughout our community in the next few weeks.
As we were putting together scenarios to present to COMPASS and as we enter the budget cycle for next year, our CFO was asked to put together revised budget projections in view of the current knowledge about expenditures and economic trends.
The District is required to carry a fund balance or reserve of at least 3% of the District’s budget to be in good financial standing with the State. The projections for FY2009 show that the District will have an end of year balance of around 4.9%, the same as the estimates that were presented last year. During the past few years, because of the amount of money in the District’s reserves, we made a conscious decision to use some of those funds to improve teacher salaries. We needed to take this action so we could remain competitive with other area districts. Of course this decision reduced the amount of money in our reserves.
Estimates for FY2010 show our reserves will decline to 0.9%, which will be below the State requirements. While this figure is consistent with the annual decline we’ve seen in our reserves, it is different than estimates presented to the Board of Education last spring.
There are lots of factors that account for the change — inflationary pressures with costs such as health insurance, recent pay raises, the downward trend in our economy, etc. In addition, Mehlville, like all other school districts across the state of Missouri, must face the financial realities imposed by the Hancock Amendment. I also think our previous superintendent, who so much wanted to help our teachers catch up with teachers from other area school districts with respect to salary, presented budget projections looking through rose-colored glasses.
Our District will face some tough decisions in FY2010 with respect to the budget. Let me emphasize this situation, of which we have recently become aware, is not an immediate crisis. We are talking about FY2010, which is two years away.
Let me also emphasize this is not an issue about expenditures. Whether you look at salaries, technology, facilities — whatever we spend money on — this is a fiscally conservative district. That is reflected in both our tax rate and our per pupil expenditure.
Of course, this makes our COMPASS program all the more important. Our community must decide whether it wants to improve our schools and the education we provide to our children, simply maintain the status quo — which will require some level of revenue increase — or face a future where we have to decide what to cut in order to balance our budget.
I continue to be impressed by all of you and the tremendous work you do with our students every day. Continue the great work and trust that we will keep you informed of anything going on within the District that will impact you and our students.
Enjoy your well deserved vacation.
Sincerely,
Terry
Terry W. Noble
Superintendent of Schools
Mehlville R-IX School District
3120 Lemay Ferry Road
St. Louis, MO 63125
314-467-5002-phone
314-467-5099-fax
noblet@mehlville.k12.mo.us
Vote for Karl Frank Jr. on April 8th
March 15, 2008
My name is Karl Frank Jr, and I currently serve as Vice-President of the Mehlville Board of Education. I am a married (Elaine) father of three sons (Matthew – 16, Kurtis – 6, Joey – 5,) with my first girl (Adelaide) on the way in May; all who either will, or currently do, attend the Mehlville School District.
I am a successful business-owner, an active member and past-president of the Rotary Club of St. Louis County, a member of the South County Chamber of Commerce, a delegate to the Missouri School Boards Association, a nominee to the American Council of Young Political Leaders, and a third generation graduate of the Mehlville School District.
Today, as it relates to my re-election campaign to the Mehlville School Board, I have one question to ask you.
Is the Mehlville School District better off today than it was 3 years ago?
In the past three years, I believe, and many of you have told me that you agree, that it was my election in 2005 that became the catalyst for the positive changes that have taken place in the Mehlville School District.
Every education decision has been made with the individual child front and center in our minds, with an emphasis on putting taxpayer money into the classroom.
On an administrative level, every decision made has brought us to where we are now. A very good place for Mehlville’s future. A place were a leader with the utmost integrity has taken the reins as Superintendent of the Mehlville School District.
I believe the best thing that we have accomplished for the Mehlville School District over the last three years has been the appointment of Mr. Terry Noble as our Superintendent, and without my election and those board members I recruited, Mr. Noble simply would not be here.
In addition, since 2005:
- We have restored transparency and accountability to our financial expenditures, being open and forthcoming about them through the good times, as well as the bad. This will never change.
- We have successfully begun the long and arduous task of restoring Mehlville’s credibility with the community, first and foremost by rebuilding our relationship with the local press.
- The entire board of education has been overturned, and our administration, rebuilt – from the ground up, especially the acquisition of Terry Noble.
