A Monday morning breakfast with state and local legislatures allowed Gasconade County R-2 administrators to give updates on how the district is improving facilities, learning skills, and share future capital improvement plans.

During the breakfast, which took place at the Owensville High School (OHS) library, Superintendent Dr. Jeri Kay Hardy said coming back from the pandemic restrictions over the past few years have been harrowing, but this year is finally starting to feel normal.

“This year has felt more normal than the previous three years,” Hardy said. “We have learned the importance of great hygiene, and you will notice air purifiers in every room.”

The district has been working on administrators’ professional development and not just teachers overall improvement.

“Every other week we focus on professional development for the administrative team, to reinforce what we are doing and give time to plan professionally,” Hardy said.

Hardy also focused on employee shortages, both in the employment markets and within the district.

“As you know, with every job source out there, we are facing a shortage,” Hardy began. We need bus drivers, teachers…we have started apprenticeship programs to partner with industries in the area.”

With the apprenticeship program, the district can partner with itself as well as local businesses.

“We are trying to get students ready for work and to be better,” Hardy said. “During the pandemic we learned students need skills that they do not have.”
Tim Schulte, Northern District Commissioner in Gasconade County, asked Hardy if the R-2 school district was doing better accountability-wise than other districts because they stayed open more during the pandemic.

“We have noticed more parents with mental health needs and substance abuse problems since COVID,” Hardy said.

She added that students who were home during COVID weren’t always given the interaction they needed to form and improve social skills, which shows.

“It is part of the reason we changed the cellphone policy, because they couldn’t interact with each other,” Hardy said. “Kids have to make real-world connections. We closed on March 17, 2020, for spring break and thought we were coming back. We never came back that school year. When we came back the following school year, we did football practices six feet apart. There were so many quarantines, it was like they were punished because of who they sat next to. Our kids suffered emotionally, academically and physically. We have to provide emotional/relational support.”

Each building administrator was given the opportunity to share what is going on in their building. OHS Principal Kris Altemeyer addressed display boards around the room depicting student clubs and activities.

“We are trying to build a climate and give kids a reason to want to come to school,” Altemeyer said. “We try to get the kids involved, it is what make them want to come.”

Altemeyer said over 80 percent of high school students are involved in at least one activity and the OHS Student Council has done a great job of building up school spirit.

“We took cellphones away, but allow them at the teacher’s discretion,” he said. “We are limited in size and staff, but students can take psychology, sociology, Spanish and French. We are facing staffing shortages, teacher shortages, but we are getting creative in ways to fill those spots.”

Altemeyer said they are always trying to prepare students for the future by improving tech programs and career sciences. “Students not going to a traditional four-year college should have options,” he said.

Owensville Middle School (OMS) Principal Teresa Schulte said she has 434 students in her building, up 20 students from last year. “If you are motivating them, they don’t push,” Schulte said. “We try to make learning for fun and engaging.” She added that middle school can be rough and students are getting to know themselves.

At Owensville Elementary School (OES), Principal Trisha Ridder said they have 560 kids in the building from prekindergarten through fifth grade.

“Thank you for investing in the littles,” she said about the expanded preschool program. “There are so many more littles in the building and so much more positive reading success plans.”

Gerald Elementary (GES) Principal Brad Royle went first because he was attempting to make it back to his building in time for the Emergency Services Parade.

“I couldn’t be happier for the community support we have in the small community we have,” Royle said after sharing news from his building that students are excited for the EMS parade; and family groups to make students feel welcome at school have been established.

Following the updates, administrators and legislators took a tour of the sciences programs, including

Rick Hardy’s industrial sciences class, and welding and wood working classrooms. Hardy also shared with officials that the district is advocating for a no-tax-increase bond issue again in April. They continue to plan to use the funds for safety improvements and building expansion. Funds many only be used for capital improvements within the district. No employees can financially benefit from the funds.

“We are 51 percent funded from local funds,” Hardy informed the group. “Without local funding, the district would suffer. Another 39 percent comes from state and the remaining 10 percent is from federal funds. Bonds pay for buildings, HVAC systems, and facilities.”

She added that Rep. Bruce Sassmann’s assistance on a bill last spring helped the district receive an additional $1 million dollars in dollar value modifier (DVM) funds annually. “That money helps us to raise our teachers’ base salaries,” she said. “While it isn’t state law to raise teachers’ base-rate pay, it is still at $25,000.”

The tour ended in the small gym with administrators explaining that the drama department is currently setting stage for its winter production ELF, while gym classes and fall sports practice on the other side.

“You need more space,” said Sassmann’s wife, Jan Sassmann. “We know,” Altemeyer and Hardy agreed. Hardy said an auditorium that doubles as a performance space storm shelter is one of the items the district hopes to add should a no-tax-increase bond issue pass. The event ended at 10 a.m. after a tour.