FOX2 Investigates Ladue Superintendent Contract

The station questioned the separation agreement with former Superintendent Dr. Marsha Chappelow.

As the Ladue School District moves forward with plans to hire a new superintendent, FOX2 is drawing attention to the agreement that has allowed Dr. Marsha Chappelow to retire and take leave early leave with full payment under her existing contract. Ladue leaders have defended the decision as being in the best interest of the district, and have pointed out that under the terms of the agreement, which don't allow either side to comment on why the parting actually came about, does call for Chappelow to make herself available to district staff when necessary up until June 30. Dr. Donna Jahnke, Asst. Supt. for Teaching and Learning told Patch Monday that the district has not needed those consulting services.

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January Is Key Month For Ladue School District's Leadership Vacancies

The district is looking for a new superintendent and a high school principal. You can share your thoughts at a community forum next week.

With the holidays now in the rear mirror, the Ladue School District faces an important month in moving forward in finding new leadership in January. Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Dr. Judy Sclair, is acting as Interim Superintendent for the remainder of the 2012-13 academic year, following the school board's decision to grant Dr. Marsha Chappelow request for a leave of absence. According to a district e-newsletter, the district is hosting a Community Forum January 8 at Horton Watkins High School from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to get input from the public about qualities district patrons hope the new superintendent brings to the table. The application deadline for the superintendent's position closes January 21, and a timeline calls…

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Editor's Notebook

Who Was The Creve Coeur Newsmaker Of The Year In 2012

Tell us who you think deserves consideration for having had an impact on Creve Coeur in 2012.

We've reached that time of the year where we're in a reflective mood, and we're asking you to help us put 2012 in perspective. It is time to talk about who should be the Creve Coeur Newsmaker of the Year. Ah, but what does that mean? The beauty is, as they say, in the eye of the beholder. You get to help build the team picture, so to speak. Someone who did the most good? Parkway Northeast Middle Schooler Sam Klein could qualify for that. The young man was featured on NBC Nightly News and won a St. Louis Patch contest asking that very question. ALSO: Could it be Creve Coeur Mayor Barry Glantz? He won a Mayor's race that people had been talking about for nearly 2 years as longtime Mayor Harold Dielmann retired following term limits. The city…

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Scott Simon

2:15 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I have to say Mayor Glantz is the newsmaker of the year. It was a contentious election with a popular city council member and many thought an incumbent councilman had the edge to win.   more ›

Ladue School Administrators Huddling Monday Over Superintendent Transition

The district announced Friday that Dr. Marsha Chappelow had been granted a leave of absence that would last the rest of her tenure.

The President and Vice President of the Ladue School district will meet with senior district administrators Monday morning to decide how to move forward in the wake of the board's decision late last week to grant Superintendent Dr. Marsha Chappelow a leave of absence, effective December 1 through the end of June and the remainder of her tenure with the district. District spokeswoman Susan Dielmann said Monday's meeting would "discuss interim leadership plans, both short and long-term." Chappelow announced earlier she would retire at the end of the current academic year and move to the Kansas City area to spend time with a new grandchild. District spokeswoman Susan Dielmann told Patch Saturday that the decision on the early leave came as a…

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flyoverland

12:57 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012

When the two of us agree, I think that says it all.   more ›

Ladue Schools Chief Takes Immediate Leave Ahead of Retirement

Marsha Chappelow, superintendent of the Ladue School District, announced in September she would retire after this year. Now, the district announced she would take an immediate leave.

Marsha Chappelow, the superintendent of the Ladue School District, will take a leave of absence effective on Saturday and will remain on leave through the end of the school year—and the date of her retirement. Chappelow announced in late September that this would be her last year as head of the district and that she would retire after this school year on June 30. The district released a statement late today indicating that Chappelow's leave was accepted by the school board this week and that she "requested leave at this time for personal reasons." Here is the full announcement from the Ladue School District: The Ladue Board of Education has approved a request for professional leave that was submitted to the Board by Dr. Marsha Chappelow, …

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Obscene List About Ladue High Girls Sparks Parent's Ire with School Board

A Ladue School District letter describes it as an "ugly tradition" the school has tried to stop.

