St. Joseph School District, Missouri

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St. Joseph School District
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St. Joseph, Missouri
District details
Superintendent: Gabe Edgar
# of school board members: 7
Website: Link

The St. Joseph School District is a school district in Missouri.

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Superintendent

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 		This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Gabe Edgar is the superintendent of the St. Joseph School District. Edgar was appointed superintendent in July 2022. Edgar's previous career experience includes working as superintendent, secondary principal, teacher, and coach in the Marceline R-V School District.[1][2]

Past superintendents

  • Doug Van Zyl was the superintendent of the St. Joseph School District from July 2018 until June 2022. Van Zyl's previous career experience includes working as the superintendent of the Fort Dodge School District in Iowa.[3]
  • Robert Newhart was the superintendent of the St. Joseph School District from 2015 to 2018. Newhart's previous career experience included working as the district's interim superintendent and as the superintendent of the Princeton R-5 School District.[4][5][6]
  • Jake Long was the acting superintendent of the St. Joseph School District in 2015. Long's previous career experience included working as the district's director of transportation and security, as a teacher in the West Plains School District, and as a principal in the Fairview School District.[7]
  • Fred Czerwonka was the superintendent of the St. Joseph School District from 2013 to 2015. Czerwonka's previous career experience included working as the superintendent of the West Plains School District.[8][9][10]
  • Melody Smith was the superintendent of the St. Joseph School District from 2006 to 2013. Smith's previous career experience included working as the interim superintendent of the school district, and as a teacher at Benton High School.[11]

School board

The St. Joseph Board of Education consists of seven members who are elected at large to three-year terms. Each member can only serve four three-year terms, according to district policy. Board members were elected to six-year terms prior to 2015.[12] 

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 		This officeholder information was last updated on May 15, 2024. Please contact us with any updates.
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Elections

See also: St. Joseph School District elections in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024

Members of the St. Joseph Board of Education are elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis. Elections are held in April.

Three seats on the St. Joseph School District school board in Missouri were up for general election on April 2, 2024. The filing deadline was December 26, 2023.


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Public participation in board meetings

The St. Joseph School District Board of Education maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[13]


District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[14]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $16,609,000 $1,561 12%
Local: $70,670,000 $6,640 52%
State: $49,334,000 $4,635 36%
Total: $136,613,000 $12,836
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $128,794,000 $12,101
Total Current Expenditures: $117,359,000 $11,026
Instructional Expenditures: $63,205,000 $5,938 49%
Student and Staff Support: $14,340,000 $1,347 11%
Administration: $17,519,000 $1,646 14%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $22,295,000 $2,094 17%
Total Capital Outlay: $7,324,000 $688
Construction: $1,216,000 $114
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $2,149,000 $201
Interest on Debt: $1,144,000 $107


Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2023-2024[15] $38,700 $78,445
2020-2021[16] $36,700 $73,473

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[17]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 28 30-34 13 20 <50 21 31
2018-2019 34 35-39 19 21 21-39 28 37
2017-2018 36 35-39 23 24 21-39 29 40
2016-2017 43 40-44 26 31 <50 40 46
2015-2016 44 45-49 28 30 40-59 45 47
2014-2015 39 45-49 27 27 21-39 30-34 42
2013-2014 49 50-54 35 36 40-59 50-54 51
2012-2013 50 55-59 33 34 40-59 50-54 53
2011-2012 51 55-59 39 41 40-59 35-39 53
2010-2011 49 50-59 38 39 40-59 21-39 51

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 38 30-34 26 27 <50 36 41
2018-2019 39 35-39 29 26 21-39 34 43
2017-2018 44 35-39 29 32 40-59 39 47
2016-2017 58 55-59 46 46 >=50 54 61
2015-2016 59 55-59 46 46 40-59 57 62
2014-2015 57 50-54 45 44 60-79 55-59 59
2013-2014 47 50-54 31 36 40-59 40-44 50
2012-2013 51 50-54 39 40 40-59 50-54 53
2011-2012 51 60-64 37 37 60-79 40-44 54
2010-2011 48 60-64 34 34 40-59 21-39 51

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 80 >=80 75-79 85-89 PS 80-89 79
2018-2019 83 >=80 70-74 80-84 PS 80-89 84
2017-2018 81 >=80 75-79 80-84 PS 70-79 82
2016-2017 88 >=50 85-89 >=90 >=50 >=90 88
2015-2016 94 >=80 85-89 >=90 PS >=80 94
2014-2015 93 >=50 90-94 >=90 PS >=50 93
2013-2014 93 >=50 >=90 >=90 PS PS 93
2012-2013 94 >=80 85-89 >=90 PS >=50 95
2011-2012 91 >=50 90-94 80-89 PS PS 91
2010-2011 83 >=50 70-74 70-79 PS 84


