First-year superintendent discusses goals for the year and beyond

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The school year is now over a month in and Superintendent Ashly McGinnis has her focus on many areas.

Academics is her number one priority for St. Joseph School District students specifically, which involves attendance as well.

"We landed at 81.2%, we're in the 85% range now. Historically that attendance percentage drops throughout the year, trying to hold on to that 85% for as long as we can...," McGinnis said. "This is the first year since I've been in the district office that we've actually got points on our annual performance report for attendance."

'Slow and steady progress' is how McGinnis described it. Going back to 2022, attendance levels were 76%, now above 80%.

The annual performance report, also known as APR, listed SJSD at 67.5% -- McGinnis wants to get that number up to 70%.

"We haven't been there in the last three years," she said. "We are hopeful we are going to get there because we have seen some academic gains, but it's been a battle to come back from COVID."

A collaboration between MoWest and SJSD was announced during the first week of the academic year granting high school graduates access to a direct admission program.

Currently, McGinnis said SJSD is in the process of updating its continuous school improvement plan (CSIP). Board policy states it must be updated every five years through community focus groups, staff feedback, academics committee meetings and feedback from stakeholders on goals and priorities for the district.

Finance is another key area of focus for McGinnis and the school district. She said board policy states financial reserves should not be lower than 20% -- currently reserves stand at 10.02% for fiscal year 2025.

It was previously announced an audit is being conducted for the latest approved budget. McGinnis said an update on that audit will come in November.

"We know we have inefficiencies within our district and so looking at those pieces but also being mindful of climate and culture," McGinnis said. "When we are put in this situation, where we are at financially, we want to make sure we are mindful and sensitive with how it impacts our people."

McGinnis said they have 'a lot going on right now with facilities' and she can see the vision of the possibility of a new high school, but trying to get to the other side of that is a challenge.

"It's not something that people take lightly, it's not something that's going to be pain free in getting there because we know that our schools and buildings are more than just structures. There's heart, there's culture, there's traditions and removing those pieces are very difficult," McGinnis said. "I'm tasked with looking at the bigger picture of our entire district and making sure we're sustainable and can maintain efficiency for years to come."

Pointing to the declining enrollment, now at 9,969 K-12 students, compared to 30 years ago when the number was above 12,000.

"With change comes growth, and I know that is challenging for everyone but we are at a point right now where we need to take some action," she said.

The Eugene Field Elementary alumnus McGinnis, with now 19 years working in the district, thinks there's ways to preserve some of the history, culture and heart of the facilities but continue to move forward.

"I understand the ties but we also have to be cognizant of our financial situation and this hope for three high schools just isn't sustainable."

Pointing around the state, she mentioned no city with student enrollment under 10,000 has three high schools. McGinnis said a decision regarding facilities will come during the October board meeting.

When asked why the district upgraded three football fields if three high schools are not a guarantee, McGinnis countered 'those facilities are being used right now.'

"Those kids deserve to have that opportunity right now," she said. "We have to plan sometimes, for not only the future, but to make sure we're doing right by kids right now."

Acknowledging the current situation did not happen overnight, and now the district is at a point it has to take action.

"We walked into these new roles as new leaders... We walked into this situation, we are going to be the cleanup crew that gets us out of this situation," McGinnis said. "I'm blessed that I have great people that are going to get us out of this situation, who care deeply, who are intelligent. I hear what people are saying and they can point the finger at me. I'm still going to make the right decisions that will best serve our district for years to come, I have to."

The SJSD Board of Education announced McGinnis as the new superintendent in December 2024 and she replaced Gabe Edgar on July 1.