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Francis Howell R-III School District board meeting, date not confirmed yet

2 h 17 min

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 17 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Board approves purchases after motion to seek formal RFP fails 1:06:16

  • The board approved the finance and operations report, which a district staff member said reduces projected deficit spending from $4.9 million to just over $2.6 million. 41:28
  • Board members questioned purchases for irrigation systems at middle school fields and voted down a motion to table the purchases until the November meeting. 43:11
  • A motion to go out for a formal RFP for the work failed, and the board then approved the purchases. 1:08:52
  • After a motion on court hours failed, the board approved the tennis court regulation. 1:21:47

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Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and agenda approval 0:38
    • Board members read aloud the vision statements from the district's strategic plan. 2:21
    • Steven Blair called for a motion to approve the agenda for August 13th, 2026, as presented. 3:33
    • The motion to approve the agenda passed. 3:50
  2. Patron comments 3:50
    • A speaker at public comment raised concerns about increases in employee health insurance premiums and asked the board to reconsider the employee contribution structure. 7:25
    • Speakers at public comment welcomed staff back for the school year and thanked support staff who worked over the summer. 10:46
    • A speaker at public comment thanked the board and district leadership for addressing the mold issue at Warren Elementary. 13:51
  3. Superintendent comments 14:30
    • The superintendent said staff had expressed frustration about premium increases during benefits open enrollment and that the district would continue to monitor health care costs. 14:58
    • The superintendent said the Spartan Jazz Ensemble at Howell Central was invited to perform at the Missouri Music Educators Association State Conference in January. 15:53
    • The superintendent said the district welcomed 115 new teachers and that school starts August 24th. 18:44
  4. Consent agenda 20:47
    • Steven Blair called for a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. 20:47
    • The motion to approve the consent agenda passed. 21:00
  5. Nepotism and conflict of interest policy 21:00
    • Steven Blair said the board pulled Policy 0342 and Regulation 0342 from consent to highlight its commitment to the policy on nepotism, conflict of interest and financial disclosure. 21:00
    • The motion carried. ~22:09
  6. Finance report and budget amendment 22:09
    • A district staff member proposed a budget amendment raising the state adequacy target from $6,700 to $6,800 and projected Prop C sales tax revenue from $1,452 to $1,468. 22:30
    • The staff member said the amendment would raise the FY27 fund balance to 26.44% and reduce deficit spending from $4.9 million to just over $2.6 million. 22:30
    • Kevin McGuire said the report changes estimates based on new state numbers and does not change proposed spending or staffing for the year. 40:54
    • The motion to approve the finance and operations report passed. 41:45
  7. Purchases for prior approval 41:56
    • Steven Blair said several items were pulled into a separate agenda item, 12C, and called for a vote on the remaining purchases. 41:56
    • The motion to approve the remaining purchases passed. 42:42
  8. Middle school field irrigation purchases 42:42
    • Kevin McGuire asked whether the district was spending the money to irrigate the fields for September and October, and a staff member said the fields are instructional space for PE classes. 43:27
    • A district staff member estimated annual maintenance costs between $2,800 and $4,900 per field per year. 47:51
    • One board member said the work was needed but that their personal view was to put it off a month and go out for an RFP to see if the cost could be lowered, while another board member said they could not get on board with delaying the work. 54:44
    • A motion to go out for a formal RFP for the work failed, and the board then approved the purchases. 1:06:16
  9. Committee membership selections 1:10:11
    • Steven Blair said Policy Committee members were chosen through a randomized selection system and would serve through June 30th, 2027. 1:10:11
    • The board also considered the selection of Employee Insurance Committee members, who will serve through June 30th, 2027. 1:10:54
    • The motions to approve both committee selections passed. 1:10:54
  10. Tennis court use regulation 1:11:35
    • Jason Adams asked whether the regulation could be amended to open the tennis courts on weekends, and a staff member said weekday hours were chosen because staff are on the grounds then. 1:14:01
    • A staff member suggested the board approve the regulation as presented and consider weekend hours when a policy update goes to the Policy Committee. 1:26:29
    • A motion on court hours failed, and the board then approved the tennis court regulation. 1:21:47
  11. Curriculum second reading 1:30:15
    • Steven Blair said 3 curriculum documents were on the agenda for a second reading and vote. 1:30:35
    • The motion to approve the curriculum passed. 1:30:59
  12. Warren Elementary remediation report 1:30:59
    • A presenter said the remediation project was completed on August 3rd and clearance testing by a third-party consultant confirmed it was a success. 1:31:38
    • The presenter said retesting of some areas came back as non-detect. 1:33:33
    • Kevin McGuire asked about a follow-up check, and a staff member said there had been informal conversations about testing again during fall break. 1:34:23
  13. Quarterly strategic plan update 1:35:16
    • A staff member said the district served approximately 3,300 students in summer programs. 1:38:07
    • The chief human resource officer said all certified positions had been filled before this week and support staff positions were about 90% filled. 1:44:07
    • A staff member said insurance changes voted on in May were implemented with projected savings of $1.5 million. 1:49:36
  14. Construction update 1:58:59
    • The executive director of facilities and operations said the transportation fuel island and bus maintenance facility should be completed in the next week to 10 days. 1:59:31
    • The executive director said HVAC improvements at 6 school sites were completed and ready for the start of school. 2:01:35
    • A staff member said a roofing project has a targeted completion schedule for October 2026. 2:04:25
  15. Board comments and adjournment 2:07:46
    • Jason Adams issued a challenge to students and teachers to get to know people with different backgrounds. 2:08:30
    • Kevin McGuire thanked district staff for preparing for 17,000 students. 2:11:28
    • The motion to adjourn open session and return to closed session passed. 2:16:42

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

What was said

What board members said, in order

I mean, tips follows the purchasing and procurement process, so it is competitively bid. It just bypasses a very lengthy RFP process, which we then waste resources, time, and money on because now our cabinet members are spending time redoing project work that they have already done.Sara Dillard · Director1:02:29
I guess, how much are you expecting to save? I mean, $74,000 for a sprinkler system for a school seems pretty reasonable. So even if we knocked off a few percentage, won't we spend it in their time researching that, presenting it, or you were expecting to save 30%?Kevin McGuire · Treasurer1:06:57
Would we have to consider the impact to the neighbors around if we're going to be turning on the lights every night instead of just during district events?Kevin McGuire · Treasurer1:17:47
Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “FHSD Board of Education Meeting-August 13, 2026”