There has been a drop in student enrollment in the A+ Program at St. James High School, according to Assistant Principal Patrick Burke’s Jan. 14 presentation to the board.

According to Burke’s report, overall enrollment in the program is down across all grade levels, with 74 percent of students currently enrolled. Senior enrollment is down 11 percent from last year and 17 percent in the past two years.

The A+ Program offers merit-based scholarships funded by the state to eligible high school students for two years of tuition at community colleges or vocational programs. Its goal is to bolster college readiness among Missouri high school students.

“Without this program, there would be thousands of students who would not have an opportunity to go on to college,” Burke said. “And so it kind of opens the door for them a little bit and gives them the chance to utilize this as long as they meet the criteria.”

The program is free to enroll in, and students have four years after graduation to use it toward tuition at a qualifying school.

Parents must re-enroll their student each year in the program during online registration for the student to be eligible for that year. Burke said the district has attributed the recent drop in enrollment to the possibility that parents may not understand they need to re-enroll their student every year.

Moving forward, the school plans to implement a hard-copy agreement form to enroll students in the A+ Program, rather than using online registration. The hard copy agreement will then be added to the student’s records for the duration of their time at St. James High School.

“Once they get the signatures and turn that paper copy in, it’s a one-time deal that’ll carry with them from the time they turn that in to the time that they graduate,” Burke said.

Hard copy agreement forms will be implemented with the 2026-27 incoming freshman class. The district aims to significantly increase student enrollment in the program, with the goal of reaching 85 percent or higher for all classes.

Board members also completed their annual tour of the school’s facilities and observed multiple classrooms. President Jon Rapp said the opportunity to see the positive things coming out of the district is the best part of what the board does.

“We sit in a board room, and we make decisions on buildings and how we’re going to move forward, but ultimately, the best part of our job is being able to provide a safe and positive education for the youth of our community,” Rapp said.

In other business, the board approved the district’s 2026-27 academic calendar and readopted the updated Local Compliance Plan, which ensures the district will meet federal and state laws for special education and other programs.

They also discussed various facilities updates, including the purchase of two gym floor covers at a discounted rate, which saved the district about $26,000, according to Superintendent Dr. Tim Webster.

“That way we’re able to host events on our nice gym floors and not worry about them getting scratched, dented or scuffed,” Rapp said.

Additionally, the district is seeking bids to repair exterior brickwork (tuckpointing) at St. James High School. Rapp said water issues were identified in the renovated portion of the building, and the school is seeking repairs with as little disturbance to classrooms as possible.

The board also noted upcoming elections for its membership. Five candidates will be on the ballot for the April 7 municipal election, and the public will vote for three. The candidates are: Kendra Swee, incumbent Melanie Davis, Jessica Roy, incumbent Wes (Jon) Gahr and Linda (Wilson) Wischow.