[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6367000,"mediaKeyId","2159273-d769a60f37efbb54f8f9a1ac9efc9902","parentId",2159273,"title","Board approves 2025-26 student calendar and autism services contract; technical-education leaders present expansion plans","audioSeconds",2804,"startMs",1272000,"endMs",4076000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2159273-d769a60f37efbb54f8f9a1ac9efc9902&start=1272&end=4076","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2159273-d769a60f37efbb54f8f9a1ac9efc9902/thumbnail_1272000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6367000/Missouri/Board-approves-2025-26-student-calendar-and-autism-services-contract-technical-education-leaders-present-expansion-plans","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6367000-dfa75a2a629f1c7ee50e54a063a4ee3d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771138763&Signature=dTPqElcCYUOKmvzG5mm0-YlRMeUASt~EKEh0QSKuAJHMHVXZz5QIyoUWD7HnQ6BtDuOffjBEVXXVxkZnsAs0cEIUXgvKdLsRecQzUWOlsmX3a6IQmSZtnO~6yQlxLdjvK6wZRkYvWUqq63l8AKeEpIi9XYU42eorFuHc059de~hoMGk3DUXUg-9WKAqiV-fU1OmDcMjT4vfeASY9w~ACBx1B~Gw4maWu8I8EECnh17iGDL6~PASH4XmKlKlQFs-poLU1iKBp-qDxUfVj9aE89BymjFqQqxSHmm1oq4i6lLxCmiV0-8eQayfj~Py3Z1T4IaZReYL2bp0Eic2gst-bbQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Special School District of St. Louis County","date","2025-01-28T00:00:00Z","article","The Special School District of St. Louis County Board of Education voted to approve revisions to the district's 2025-26 calendar and separately approved a purchase-of-service contract for the Center for Autism at a public meeting where technical-education leaders also outlined enrollment growth and program priorities.

During a presentation on the proposed 2025-26 calendar, Kevin Ahern, chief of technical education district operations, said the staff calendar contains 190 staff days and the student-facing calendar contains 173 student attendance days, including 13 professional-development days and four banked snow days. Ahern said the district also has 36 hours of alternative methods of instruction (AMI), which he said equates to about six school days. \"We need to have a 169 student attendance days\" to qualify for maximum weighted average-daily-attendance (ADA) funding, he told the board, referencing a state statutory change. Board members later approved the calendar after a motion, with the board president calling the vote \"Aye\" and the motion carrying.

Ahern described several calendar adjustments made to align SSD with partner districts, including moving the fall break back one week and shifting an October professional-development day to align with other districts. He said the calendar package submitted for approval included both a family/student calendar and a separate staff calendar to reduce confusion.

Also on the agenda, district officials sought approval of a purchase-of-service contract for the Center for Autism. A motion to approve the contract was moved and seconded; the chair asked \"All in favor?\" and recorded \"Aye,\" after which the chair said the motion carries.

Separately, Kevin Ahern and North Tech principal Emmanuel Young and South Tech principal Dr. Jake Luzzi gave an extended update on career and technical education (CTE) operations. They reported that both North Tech and South Tech have enrollments above 800 students (North Tech about 821, South Tech about 848 in the snapshot presented), that enrollment has returned to pre-pandemic levels and that about three-quarters of graduates move on to education or employment related to their technical program. Ahern described changes to access and admissions, including adoption of a lottery-based admissions process with minimum eligibility criteria to improve equity.

Principals described instructional priorities and new practices. Emmanuel Young said North Tech is building a \"proficiency skill\" to assess workplace readiness and is expanding professional-learning communities (PLCs) and competency-based education pilots. Dr. Luzzi said South Tech is focusing on equity, climate and culture, and student success measures such as increasing the share of CTE concentrators meeting criteria for Missouri's CTE certificate.

Leaders also reported on adult education: the district's Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) cohort moved to North Tech, allowing the program to expand to 35 students and produce about 7% of the state's new LPNs in the past year. Dr. Luzzi reported a near-90% NCLEX pass rate and a 100% placement rate for graduates the board was able to contact.

Board members asked for follow-up detail about the district's per-pupil funding and the district share of costs to expand programming; Ahern said staff would bring back cost estimates and a facilities plan for further discussion.

At the end of the meeting the board approved motions to set closed meetings on January 28 and February 11; the chair called the roll and those present voted in favor.

