For years, stakeholders have had their eye on the financial management of the district. Some candidates are working to convince you (despite their supporters raising alarm for the last two decades) that all is now well. Others (including ourselves) claim there is real financial trouble ahead. As always, there is some truth in both perspectives. Here’s what you need to know:
1999: State Auditor’s Report: The Infamous Kindergarten Miscount
In 1999, state auditor Claire McCaskill issued an audit report regarding Francis Howell. The report found several areas for improvement for the district, recommending updated provisions for district-issued cell phones and formal procedures regarding construction bidding. The biggest error found was a 2-year miscount of kindergarten attendance, where half-day kindergarten was counted as full day. The district received millions of dollars from the state that they would be forced to pay back. FHSD’s fund balance, which was 11% in 1997, soon fell to nearly 1.5%.
Since 1999, while surrounding districts have succeeded in their ballot measures for tax levies, Francis Howell voters have rejected efforts to do the same, often citing mismanagement of funds. Today, FHSD spends approximately $2,000 less per student each year than Fort Zumwalt and Orchard Farm.
2025: Management of Props S Project Results in Both Internal and External State Audits
In the 2020 municipal election, voters approved a large bond allowing the district to build a new North High School. Proposition S was needed for two reasons. First, the two other high schools in the district had already been updated nearly a decade earlier (Central in 2008 and Howell High in 2011), creating stark differences in the options and educational quality across the campuses. Second, maintenance and repairs for the original building, such as extensive HVAC trouble and a leaking roof, had become costly.
We all know 2020 was an unusual year. In one misstep, shortcuts were taken to hire a former employee as the project manager. (The reason being that someone familiar with FHSD processes might offer more efficiency.) But by the time the district had broken ground and laid the foundation, COVID-19 factors had caused the cost of labor and materials to skyrocket. Finally, changes to the project, such as the widening of hallways, were not properly communicated to the board by district leaders. The result was a projected overrun of approximately 80-90%. Losing no time, the FHSD leadership commenced a swift and rigorous internal audit that examined contract and bidding processes as well as systems for timely and transparent communication regarding large projects. Changes were made efficiently, but by then, the project had become political leverage.
Added to this was the chaos of the pandemic, with ever changing masking and sanitation protocols, not to mention the divisive culture wars that followed. The missteps and overrun were highlighted and politicized by a group seeking to overturn the school board majority. They campaigned relentlessly on “financial mismanagement.” Later, Director Cook, who won favor with voters in the 2022 school board race, petitioned high-level state politicians (and supports of his campaign) to conduct an external audit. You can read about the alignment of the state audit and the district’s internal report in the district email pictured here.
Current Reality
Four years ago, the district had generally recovered from the Kindergarten Miscount and set a new minimum fund balance of 15%, but with a pattern of rising costs and minimal population growth, the district’s financial leaders were warning of a sharp decline on the horizon. In 2022, the Chief Financial Officer, the Acting Superintendent, and even board members who oversaw Prop S all left their roles. In 2023, CFO Kim Hawk explained that COVID’s ESSR funds had come just in the nick of time, that without them, either a significant increase in revenue or reduction in staff and resources would be needed for the district to sustain itself in the coming years. Today, our CFO Carol Embree has issued less dire warnings, cautioning the board that adjustments must be made moving forward to address the projected drop in fund balance.
We believe that the most pressing financial risk to the district (and Missouri public schools in general) is the already-successful legislation allowing taxpayer dollars meant for public schools to be diverted to private school funding. These measures were proposed by the same state leaders who endorsed Director Cook 2022 and again this cycle. The potential impact can be seen in the slide from the CFO Embree’s February 2025 presentation below.
Takeaway
Fiscal management of public schools (and any public service) requires a balanced and steady approach. Certainly, corrections were needed, but undermining trust in our public schools comes at a cost. The current board majority’s approach to slashing budgets prevents us from offering competitive teacher salaries and updating learning resources. In short, the most significant financial threat to FHSD schools today is politics. As federal and state officials strip funds from public schools for private/political gain, we risk impacting the quality—and even the very existence—of the education our students receive.