Three News Stories About the Francis Howell School District

Published: December 20, 2023

Bell Schedule Changes at FHN

By Grant Kilen

(Credit to Miranda Fabian)

At the beginning of second quarter, there were minor changes made to the bell schedule, including the elimination of the five-minute “community building” period in first hour.

“Some of it was just making sure that there was more equal time between all seven periods,” Head Principal Jeff Fletcher said. “There was equal time for instructional minutes. This revolved around plan time minutes [being equalized].”

Starting second semester, Knight Time will be held on Wednesdays and Fridays. This change was made in order to increase the number of full-length hours in a week.

“One of the concerns was that we only had two days that had 50-minute periods,” Fletcher said. “I think there’s good things happening in Knight Time. But we also recognize that having three days of shortened class periods limits some lab classes. It’s really an adjustment to fit the needs of all the different things we’re trying to do in the building.”

Prop S Boosts School Safety

By Ray Hathcock

Prop S is a commonly talked about subject within the school district, especially at North with the new building under construction. Prop S grants FHSD money to improve its buildings without taking money from residents. The Board of Education meetings have been a resource for the people of the district to learn the details of Prop S uses and building updates.

“We’ve met with the appropriate building leaders to gather input to ensure that the schematic design will support the instructional and operational needs at the building level, while also supporting the security enhancements that we seek,” director of Facilities Salum Stutzer said.

The district had been working on improving the safety security at the schools. FHN, both old and new, had some considerations taken about how to have the schools as protected as possible.

“The security vestibule [for the new FHN] is more of a multi-use instructional space,” Stutzer said.

(Credit to Miranda Fabian)

State Audits District

By Ben Henry

(Credit to Izzy Lash)

With the new school building experiencing cost overruns in excess of $70 million, members of the community have called for the state of Missouri to perform an audit on the district in an attempt to uncover what happened.

While State Auditor Scott Fitzpatick is working his way through district finances, members of the community want to know what the audit means for FHSD.

“They’re going to look back at the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years, and they might go back further,” Board treasurer Jane Puszkar said.

The audit is a long process that requires a deep dive into years of complicated financial data. According to Board Vice President Randy Cook, the state will look at the district’s processes and finances to make sure FHSD is following policy.

“They told us it will take from three to six months for the audit to be completed, and some time after that until they publish the results,” Cook said.

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