SG R-II Connection

Good evening, SG R-II families,

We had an awesome last day of school here at SG R-II! Early this morning, students came in excited and ready to go. Talk to any of our faculty and staff in the buildings, and they’ll tell you this year seemed to just fly by. We hope you all have a relaxing summer, take the time you need to rest, do the things that bring you joy, and be with the people who make you happy.

We do have some changes coming up next year, and one of the bigger initiatives is taking on a transportation department. We shared information this past Monday regarding this decision, and the Board of Education approved the purchase at its meeting on Tuesday evening. We have more information for you below in a linked news release, which will help answer some questions for our families and staff.

And I want to be sure to take this opportunity to thank all of our dedicated staff who work tirelessly to ensure that graduation goes smoothly, and that it is a special day for our seniors. Even with changes to our processes this year, our office staff and custodial staff ensured that our facilities were bright, clean and ready to go. Congratulations to our Class of 2024 on their achievement, and we wish them the best going forward. We can’t wait to see the amazing things they will do out in the world.

Sincerely,

Dr. Paul Taylor

As we shared on Monday, we recommended to the Board of Education that the district enter into a contract to purchase the bus fleet, property and Bus Barn from Fallert Bus Service, and incorporate transportation into existing district operations. We have quite a bit of information for you regarding this move, and we want to be fully transparent about the decision-making process and our plans for the 2024-2025 school year. Click here to read more. This includes information shared Monday, as well as updates from the Board meeting on Tuesday evening.

Early Childhood Center:

• The Early Childhood Center is under construction, with a floor plan of 10 classrooms, as well as a kitchen, multipurpose room, and more.
• Work continues on schedule for the Early Childhood building— wall panels in the classroom hallways are being installed, as well as ceilings.
• Last week, district administration and Early Childhood Center Director Bethany Koetting met with KRJ Architects to finalize finishes— color schemes, flooring, countertops, and more. (See some of the samples here.) We want each part of the building— from the entryway to the classrooms— to feel welcoming and bright.
• See some recent construction progress photos here.

Ste. Genevieve Elementary:

• The design of Ste. Genevieve Elementary’s new gym and on-grade, ADA-accessible entrance with offices can be seen here.
• A rendering of the exterior of the new addition can be seen here.
• The bid opening for the SGE project was held last week, and Dr. Taylor shared that we were pleased with the large turnout of local contractors. He explained that some of the totals came in higher and some came in lower than expected, but overall, the total landed almost exactly where our CMAR, Brockmiller Construction, Inc., predicted: $4.75 million. This number also includes a $250,000 contingency allowance, and a $50,000 contingency to remediate soils (which we anticipate needing to address in this project based on some fill located in that area). For next steps, Brockmiller will reach out to the contractors and begin the Value Engineering process, and the next construction update meeting will be next week.
• Dr. Taylor explained that our Maintenance Department is working with Brockmiller and KRJ to assess the current HVAC units at SGE and determine if the current units are on par with the new units for the upcoming project.
• We are excited to share that construction crews will begin moving equipment to the front of SGE next week, with work to start soon after a safety fence is installed.
• At this time, construction is anticipated to take approximately 13 months to complete.

Budget & Cost Estimates:

Below is an overview of the current budget and approximate ongoing cost estimates for the Prop SG projects:

• Bloomsdale Elementary Addition: $769,000 (Completed)
• Ste. Genevieve Middle School Addition: $1.5 million (Completed)
• Early Childhood Center: $8.2 million (Bid total)
• Ste. Genevieve Elementary Addition: $4.75 million (Bid total)

The total for the first four Prop SG projects is approximately $15.2 million. The fifth project, an athletic wrestling facility, was projected to cost approximately $5.1 million for a total facility, which would include wrestling, restrooms and turf. With the addition of this facility, the total for the five projects is approximately $20.3 million.

Please Note: These cost estimates include General Conditions (4%) and CMAR fees (3%), but do not include architect design fees and ancillary costs such as soils investigation, furniture budgets, sewer work, asbestos abatement, land purchases, and more. With these costs included, the Prop SG projects could total closer to $22.5 million.

The district’s priority has been to both invest and spend the bond monies wisely in order to gain the most from our taxpayer dollars for these building needs across the board. To date, the district has earned more than $2.275 million from the sale of the $20 million bonds, as well as interest on those monies, which can also be utilized for the Prop SG projects.

Dr. Taylor was happy to share that at this point (barring any unforeseen costs arising with the two current projects), the district is on target for saving enough funds in the first four projects to be able to create a quality wrestling and athletic facility that can be utilized by multiple programming.

Graduation was held on Saturday, May 18, at 8 p.m. in the Peggy J. Johnson Gymnasium. Approximately 112 students participated in the Graduation Ceremony, and 117 students received their diplomas. Our last senior is scheduled to earn their final half credit this summer! Congratulations to our Class of 2024!

The Board of Education approved the food service prices for the 2024-2025 school year. The presented food service prices do not include a confirmed update on adult prices.

1. If families completed the 2023-2024 Free & Reduced Lunch application before the end of the school year, there is a 30-day grace period at the start of the upcoming school year to complete the 2024-2025 application.
2. Families should complete the 2024-2025 Free & Reduced Lunch application, which will be available on the district’s website and in the Power School Parent portal after July 1, 2024, and will also be shared with families in the district’s summer mailer. All families are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if they are able. The online application will be available under Forms, 24-25 Free/Reduced Lunch Application. We will share several reminders with families over the summer. For assistance or questions, please call 573-883-4500 ext. 2008.

Due to federal pricing requirements, the district is required to increase the full-pay student breakfast and lunch prices by $0.10 for the 2024-2025 school year. However, reduced breakfast and lunch prices did not increase from the 2019-2020 rate. The prices for the 2024-2024 school year are:

• Elementary: Reduced Breakfast: $0.30; Full Pay Breakfast: $1.90; Reduced Lunch: $0.40; Full Pay Lunch: $3.20.
• MS/HS: Reduced Breakfast: $0.30; Full Pay Breakfast: $1.90; Reduced Lunch: $0.40; Full Pay Lunch: $3.30.
• The adult prices for breakfast and lunch will be determined and shared soon.

Check out the Board Briefs and the Board Minutes from the Tuesday, May 21, 2024, Board of Education Regular Meeting. The Board Briefs are an unofficial document that includes more context and details than our official Board Minutes. All Board documents, such as the Board Minutes, the presentation and these Board Briefs, are located on the “Board of Education” page of our district's website.

Missouri is currently awaiting approval on a new program called ‘Missouri SuN Bucks,’ aimed at helping families buy groceries for their school-aged children during the summer. Eligible families would receive a one-time $120 benefit per qualifying child on an EBT card to buy food from authorized locations.

At this time, Missouri SuN Bucks is pending approval.

📣 However, parents should start preparing for when the program launches. 👇🏽 Check it out below, or visit this link: tinyurl.com/MOSuNBucks

Make sure to watch for the summer mailers heading to homes in July! This packet will include essential information for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.

Families, if you missed the Kindergarten Registration and screening for your child, please call the elementary office to enroll your child for the 2024-2025 school year:

• Ste. Genevieve Elementary: 573-883-4500 ext. 3
• Bloomsdale Elementary: 573-883-4500 ext. 4

Children age 5 prior to August 1, 2024 are Kindergarten eligible

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.