WESTPHALIA — In their meeting last Wednesday night, the Fatima Board of Education accepted the resignation of High School Principal Matt Verslues.
“I will be forever grateful for …
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WESTPHALIA — In their meeting last Wednesday night, the Fatima Board of Education accepted the resignation of High School Principal Matt Verslues.
“I will be forever grateful for Fatima taking a chance on me, as well as the opportunities that I have been given at Fatima,” Verslues stated in his letter of resignation, read by President Suzanne Massman. “I want to thank the school board, administration, staff, students, and families for the support that I’ve received since arriving here. We have some extraordinary people at Fatima, and it is an incredible place to be part of.
“Some of my best experiences and education have come from being highly involved here at Fatima,” his letter continued. “I have learned a lot and become better as a result of being at Fatima, and I hope and pray that my impact has in some way made a positive impact on the Fatima community. I have a goal to help with any transition I can help with between now and the end of June. My hope for Fatima is that the timing will help you to find a highly qualified candidate to fill the high school principal position.”
The board also accepted Ginger Kloeppel’s retirement and cook Vonna Kesel’s resignation.
* Brad Wegman from L.J. Hart addressed the board, requesting a resolution to borrow an additional $3,285,000 to finance the remainder of the high school addition. Wegman estimated the interest rate to be 4.73% (not to exceed 5.23%).
Financially, Wegman said the school is in a strong position, with updated projections indicating favorable conditions for issuing the remaining lease certificates.
“You have a double A minus underlying rating, which is very rare statewide,” Wegman said. “And I bring this up because S&P, the rating agency, in September, just really increased how strict they are with their ratings. And so going through this, a lot of schools statewide, S&P’s been going back and revising the ratings lower. There were four schools in the entire state of Missouri with a triple A rating — Parkway, Rockwood, Ladue, and Clayton — and they just lowered Ladue last week from triple A down to double A, so that’s a major change based on the stricter ratings that they have. One of the things that I looked at (where) they changed their criteria are your reserves that you carry forward, and how much money you retain compared to your last year’s expenses. They always used to have a benchmark of about 20% for that. Now, to get the highest score, they want to see those reserves at 30% or higher, which is a lot stricter than the state even recommends.”
Wegman said Fatima ended last year with reserves of over 30%, which should help them maintain a favorable rating.
The board passed the resolution.
* With Treasurer Patty Schnieders’ retirement, board members voted to replace her with Lisa Nuener.
* Summer school dates will be Jun. 2-27, from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
* The board voted to accept the most recent Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA) policy updates. Superintendent Chuck Woody noted that there were no major changes.
* Construction continues on the high school addition. Woody reported that the basement level is framed out and drywall installation has begun. The project is a little behind because of snow, but Woody believes crews are working to the best of their ability during inclement weather.
Woody told the board that when demolition is complete, a wall may have to be replaced, as they were unsure whether the original brick facade had been removed during construction of that portion of the school. “I would highly recommend this: put metal on that side of that building,” Woody said. “And the reason I say that is, it’s your cheapest route.”
He suggested the color match the gym’s brick portion.
Additionally, Woody said it would save the school money if they ever decided to expand, and the area would not be easily visible as it is in the back of the building.
* The board will hold a budget work session on March 6.
REPORTS
Elementary Principal Renee Ellingsworth-Albert reported an increase in student enrollment, with five new students starting after the winter break bringing the total to 232. Ellingsworth-Albert said attendance has been impressive despite the weather, and staff morale remains high, with a majority feeling good about their work environment.
Curriculum Director Janah Massman said the school is exploring the implementation of the Pre-ACT for sophomores, which could provide additional opportunities for them to qualify for the A+ Program. “It’s another way to qualify for A+,” she said. “So, students who don’t pass the Algebra I EOC with a proficient or advanced rating can take the pre ACT, and if they get a qualifying score on the pre-ACT or the ACT in the math section, they can qualify for A+ that way.”
She added that she was again selected to do Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) item writing again. In February, she’ll go to St Louis for a couple days to participate in that at the fourth-grade level. “I participated at the third-grade level last year,” said J. Massman. “I think that’s great opportunity for me to see a little bit more of what they’re looking for in my position, so I try to take those opportunities.”
Verslues reported high attendance among students in grades 7-12, and also good participation in Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI), ensuring students remain engaged despite weather disruptions. “I‘ve gotten a lot of good feedback from teachers,” he said. “As far as participation from kids, there’s still some time. Based on it being five straight days of AMI, we’re kind of extending a little bit for when kids have to get things turned in, but overwhelmingly, kids have gotten stuff turned in already. So, even though they could have been extended a little bit, it’s good to see that they’ve taken the responsibility of doing it.”
Verslues reported enrollment of 436 students, with attendance at 96.4%. He and his staff are also trying to finalize course offerings for next year.
Woody closed the meeting by telling board members how happy parents seemed to be with their kids back in school, and giving a big shout-out to the gentlemen who cleared the parking lot. “I have heard from our community members, ‘Blessings, for getting them out of our hair and back to school,’” Woody laughed. “They weren’t kidding.”
School bus drivers also expressed appreciation. “We were chipping out 3.5 inches,” Woody said. “I wish we would have written down how many hours, because we were out there a long time. It took time. I’ve never seen anything like it.”