West Newsmagazine 8-15-18

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12 I NEWS I Magnificent August 15, 2018 WEST NEWSMAGAZINE Contact Melinda for info on how your student can attend Rockwood Middle & High School 213 Troon Court • $1,175,000 Park like setting in front yard. Backs to 16th tees and fairway. This 1+ acre golf course homesite is completely private from neighbors view. Offers gorgeous lower level finish, wine cellar, newly completely remodeled master bath and kitchen updates. 236 Merlot • $570,000 Opportunity awaits as this home includes the adjoining lot for a ¾ acre homesite with a panoramic view and approved plans for a porte-cochere and additional 2 car garage. Finished lower level. 3548 St. Albans Road • $362,000 Walk to Lake St. Albans and the local ice cream shop from this charming Victorian with newer wood floors, front porch and screened in rear porch. Homes 620 Morel Court • $1,645,000 Amazing stone home with auto court, 5 fireplaces, raised covered outdoor sitting room overlooking 16th fairway, chef ’s kitchen, lower level finish with wine cellar. New roof soon. 244 St. Georges • $695,000 DeShetler home quality with amazing millwork, box beamed ceiling, sweeping staircase to lower level, 1 acre private wooded homesite. All ensuite bedrooms, New HVAC and Newer Cedar Shake roof. To see more photos and videos visit www.janetmcafee.com/melindamccarthy Melinda McCarthy REALTOR® (314) 606-2180 (cell) • (314) 997-4800 (office) 9889 Clayton Road • St. Louis, MO 63124 melinda@stalbans.com By BONNIE KRUEGER An eight-year battle for a shorter school bus ride for one St. Albans family ended in victory last month. Missouri House Bill 1606 was signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson on July 18, after a hard-fought battle by the Cory Kraft family. The Kraft family moved to St. Albans, located in the Washington School District, in 2001 when Kraft’s daughters were in preschool. It didn’t take long for Kraft to notice an inequity when it came to school district lines. To attend Washington’s middle and high schools, his daughters would be required to travel 19 miles, although schools in the Rockwood District were just five miles away. The 19-mile trip translated to a bus ride lasting as long as 90 minutes each way. “Logistically, this didn’t make sense,” Kraft explained. A Missouri Transportation Hardship state code stipulation [167.121, RSMo. and 5 CSR 20-261.050] already existed; however, the Kraft family did not qualify. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [DESE] defined an unusual or unreasonable transportation hardship as “usually requiring a ride time greater than 75 minutes.” The Washington District provided a sampling of bus rides to and from St. Albans and its schools that on average fell under the 75-minute guideline. To that end, Kraft’s children did not qualify for transfer. “Traffic conditions and weather can greatly impact drive time,” Kraft said. “Using time, rather than mileage, seems very arbitrary.” Neighbors also affected by the long bus ride kept a detailed daily log of their students’ rides. Based on that evidence, Kraft believes the school district provided a sampling that intentionally would not qualify the residents’ children. While Kraft eventually got permission to send his oldest daughter to Eureka High, it came at the cost of out-of-district tuition, more than $10,000 per school year. DESE’s Missouri Transportation Hardship measure also stipulated that a student’s transfer could be reviewed and, potentially, revoked at any time. And the Washington School District did attempt to revoke the Kraft’s right to send their children to Rockwood, further frustrating the family. After hitting roadblocks with the local school district and DESE, Kraft, now the father of four school-aged children, lobbied for a change in the law. Former Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed hardship transportation legislation several times between 2012 and 2016. The various bills @WESTNEWSMAG WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM Family wins St. Albans students’ right to attend Rockwood schools Cory Kraft [left] with Majority House Floor Leader Rob Vescovo [R] and Kraft’s daughter Alexis when HB 1606 passed the House. were met with opposition by the Washington School District, which claimed such legislation was unfair. If passed, the legislation would have required Washington to pay Rockwood’s out-of-district tuition for each of the transfer students. With former Gov. Eric Greitens in office, Kraft lobbied for a new bill. That legislation, enacted by Parson, is specific to St. Albans and St. Elizabeth, Missouri. In part, the bill specifies: “If the residence of a pupil is so located that attendance in the district of residence constitutes an unusual or unreasonable transportation hardship because of natural barriers, travel time, or distance, the commissioner of education or his or her designee may assign the pupil to another district.” It also specifically states: “The actual driving distance from the pupil’s residence to the attendance center in the district of residence is 15 miles or more by the shortest route available as determined by the commissioner or his or her designee.“ To qualify, students must be enrolled in their home district for at least one year before requesting a transfer. DESE did not develop the language of the new bill; however, David Tramel, DESE’s coordinator of financial and administrative services, explained some of the key points affecting parents and students. “Once the hardship assignment is granted, the assignment continues until the student and any sibling of the student, who attends the same attendance center, completes his or her course of study in the receiving district or the parent or guardian withdraws the student,” Tramel said. “It is our understanding that the sending district is responsible for the transferring student’s tuition unless the receiving district’s tuition rate is higher than the sending district. In that case, the parent is responsible for paying the difference.” While Kraft’s daughters have graduated high school, his two middle-school-age sons will benefit from the new bill. “We think it’s a great opportunity for students to go to great schools,” Kraft said. “This is a personal victory.”