Students

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 10,568 0.5
2021-2022 10,510 -1.3
2020-2021 10,643 -2.8
2019-2020 10,946 -2.1
2018-2019 11,178 -4.3
2017-2018 11,663 -0.5
2016-2017 11,719 0.0
2015-2016 11,724 -1.0
2014-2015 11,842 -0.3
2013-2014 11,882 0.9
2012-2013 11,779 0.5
2011-2012 11,721 0.1
2010-2011 11,709 -0.2
2009-2010 11,737 -0.1
2008-2009 11,751 0.1
2007-2008 11,744 0.2
2006-2007 11,718 1.2
2005-2006 11,576 -1.9
2004-2005 11,800 -1.8
2003-2004 12,015 1.0
2002-2003 11,893 -0.5
2001-2002 11,956 -0.7
2000-2001 12,045 -2.1
1999-2000 12,302 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE St. Joseph School District (%) Missouri K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.3 0.4
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 1.8 2.1
Black 6.2 15.2
Hispanic 11.6 8.0
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 2.3 0.4
Two or More Races 11.7 5.5
White 66.2 68.5

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, St. Joseph School District had 722.20 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 14.63.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 22.00
Kindergarten: 41.95
Elementary: 323.01
Secondary: 335.24
Total: 722.20

St. Joseph School District employed 5.78 district administrators and 38.85 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 5.78
District Administrative Support: 0.00
School Administrators: 38.85
School Administrative Support: 15.00
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 109.63
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 33.91
Total Guidance Counselors: 36.60
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 18.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 17.60
Librarians/Media Specialists: 6.21
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 105.88
Other Support Services: 2.00


Schools

The St. Joseph School District operates 25 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Alt. Resource Ctr.0KG-12
Benton High6769-12
Bode Middle4867-8
Buchanan Co. Academy0KG-12
Carden Park Elem577KG-6
Central High1,7289-12
Coleman Elem.349KG-6
Edison Elem.288PK-6
Ellison Elem.364KG-6
Field Elem.265KG-6
Hillyard Technical Ctr.09-12
Hosea Elem.438KG-5
Hyde Elem.377KG-5
Lafayette High7179-12
Lindbergh Elem.484KG-5
Mark Twain Elem.315KG-6
Oak Grove Elem842PK-6
Parkway Elem.379KG-6
Pershing Elem.267KG-6
Pickett Elem.290PK-6
Robidoux Middle3906-8
Skaith Elem.367PK-6
Spring Garden Middle4746-8
Truman Middle4827-8
Virtual Academy13KG-12

Noteworthy events

Board member harassment charge (2024)

On March 5, 2024, Whitney Lanning was charged with harassment after an alleged altercation with fellow school board member Isaura Garcia. The incident took place after a school board meeting on February 26, 2024, and it was reported that Lanning yelled at, threatened, and chased Garcia. Garcia released a statement saying, "As a public servant, I can no longer sit idly by while a member of the Board of Education attacks, verbally abuses, and bullies other board members, District employees, and members of the public. This behavior is unacceptable, and the members of our school, our community, and our children deserve better."[18][19][20] In response the incident and accompanying charge, Lanning stated, "This was not a disagreement over school related issues, in fact, it wasn’t a disagreement at all. My child was attacked in an effort to discredit district staff. As a mother I’ll always defend my child, and all children for that matter.”.[18]

On April 3, the St. Joseph School District's Board of Education censured Lanning in a 3-1 vote. This censure served as a formal expression that the school board disagreed with Lanning's actions, but did not have any accompanying disciplinary measures.[21] Also on April 3, Lanning appeared in court where she entered an initial plea of not guilty.[21]

Former district administrators ordered to repay retirement benefits (2016)

In April 2016, former superintendent Dan Colgan was ordered to repay $660,000 to the Missouri Public School Retirement System (PSRS) as part of a settlement. Colgan had inflated his salary in order to increase his monthly retirement benefits.[22] On June 13, 2016, Colgan pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in U.S. district court and entered into a plea agreement with the federal government. Colgan was sentenced to one year and one day of imprisonment in federal prison.[23]

In May 2016, former district assistant superintendent for personnel Mark Hargens and former superintendent Melody Smith were ordered to repay PSRS a combined $113,000 for allegedly inflating their reported income to increase their retirement benefits.[24] Hargens was unable to comment on his case.