- We have created a more rigorous curriculum with a new weighted grades system.
- We have created more opportunities for parents to get involved in their child’s education.
- We implemented new policies to control cost overruns.
- We raised academic standards and performance in our district.
- We restored safe and accessible bus transportation, which according to our transportation director, Keith Henry, is Eight Times safer than personal transportation.
- We have installed new security equipment and policies to make our children safer.
- We put an end to the detrimental layoffs of classroom teachers.
- We have purchased new and relevant textbook materials.
- We hired a new superintendent who works diligently to infuse accountability and trust in the day-to-day administration of the district.
- After a several year lapse, our district has now been awarded Distinction in Performance two years in a row.
- We have become the most accessible, open school board in the Saint Louis area…without a doubt.
- We have undertaken a wide-ranging public engagement process to give parents and taxpayers a voice in the future plans for their schools.
- We renovated the historic St. John’s School and established an alternative school to provide another means to keep students from dropping out (all the while, completing the project on time and under budget).
And finally…
- We have reduced the overall tax levy each of the last three years, as required by the Hancock Amendment.
These changes have been significant, and there are even more than there is time to mention here. However, we still have a long way to go. There is a lot of work yet to be done. If you agree with the direction we have taken the school district in the past few years, vote for me on April 8. I will fight to continue the reforms that I championed when I was first elected, almost three years ago.
My name is Karl Frank Jr. and I am first on the ballot.
“The catalyst for change in 2005 has become the champion for Mehlville’s future in 2008.”
KSDK NewsChannel 5 – Turf Field Burned at Oakville Senior High School
Turf Field Burned at Oakville Senior High School
created: 3/14/2008 4:00:03 PM
updated: 3/14/2008 4:02:07 PM
(KSDK) — School officials in the Mehlville School District want to know who damaged a new turf field at Oakville Senior High School.
# PHOTO GALLERY: Burned Turf at Oakville Senior High School
Someone burned a section of the turf in an endzone and damaged the goal post, causing it to lean to one side, Tuesday night.
The Vice President of the Mehlville Board of Education said he and members of the boosters club are collecting money for a reward for the person who can tell them who is responsible for the damage.
He said, right now, they do not have any leads in the case.
So far the reward amounts to two $500 contributions from two different booster clubs at Oakville High School.
$100 from Ken Leach
$50 from Karl and Elaine Frank
AND
an up to $500 matching contribution from school board member Michael Ocello, and his wife, Laura.
Once the reward money is received, it will be turned over to the booster clubs for them to handle.
I will not send future updates unless requested. However, I will keep a tally for the reward on my web site at http://karlfrankjr.wordpress.com
Thank you,
Karl
Reward for Field Turf Fire
March 14, 2008
But more importantly, the fields have quickly come to symbolize our community’s commitment to overall student success in the Mehlville School District, building well-rounded, and society ready children. They have become another important source of pride that the residents of Mehlville; young, old, parochial, or public, can look to as a solid example of what a community can achieve for themselves if they put their minds to it.
Fortunately, we have insurance. The fields will be repaired. The goal post will be replaced. Intramurals, practices, band performances, and athletic competition will once again take place on our fields. However, without your help, we might not ever know who was responsible. I am asking you to please join me in my efforts to help the Mehlville School District track these perpetrators down.
If you would like to contribute to the reward for information, please send a check to Karl and Elaine Frank, 5682 Winter Garden Ct., Saint Louis, MO 63129 with “Reward” written in the memo. Let’s roll!
PLEASE FORWARD
For more information, contact Karl frank at 314-518-7352 or email him at karlfrankjr@gmail.com. If you have information directly related to the fire, please contact Deputy Superintendent Eric Knost at 314-467-5004.
Obama on Raising Children
March 1, 2008
“Turn off the TV set, put the video game away. Buy a little desk or put that child at the kitchen table. Watch them do their homework. If they don’t know how to do it, give them help. If you don’t know how to do it, call the teacher. Make them go to bed at a reasonable time. Keep them off the streets. Give them some breakfast. Come on! And since I’m on a roll, if you’re child misbehaves in school, don’t cuss out the teacher! Do something with your child!” – Obama