FACEBOOK.COM/WESTNEWSMAGAZINE WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM August 15, 2018 WEST NEWSMAGAZINE I NEWS I 13 While Bellerive hosts 100th PGA, Ballwin hosts USGA senior qualifier By JIM ERICKSON “This course is really a gem … definitely one of those in the best condition of any of the courses I’ve played all summer.” That comment by golfer Joseph Malench wasn’t directed at Town & Country’s Bellerive County Club, the site of the 100th annual PGA tournament. No, Malench was talking about the city of Ballwin’s ninehole layout that hosted an Aug. 6 qualifying tournament for the U.S. Golf Association’s senior amateur event in Eugene, Oregon. Malench, of Edwardsville, Illinois, had just garnered the second qualifying position for the national tournament by winning the third hole of a sudden-death playoff. He tied Steve Groom, of Raytown, Missouri, and Jay Jordan, of St. Louis, for the slot by shooting a two-over-par 73. Tim Barry, of Parkville, Missouri, won the tournament and an entry to the Eugene event by firing an evenpar 71. Other golfers at the Ballwin event mirrored Malench’s comments about the local course. “The course played long but it was in amazing shape,” said Dan Ingram, of Ballwin, who was pleased with his round of 77. “The guys out here have really worked hard in getting the course in great condition.” Ingram plays the nine-hole course regularly and said he knows the layout “like the back of my hand.” Barry also praised the Ballwin course, agreeing that it played long, with the tee boxes set well back. “But it’s in really great shape,” he observed. Ballwin is only the second nine-hole course used as a USGA tournament qualifying site. When players made the second Curt Rohe, executive director of the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association, presents a citation to Ballwin Golf Club pro Dave Furlong [right]. trip around to finish the 18-hole tournament, tees on the par-5 second hole were moved up for a long par 4, making the course play 36-35 for par 71. In the playoff, which started on the first hole, Jordan put his tee shot far to the right into the trees and wound up with a bogey while Groom and Malench got down with pars. The two survivors then halved the second hole with pars before moving to the dogleg right par-4 eighth hole. Putting across the green from the back left fringe to the backright hole placement, Groom took three strokes to hole out while Malench made an easy two-putt par from 15 feet to win the hole and the playoff. Groom and Jordan will be the first and second alternates for the championship in Eugene if Barry and/or Malench is unable to compete. For Malench, the senior event in Eugene will be his second time in a USGA amateur championship. Forty years ago, he competed in the amateur event, drawing John Cook as his first opponent in the match play tournament. The Edwardsville golfer lost that match to Cook, who went on to win the championship. Cook later turned pro and won 11 Chesterfield golfer Scott Thomas displays a putting style reminiscent of one used by the legendary Sammy Snead. [Jim Erickson photos] times on the PGA tour. Among other West County golfers, Chesterfield residents Scott Thomas posted a 75 and Mark Leifield had an 81, and Ballwin resident Dennis Osborne shot 82. Robert Lietz, of St. Charles, also had an 81. Join us for our ANNUAL TENT SALE 118 N Kirkwood Rd St. Louis, MO 63122 Hours: Mon-Sat 10am - 5pm Closed Sunday 314.821.7881 www.RustedChandelier.com August 16 th , 17 th & 18 th 10am-5pm New items put out each day! on Saturday the sale ends at 4pm
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