The parent of a Ladue Horton Watkins High School student has mounted a campaign against what the school district itself has called an "ugly tradition" — an annual list of graduating senior girls that describes them with vulgarities and obscenities and is circulated throughout the school. A series of letters between parent Ruth Ahlemeier and various officials with the Ladue School District describes Ahlemeier's efforts to have the practice in Ladue High stopped and the district's efforts to investigate her complaints. In one letter, shared with Patch on Monday, the president of the school board, Jayne Langsam, responded to Ahlemeier, recounting a conversation Ahlemeier had with Ladue High's principal: "The principal did say during the …

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SFCaramia

2:21 pm on Wednesday, September 26, 2012

As a former Ladue alumni, I'm sad to say that Mr. Kent is right; only when the punishment has consequences that involve the loss of prestige will things change. Alternatively, impressing upon these students that such behavior is prohibited under Title 9 and engaging in it in the "real world" outside the cocooned environment of Horton Watkins High could have serious job and/or legal repercussions …   more ›

FOX2 'You Paid For It' Report Targets Parkway Schools Chief Over Salary

Fox 2 News questions a salary bump given to Dr. Keith Marty and compares the pay to Ladue's top administrator.

How much is too much in tough economic times? That in, essence, is the question FOX2's Elliott Davis asked in this week's "You Paid For It" report which asked the head of the Parkway School District Board to defend the $7,000 raise given to second year Superintendent Dr. Keith Marty. Marty's salary is currently $227,000. Davis questioned School Board President Beth Feldman about the move, considering the economic challenges which have forced the district to make cuts elsewhere. Davis contrasted that with action taken by the Ladue School district when it named Dr. Marsha Chappelow as its superintendent, at a lower rate than her predecessor. Fair comparison? Tell us what you think!

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Ladue School Board Votes to Put Levy on the Ballot

If approved, the measure will raise the district's tax levy by 49 cents.

The Ladue School Board will let voters decide next year whether to increase its tax levy by 49 cents. The board voted 5-1 on Monday to place a proposition up for a public vote authorizing the school district “to increase the operating tax levy of the District by $0.49 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation.” According to the ballot language, the increase would be used for “paying for costs of educational programs, school supplies and equipment, student transportation, employee salaries, utilities, maintaining existing facilities, and other operational expenses of the District.” If the measure is approved by voters, the adjusted operating levy for the district is estimated to be $3.24 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation. …

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Ladue School Board Approves Tax Levy and Bus Changes For The 2011-2012 School Year

The $2.75 levy is low compared to other districts in St. Louis County.

The Ladue School Board on Monday night approved without opposition the district's operating tax levy for the 2011-12 school year. Jason Buckner, the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance, said in a memo to Ladue School District Superintendent Marsha Chappelow that data from St. Louis County shows that the district has experienced another decrease in assessed valuation. The data, Buckner said, shows that assessed evaluation declined by about 3 percent. “As you recall, the administration and the Board prepared for a 2.5 percent decrease in property tax funding for the 2011-12 budget,” Buckner said in the memo. “This was an accurate estimation due to the fact that assessments declined about 3 percent, but new …

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Sitting Down With The Superintendent

Patch talks with Ladue's leader, Marsha Chappelow on the eve of the start of fall classes.

Ladue-Frontenac Patch Editor Jim Baer recently sat down with Ladue School Superintendent Marsha Chappelow to talk about items of interest as we approach the start of the school year. Among the topics: the future of the Westminster campus in Creve Coeur, the new Early Childhood Center opening there, and of course, budgets.   Patch: August marks a new cycle of education, new school year with a lot of new students coming on board. How optimistic are you about the new school year? Marsha Chappelow: I’m excited. I just returned from the new (Ladue Early Childhood Center) LEEC, and that can build excitement right there. Anytime you see an updated educational facility that's going to let teachers do an even better job of teaching just because the…

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