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Francis Howell R-III School District board meeting, Sep 17, 2026

2 h 28 min · 8 public speakers

Budget cuts and layoffs ▶ 58:48Reading and test scores ▶ 1:39:12

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 2 h 28 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

School board approves tax rate after public hearing 2:10

  • The board held a public hearing on proposed tax rates, and the deputy superintendent presented a requested operating levy of 3.3079 and a debt service levy of 0.6713, for a total of 3.9792. 2:10
  • The board later approved the tax rate as presented. 56:45
  • The board also heard a finance and operations report and a presentation from the chief academic officer on teaching and learning results. 58:53
  • The board approved the operation of school bus cameras to detect motorists who fail to stop while a bus is loading and unloading. 1:31:57
Item by item (14)
  1. Tax rate public hearing 2:10
    • The deputy superintendent said revenue growth was capped at 1.65% this year because the district must use the lowest of three factors. 9:29
    • The deputy superintendent said the total operating levy went from 3.3056 to 3.3079, a 0.07% increase, with the debt service levy unchanged. 10:25
    • Steven Blair invited public comment on the proposed rate and said no one moved to the microphone. 15:13
  2. Opening and agenda approval 15:13
    • Students from Henderson Elementary School led the Pledge of Allegiance. 15:56
    • Board members read the district's strategic plan goals for 2030, beginning with Jason Adams. 17:13
    • The motion to approve the agenda passed. 18:04
  3. Student board representative 18:36
    • A speaker introduced the first student board representative of the school year, from Bryan Middle School. 18:36
    • The student representative gave a speech to the board on adjusting to a new school and asking adults for help. 21:36
  4. Public comment 25:24
    • A speaker at public comment questioned a board decision on August 13th to spend $295,000 on irrigation systems at 4 middle schools. 26:10
    • A speaker at public comment asked the district to review whether its policies and code of conduct are followed consistently to protect students. 28:28
    • Speakers at public comment raised increases in employee health insurance costs, and one speaker asked for fair wages and support for paras and interpreters. 45:12
  5. Superintendent's report 50:25
    • The superintendent announced informational sessions at 6:30 on Tuesday, September 29th, Monday, October 12th, and Tuesday, October 27th in the boardroom. 51:02
    • The superintendent announced a district-wide college and career fair on Tuesday, October 13th, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. 51:20
    • The superintendent said 6 district students were recognized as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists and recognized several staff awards. 52:21
  6. Consent agenda 56:23
    • Steven Blair called for a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. 56:23
    • The motion passed. ~56:40
  7. Tax rate approval 56:45
    • A speaker asked whether the senior tax credit appears in the numbers, and a staff member said it does not. 57:06
    • Steven Blair asked about the 0.0023 change in the tax rate, and a staff member said it was based on assessed valuations provided by the county. 57:52
    • The motion to approve the tax rate as presented passed. 56:45
  8. Finance and operations report 58:36
    • The deputy superintendent said the fund balance was slightly reduced from 26.44% in August to 26.28%. 59:43
    • The deputy superintendent said 45 active employees and 67 retirees did not complete benefits enrollment before the extended September 11th deadline. 1:04:01
    • In response to Steven Blair, a staff member said state revenue was $71,506,491 last year and is projected at $67,666,234 this year. 1:10:27
    • The motion to approve the finance and operations report passed. 1:29:09
  9. Harvest Ridge property agreements 1:28:34
    • The board considered two real estate purchase agreements for property at Harvest Ridge Elementary and authorization for the board president to execute quitclaim deeds. 1:29:20
    • A staff member said fences on two private properties had encroached onto district property and that the areas serve no operational purpose for the district. 1:29:52
    • Both motions passed. ~1:31:08
  10. School bus stop-arm cameras 1:31:57
    • Steven Blair said a law that took effect August 28th allows, but does not require, boards to authorize bus cameras to detect motorists who fail to stop. 1:31:57
    • Kevin McGuire asked whether the district would incur costs transferring videos to prosecutors, and a staff member said existing transportation staff already handle bus videos. 1:34:47
    • Jason Adams asked whether the district would receive revenue from fines, and a staff member said fines would not go to the district. 1:35:45
    • The motion passed. ~1:36:38
  11. Insurance renewals and purchases 1:36:38
    • Steven Blair said the district's out-of-pocket cost for the insurance renewal rose $549,560 this year. 1:36:59
    • A staff member said the insurer is a not-for-profit agency whose rates are generally lower than private industry insurance. 1:37:52
    • The motions to approve the insurance renewal, the stop-loss renewal and the purchases passed. 1:38:33
  12. Teaching and learning results 1:39:12
    • The chief academic officer said the four-year graduation rate was 96.9%. 1:39:29
    • The chief academic officer said 63.5% of students across all assessments scored proficient or advanced, compared with a goal of 70%. 1:44:19
    • Jason Adams asked how recent test results compare with the years before COVID, and a staff member said changes in standards and assessments make comparisons difficult. 2:10:15
  13. Policies and regulations 2:18:48
    • Steven Blair said policies brought for a first reading would return at the October 15th meeting for a second reading and vote. 2:18:48
    • The board approved Policy and Regulation 0380 and Regulation 6310. 2:19:58
  14. Board comments and adjournment 2:20:54
    • Carolie Owens said Missouri ranks 49th in state funding for public schools. 2:21:14
    • Jason Adams thanked district leaders, staff and community groups for supporting teachers, staff and students at Hollenbeck. 2:22:10
    • The motion to adjourn open session and return to closed session passed. 2:27:53

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “FHSD Board of Education Meeting-September 17, 2026”