Votes at a glance
- Purchase of service contract for the Center for Autism: motion moved and seconded; chair recorded \"Aye\"; motion carries.
- Calendar revisions for 2025-26 (family/student calendar and staff calendar): motion moved and seconded; vote recorded as \"Aye\"; motion carries.
- Motions to set closed meetings (Jan. 28 and Feb. 11): motion moved, roll-call vote recorded as affirmative; motion carries.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","SSD - Business Meeting 1.28.2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Special School District board approved calendar revisions for the 2025-26 school year and a purchase-of-service contract for the Center for Autism, and heard a detailed update on career and technical education enrollment, outcomes and capacity from Kevin Ahern and technical high school principals.","taxTitle","SPECL. SCH. DST. ST. LOUIS CO., School Districts, Missouri","taxId",53312,"location","Missouri","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6367006,"Special Education Foundation details grants, programs and new mobility pilot for students with disabilities",920,248000,1168000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2159273-d769a60f37efbb54f8f9a1ac9efc9902&start=248&end=1168","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2159273-d769a60f37efbb54f8f9a1ac9efc9902/thumbnail_248000.jpg","/articles/6367006/Missouri/Special-Education-Foundation-details-grants-programs-and-new-mobility-pilot-for-students-with-disabilities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6367006-a316e1418090128e0e4f170b9c3d8e9e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771138763&Signature=ScKqR9fvEt~SwJp2BfJMypW51uvk8QqLopDFlbhEPrDVj0qFYExU0e0gNkN99XhVRRAQ12cy5aEiMoEYuuJJ4XTZ~1dwPJ2yLPXOj5mj8VocLMK6zFajs4ml3dlNtEfhcJ7Vr8nW0Cyj-ZrzZmUx5t3imP2nZGISnnvL5yMMbMnK8ZhXg4N-d2RP13Xka0SX~07djYOAQ6-2wcGgwPKGtZsRgqme~P7klSsIMpqBxMqoc5td6yTEhZxIhBxfJyeqNdhhdHY1bQohlbAqHAjtabtLInOulyh1q00WfMsa-gPjrS9gXLS00wLbU87igbnfPt2zhG0RXBUZ3UvHvSj6fg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tim Eady, executive director of the Special Education Foundation, on the evening the board met presented a year-in-review and a plan for new initiatives, saying the foundation supports students served by the Special School District (SSD) of St. Louis County through grants, adaptive-equipment purchases, scholarships and enrichment programs.

Eady said the foundation assisted \"more than 8,000 students across Saint Louis County\" through programs in 2024 and described several specific efforts benefiting students who receive SSD services. He said the foundation awarded classroom-innovation grants to dozens of educators and that grant awards ranged from about $200 to $1,500 per grant. \"We provided 89 such grants to educators in 2024,\" Eady said, later noting a related figure of about $65,000 in grant dollars and separately saying the foundation has \"invested at least $75,000 in grants directly to SSD schools and educators.\"

The foundation also funds adaptive-equipment and audiology work, Eady said. He said the adaptive-equipment program — renewed this year with support from the Chilis Foundation — helps students who age out of SSD keep access to devices such as iPads and other communication tools that otherwise would be provided only while the students are in school. Eady told the board the foundation helped \"more than 70 students with audiology support in 2024,\" including hearing-aid repairs and alternate alarms for students with hearing loss.

Eady described program pilots the foundation is expanding. An \"autism independence project,\" run in partnership with ISocial, used evening Zoom cohorts to teach social skills; Eady said the foundation provided $15,000 to pilot the program, serving 13 students since last summer. He said the foundation also funds arts programming under \"SEF Presents,\" bringing music, dance and theater into SSD-operated schools and partner districts, and cited upcoming performances scheduled with partners including the St. Louis Symphony and Jazz St. Louis.

Among new initiatives, Eady outlined a mobility project that the foundation plans to pilot by placing two power wheelchairs in SSD schools so students with physical disabilities can learn to operate them. \"With that experience, families can turn to insurance companies for assistance in purchasing a device for the students, since one of the qualifying prerequisites is that the student must know how to operate the device,\" Eady said.

Eady also summarized the foundation's fundraising mix. He said roughly 45% of revenue comes from corporate donors, a bit more than a quarter from individuals, with foundations and board giving making up other portions of funding. Major annual events named as revenue sources include a June Starfish Awards event and an October charity golf tournament.

Board members and guests in the room included SEF board chair Dr. Julia Burke, Shannon Benedek (program and communications manager), and board members Alan Holmquist and Sargel Nardela, all of whom Eady introduced before his presentation.

Eady closed by inviting questions and by asking the board to help spread awareness of foundation programs to under-resourced partner districts that may not apply for grants on their own. \"One of the things that we find is a lot of times these folks at districts, and particularly under resourced districts, sometimes just don't have the time to talk to us to apply for funding,\" he said.

The board did not take formal action on foundation items during the meeting; Eady said the foundation is continuing outreach and program expansion.

","Special Education Foundation executive director Tim Eady told the Special School District of St. Louis County board the foundation funded classroom grants, adaptive-equipment purchases, arts and social-skills programs and a new pilot to place power wheelchairs in schools to teach device operation, and described the foundation's funding mix.","actionData","errors"]

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Board approves 2025-26 student calendar and autism services contract; technical-education leaders present expansion plans

Special Education Foundation details grants, programs and new mobility pilot for students with disabilities