Stipend misconduct and investigations (2015)

The St. Joseph School District was investigated by the Missouri State Auditor, the United States Department of Education, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation related to stipends issued by former Superintendent Fred Czerwonka. The former superintendent, appointed in July 2013, allegedly used a rebate from the district's insurance provider to distribute $270,000 in stipends to 54 administrators without board approval. The school district's policy required a report to the school board and a deposit of any excess funds including refunds from vendors. Czerwonka, district Human Resources Director Doug Flowers, and school board member Dan Colgan were accused of using their positions to guarantee promotions within the district and raises for family members. On January 20, 2015, both Czerwonka and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Rick Hartigan were placed on paid administrative leave. In February 2015, the board voted to fire Czerwonka. Hartigan was fired the following week. Colgan resigned on March 5, 2015. During an April 2015 board meeting, the school board appointed local business executive Eric Bruder to fill the vacant seat.[25] Flowers left the district with a severance package in July 2015.[26]

2015: Tax levy renewal

In May 2015, the St. Joseph school board did not renew a portion of its operating property tax levy, which was scheduled to sunset between April 2015 and August 2015. The amount at stake in the levy was 63 cents per $100 in assessed property value.[27]

Several parents and local business leaders interviewed by Ballotpedia and the St. Joseph News-Press indicated that they were either reluctant to support the levy or in opposition to it because of their lack of trust in district leadership. In an interview, former acting superintendent Jake Long said that the administration was optimistic about the levy's chances at the ballot box. Long added that even if the levy had been unsuccessful, it would not have impacted the district until the 2015-2016 school year.[28]

Contact information

St. Joseph School District logo 2.png
St. Joseph School District
1415 N 26th Street
St. Joseph, MO 64506
Phone: 816-671-4000
Fax: 816-671-4470


About school boards

Education legislation in Missouri

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See also

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External links


Footnotes

  1. ↑ St. Joseph School District, "Superintendent," accessed January 9, 2024
  2. ↑ News-Press Now, "Edgar to remain as superintendent," April 13, 2023
  3. ↑ St. Joseph School District, "Leadership - Superintendent," accessed April 19, 2021
  4. ↑ KCUR 89.3, "Scandal Plagued St. Joseph School District Picks Interim Superintendent," June 4, 2015
  5. ↑ St. Joseph Post, "Newhart named interim SJSD Superintendent," June 4, 2015
  6. ↑ St. Joseph School District, "Superintendent," archived September 4, 2016
  7. ↑ St. Joseph School District, "Student Services: Dr. Jake Long," archived February 10, 2015
  8. ↑ St. Joseph School District, "Superintendent," archived April 20, 2014
  9. ↑ St. Joseph News-Press, "District introduces new superintendent," March 1, 2013
  10. ↑ KCUR 89.3, "Fired St. Joseph School District Superintendent Lands Job In Missouri Bootheel," June 2, 2015
  11. ↑ News-Press Now, "Dr. Melody Smith starting a new chapter in life," May 18, 2013
  12. ↑ News-Press Now, "SJSD board of education elections are now annual ," April 6, 2018
  13. ↑ St. Joseph School District, "Policy BDDH-1: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT BOARD MEETINGS," accessed January 9, 2024
  14. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
  15. ↑ St. Joseph School District, "St. Joseph School Sistrict 2023-24 Teacher Salary Schedule," accessed February 6, 2024
  16. ↑ St. Joseph School District, "St. Joseph School District 2020-2021 Teacher Salary Schedule," accessed April 19, 2021
  17. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 KQ2, "Security video shows apparent incident between SJSD board members that led to harassment charges," March 18, 2024
  19. ↑ The Lion, "‘This behavior is unacceptable’: Missouri school board member Whitney Lanning charged with harassment of fellow board member, called on to resign from nonprofit," March 11, 2024
  20. ↑ News-Press Now, "Lawmakers demand Lanning resign," March 12, 2024
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 KQ2, "SJSD Board of Education votes to censure Lanning, votes down censure of Garcia," April 3, 2024
  22. ↑ KCUR 89.3, "Former St. Joseph Superintendent to Pay Back $660,000," April 25, 2016
  23. ↑ KCUR 89.3, "Former St. Joseph School Superintendent To Spend A Year In Federal Prison," June 13, 2016
  24. ↑ KCUR 89.3, "More Former St. Joseph Schools Administrators Forced To Repay State Retirement System," May 24, 2016
  25. ↑ St. Joseph News-Press, "Eric Bruder chosen as new board member," April 10, 2015
  26. ↑ KCUR 89.3, "House Cleaning In The St. Joseph School District Complete," July 30, 2015
  27. ↑ St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, "Other Ballot Initiatives Calendar - St. Joseph/Buchanan County," April 16, 2014
  28. ↑ St. Joseph News-Press, "School levy could face a rough road," May 13, 2014
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