[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6264250,"mediaKeyId","3098288-e9c3d74dfe3a3ac4c4d965732e8f5ec7","parentId",3098288,"title","Karen Collins Adams elected board president as SLPS holds officer elections","audioSeconds",801,"startMs",1159000,"endMs",1960000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3098288-e9c3d74dfe3a3ac4c4d965732e8f5ec7&start=1159&end=1960","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3098288-e9c3d74dfe3a3ac4c4d965732e8f5ec7/thumbnail_1159000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6264250/Missouri/Karen-Collins-Adams-elected-board-president-as-SLPS-holds-officer-elections","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264250-35da708a90db26907fb7ed246ba72d0b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172584&Signature=G7~bE2yKX09zjo55sZ1UJVc-kV-BJ4feUe2HhPDadIF4Xl-uYXsRLsoHO-DIt4W46RsfepdSLbfFNmLE42edh7glo-CJqbEAUPSQFrt~Fbe~L4CWf9h5s9bASwU38fUInfqhtJQQbBdojpyacf3ARsqHUhMMm4ssu92RHhEUVYh4k8sEAL9SWLq9FQr~uw5J40UFTt8n5vScF~bLrDIxUJdl9SunmpvbjOoEsDtTpoHBichDhRe16hIncTslPbEn~Pz9hDd9AHG5H5xyNIH0vBFiH099zt2rJRj36sGcGfuqSEWw8oLj8RTSDZkd3ABm~qFTbDwzNl~aXYG4Yu8Cew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-23T18:58:30.01Z","article","The newly constituted Board of Education for Saint Louis Public Schools held officer elections and selected Dr. Karen Collins Adams as president, Emily Hubbard as vice president and Brian Marston as secretary.

Nominations opened after a welcome from the superintendent and a swearing-in ceremony for new board members. Board member Donna Jones was nominated for president but declined the nomination. Board member AJ Foster nominated Dr. Karen Collins Adams for president; Collins Adams accepted the nomination and answered members’ questions about training and potential conflicts of interest related to her husband’s past district employment. Collins Adams told the board she would recuse herself from matters that presented a conflict.

During roll call for president, several members voted in favor and several abstained; the chair announced, \"Doctor Karen Collins Adams carries the vote and is elected as president of the board of education at Saint Louis Public Schools for the next year.\" The board then proceeded to the vice president election. Emily Hubbard accepted her nomination and won the roll-call vote; some members abstained. Later the board elected Brian Marston as secretary following nomination and roll-call vote.

Board members asked nominees to confirm compliance with required board training; Collins Adams said she was aware of MSBA training requirements and planned to complete training. When members raised possible audit-related issues from a previous superintendent’s tenure, Collins Adams said she would recuse herself from matters that posed a conflict and would not place the district at risk.

The board then approved the meeting agenda and took several procedural votes before moving to committee reports and presentations.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Education Meeting 4/22/25","oneSentenceSummary","At its first meeting with newly seated members, the Saint Louis Public Schools Board of Education elected Dr. Karen Collins Adams president, Emily Hubbard vice president and Brian Marston secretary; nominations, brief questioning and roll-call votes determined the officers.","taxTitle","St. Louis City, School Districts, Missouri","taxId",13573,"location","Missouri","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6264255,"SLPS board approves amendment barring pesticides, herbicides in grounds contract",315,7383000,7698000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3098288-e9c3d74dfe3a3ac4c4d965732e8f5ec7&start=7383&end=7698","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3098288-e9c3d74dfe3a3ac4c4d965732e8f5ec7/thumbnail_7383000.jpg","/articles/6264255/Missouri/SLPS-board-approves-amendment-barring-pesticides-herbicides-in-grounds-contract","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264255-1a361f9320608ae13300f71c61385866/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172584&Signature=eNt2HlmXnKbonGzm5qoAPpVaK-xc5GF6LY6n9N-EWUuZwP4nduk4KAxRPbB4kjeri-A5An~0dfS17u1LbeqgMRvBHO8V0X3OOP~2sffbtJIxbWdgqx6jEw28sPCylbywxAfvWBzNM-Smn~q2yjPWiWlFG-iqp5gnGKNETg8i-szxdSmhTDB9uzEdSkWP3vwN2PIFtd1mLCxLnQraI6wCz4IbXycv-x~dxFqwHGF-L8ws~lOfhxT6Hg0qiXZyUpkwXUAW7vQniHrJrJ-qeHqU9xywglIj6KVy-G9xxvGt-w-6TT0AdHH88EapFVvcgOUJCePNC19eQyA08gYQIZYMZg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Board of Education approved an amendment to the district’s grounds-maintenance contract to specify that no pesticides or herbicides will be used on district grounds.

Board member Brian Morrison moved to amend the contract with Ideal Landscape Management to remove authorization for pesticide or herbicide use; the motion was seconded and brought to roll call. Chief Operations staff told the board the district currently does not apply pesticides or herbicides through that contract, but the board voted to put the restriction into the contract in writing to remove ambiguity.

The amendment passed on a roll-call vote. During discussion board members asked for clarity about which closed or vacant properties are included in the contract and noted the packet lists vacant sites; staff said the contract covers all open active schools and that they would provide a list of owned and closed schools on request. A subsequent board member pointed to a small discrepancy between an exhibit listing 25 closed schools and the contract's reference to 24 sites; staff agreed to follow up with clarification.

