SG R-II Connection

Good afternoon, Dragon Family,

Hopefully the winter weather is behind us, which means Spring is near. As the days grow longer and the weather warms, we’re not just seeing a change in seasons—we’re also seeing progress in many areas that will shape the future of the Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District.

One of the most exciting developments is the addition of new team members who will join us in launching our Early Childhood Center. This marks an important step in expanding opportunities for our youngest learners, and we look forward to welcoming those who will help bring this vision to life.

Meanwhile, construction crews are ramping up work after the recent downtime due to inclement weather, making strides on key projects. Over the next few months, we’ll see major progress on Prop SG initiatives, including the Ste. Genevieve Elementary addition and the Early Childhood Center. These projects are on track for completion in time to open for the 2025-26 school year, and it’s exciting to see them take shape.

Check out some of our photos below from around our schools the past few weeks, and have a great weekend,

Dr. Paul Taylor

Superintendent

Early Childhood Wrapping Up: Construction crews have been making quick progress at the Early Childhood Center, and a punch list is anticipated for the week of March 10! The interior is expected to be complete in the first week of March, and the exterior work (curbs, sidewalks, rock and asphalt) will carry through March into April.

HEADS-UP: For the March 18, 2025 Board of Education’s Regular Meeting, KRJ Architects and Brockmiller Construction, Inc. are scheduled to present an in-depth overview of the Prop SG construction progress.

The health and safety of our students and staff is always our first priority. In 2022, the Missouri legislature passed the Get the Lead out of School Drinking Water Act (RSMo 160.077), which set standards for lead concentrations in drinking water in schools. The law requires schools to conduct: an inventory and a sampling, any necessary remediation, and ongoing monitoring at all water outlets used or potentially used for drinking, food preparation, and cooking or cleaning utensils.

Here’s what families and employees need to know:

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently has a lead drinking water standard limit of 15 parts per billion. However, Missouri law now requires that all Missouri schools provide drinking water with lead levels below 5 parts per billion.
• The deadline under the law was August of 2024, but Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District completed our inventory and tested all of the water sources listed above in December 2023.
• Following the final test of SG R-II Water Sources, results indicate that no water source has a lead concentration of more than 5 parts per billion.

1) Initial Test of SG R-II Facility Water Sources:

• Water from every water fountain was found to be safe for consumption, as none of these water outlets have a detected lead concentration of more than 5 parts per billion. (As a reminder, all of the water fountains throughout the district were fitted with new filters using ESSER funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.)
• Upon receiving the initial results, we began implementing any necessary remediation. (Under the new law, school districts were only required to test drinking water outlets and all outlets used for dispensing water for cooking or cleaning cooking and eating utensils. Out of an abundance of caution, Ste. Genevieve County R-II decided to test and make any remediations to handwashing sinks, as well.)

2) Second Test of SG R-II Facility Water Sources:

• After remediation efforts, results from the second round of testing indicated only one water source (a handwashing sink) with the lead concentrations over 5 parts per billion. The district replaced this faucet and conducted a final test of this one water source. Results indicated that the water source now has a lead concentration of less than 5 parts per billion.

All Missouri public school districts are eligible for reimbursement funds to cover expenses such as sampling, remediation, filtration and other costs associated with complying with the Act. SG R-II is currently in the process of requesting reimbursement for expenses incurred.

What Was the Process?

Our district developed and implemented an inventory, sampling and testing plan. All outlets mentioned underwent sampling, and the results, as well as any necessary remedial measures, are included on our Maintenance & Facilities webpage here.

Learn More

If you would like to learn more about the general health effects of lead or would like to access further resources, see our webpage here.

Open Enrollment: SB 215 and HB 711

• The Board of Education has previously adopted a resolution to oppose any legislation providing for open enrollment in Missouri public schools of non-resident students.

Negative consequences of Open Enrollment:

• Growing Inequities. Districts choose which students to accept and don’t have to accept students with special needs. Lower socio-economic families would not have access, as travel without provided transportation could be impossible.
• Financial Uncertainty. State funds follow students, re-allocation of resources leave some districts struggling to develop accurate budgets and ultimately may not survive.
• Support for Local Schools. Communities may lose connection to and support for their local public schools.
• Collaboration between school districts would see a culture shift with competition defining how schools engage with one another.

You can find a link to the summaries of bills that would affect public education here. The deadline to file a bill is March 1. As bills work their way through committees this session, we will share updates on those issues that would affect public school education. Please join us in reaching out to our local legislators with your thoughts on these issues. No matter whether we agree or disagree with our local representatives on the issues affecting public education and the possible solutions, we must have those conversations and make our voices heard. Our local representatives are receptive to meeting and discussing the issues that matter most to their constituents. See their contact information below:

Senator:

Mike Henderson

201 W. Capitol Ave.

Room 431

Jefferson City, Missouri 65101

573-751-4008

Mike.Henderson@senate.mo.gov

Representative:

Bryant Wolfin

201 West Capitol Avenue

Room 111

Jefferson City MO 65101

573-751-5912

Bryant.Wolfin@house.mo.gov

The Board of Education approved the 2025-2026 District Calendar. Annually, faculty and staff are encouraged to provide input on the calendar via a survey. Comments and suggestions from the survey are taken to the SG R-II Calendar Committee for consideration as they work to create a final draft. A recommendation is sent to the Board for review and approval. Below is an overview of the calendar:

• Dead Period: Aug. 2 - 10, 2025
• New Teacher Professional Development (PD) Days: Aug. 4 - 6, 2025
• All Employee PD Days: Aug. 11 - 12, 2025
• All Employee Work Day: Aug. 13, 2025
• First Day of School: Monday, Aug. 18, 2025
• Teacher & Para PD Day: Monday, Sept. 29, 2025
• Parent-Teacher Conferences: NO SCHOOL - All Employee Collaboration / Work Day Until 1:15 p.m. Parent/Teacher Conference 1:30 - 4 p.m. & 5 - 8 p.m.
• Veterans Day: No School on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025
• Thanksgiving Break: Begins with a full day off on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025
• Winter Break: Begins at 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025
• 2nd Semester: Begins with a Teacher PD Day (Half Collaboration-Work Day / Half PD Day) on Monday, Jan. 5, with students returning on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026
• Teacher PD Day: Friday, Feb. 13, 2026
• Presidents Day: Monday, Feb. 16, 2026
• Spring Break (Includes Easter): March 30 - April 6, 2026
• Graduation: Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 7 p.m.
• Last Day of School: Thursday, May 21, 2026
• Teacher PD Day: Friday, May 22, 2026
• Possible Student Make-Up Days: May 22 - June 1, 2026
• Inclement Weather Days: Again this year, the first two inclement weather days will be snow days and the next five inclement weather days will be Alternative Methods of Instruction Days (AMI) days before returning to snow days.
• Semester Balance: There is a balance of 82 days first semester / 89 days second semester.
• Student Hours: 1,109.5 total hours of student attendance. The state minimum is 1,044.

Check out the Board Briefs and the Board Minutes from the Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, Board of Education Regular Meeting. This unofficial document includes more context and details than our official Board News. All Board documents, such as the Board News, the presentation and these Board Briefs, are located on the “Board of Education” page of our district's website.

The new Early Childhood Center will be open for the 2025-2026 school year. We are now taking preschool applications for next school year. Click here to apply.

• Kindergarten Registration for the 2025-2026 school year will be held at Ste. Genevieve Elementary on March 1, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and at Bloomsdale Elementary on March 15, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Parents may contact the elementary offices 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.