The amendment will be incorporated into the grounds-maintenance contract and staff will notify the vendor and update the contract language accordingly. Board members said the written prohibition answers community concerns about children’s exposure and ensures a consistent districtwide approach to grounds care.

","The Saint Louis Public Schools board voted to amend a grounds-maintenance contract to prohibit the use of herbicides and pesticides; the motion passed by roll call after staff confirmed current practice does not use those chemicals.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6264260,"SLPS presents districtwide recommendations for structured phonics and phenomenon-based science after yearlong pilots",3169,3724000,6893000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3098288-e9c3d74dfe3a3ac4c4d965732e8f5ec7&start=3724&end=6893","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3098288-e9c3d74dfe3a3ac4c4d965732e8f5ec7/thumbnail_3724000.jpg","/articles/6264260/Missouri/SLPS-presents-districtwide-recommendations-for-structured-phonics-and-phenomenon-based-science-after-yearlong-pilots","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264260-63d548b67cc9989d7716d03ee66de3e8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172585&Signature=nlxSOh9QeqSrS4OyhYg--nHx1IHUlFe8OEMBW-WkMrl7-p7kau4yNL-4Se3~yPArkgrA~IgwxjYT-d115l4DXu4Ef6V5D27SX7EqKeelpSh1QmkfrQjyM--5apEkkj7fOTnpdWs3R7dwoCAPhMQ1eo3KjaAuqW9rw23pd8krcLIvTr92XTp4snM~rqmDIJNBK1P6Ht-86OAKdXAAGvQsBOiioDgSGj882s1R0TZDdHsZUZAP6jZMbLTaoLvnq~Ztgo7f9S67eqs4gdmJ8-HMf27i3dMYP8qnXQwxPBsz6rj1FO40ED5TdGZm5oO0qm2XD-k4Fi-J1VBo-whC0EmPXQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Saint Louis Public Schools staff presented two separate curriculum pilot reports to the Board of Education on programs intended to boost literacy and science instruction across the district.

Chief of Schools Allison Dino told the board the district piloted new phonics materials this year at four elementary schools and is recommending the 95% Group K–5 materials as districtwide supplemental phonics. Dino said the pilot emphasized a structured literacy approach grounded in the “science of reading” and that participating schools showed “measurable growth” on STAR Early Literacy and other local indicators. Principal Kimberly Wilson and teachers Lynette Farmer and Jessica Braggs described classroom gains, increased student engagement, clearer routines, and higher teacher confidence after using the 95% Group materials.

The district’s presentation said the 95% Group materials provide turnkey lessons, consistent K–5 foundational skills, and supports intended to reduce the number of students needing Tier 2 intervention. Dino told the board the administration will bring a consent-agenda item for formal approval next month (listed in the packet as item 12.8) and that an executive summary with pilot data will be provided to board members on request.

Separately, the district’s science specialist, Dr. Julie Elking, reported on a K–12 science pilot that included multiple elementary and secondary resources. Elking said the district tested Amplify Science, MySci (WashU), Twig, OpenSciEd (with the Activate Learning digital platform) and Cognia at various grade bands, reaching roughly 3,000 students and dozens of teachers. Elking said teacher surveys and qualitative responses favored Amplify, particularly for hands-on, phenomenon-based lessons tightly aligned to NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) and Missouri learning standards. Teachers and principals from Long Middle School described students conducting simulations, using workbooks and digital simulations, and showing improved engagement and confidence.

Elking said the recommended next step is to adopt Amplify Science for grades 3–8 (while retaining older and open resources in high school and expanding a Missouri Department of Conservation program in K–2). She said the district expects Amplify to support literacy goals by integrating reading and writing within science instruction and to increase inquiry-based classroom practice; the district will monitor effects through STAR literacy data, MAP results where applicable, classroom observations and teacher feedback.

Board members asked several implementation questions during the presentations: how pilot data were measured (Dino said STAR Early Literacy and STAR assessments were used and that an executive summary will be provided), how dyslexia screening intersects with the phonics approach (staff said the district uses a dyslexia screener but that growth measures are taken from STAR instruments), what parent communications look like for 95% (teachers said weekly family support letters and periodic assessment reports are shared), whether other programs were piloted before recommending 95% (staff said Hegarty, UFLI and others were piloted and summarized in the executive summary), and whether Amplify includes consumables and replacement schedules (staff said consumables would be replaced as needed and Amplify ships units at once, which the district said helps implementation). Board members also asked that the district provide the executive summary and the pilot data in advance of the consent-agenda vote.

No binding action to adopt either program was taken at the meeting; staff said formal approval of the literacy recommendation (consent item 12.8) will be requested at the next board meeting. The presentations concluded and the board moved on to other agenda items.

","Saint Louis Public Schools staff reported measurable gains from a district pilot of the 95% Group phonics materials and recommended Amplify Science for grades 3–8 after a separate science pilot; the board heard presentations and was told formal approval will be requested on the consent agenda next month.","actionData","errors"]

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Karen Collins Adams elected board president as SLPS holds officer elections

SLPS board approves amendment barring pesticides, herbicides in grounds contract

SLPS presents districtwide recommendations for structured phonics and phenomenon-based science after yearlong pilots