Last week’s Columbia School Board meeting involved talk of a recent incident at Columbia High School as well as varied discussion on a number of other district matters.

In his monthly report, Columbia Superintendent of Schools Chris Grode spoke about a small fire that started in a dumpster outside CHS about noon on Thursday.

Grode said it’s not known how the fire got started, though a responding official suggested it could have been due to hot items used by the shop class and placed in the dumpster.

Grode commended the Columbia Fire Department for its prompt response and handling of the situation.

He also noted that because the dumpster was some distance from the school, students were not evacuated – a decision he said the fire department agreed with.

“It was just really neat to see how everything ran so smoothly, and they did it all perfectly,” Grode said. “And when it was all done, we said to the firemen ‘Y’know, we really felt like emptying the building would have been silly’ … I would have to say that was my first dumpster fire ever.”

He similarly praised district technology director Trent Mehaffey for his quick response alerting the fire department and high school office as he noticed the fire while leaving the school.

“You rest at ease knowing that the people that are taking care of the children are doing exactly what they need to do when they need to do it,” Grode said. “It’s a good thing.”

Also during the superintendent’s report, the board selected 7 p.m. May 10 as the date to seat newly elected board members Kelly Meurer and Naureen Frierdich, who ran unopposed in the recent election to replace outgoing board secretary Tammy Mitchell-Hines and board member Scott Middelkamp.

In regard to action items for the board, a discussion concerning a land lease with the Columbia AgriScience Association received the most deliberation.

As Grode explained in the meeting, the previous lease with the organization – which is for 73.5 acres owned by the school district in St. Clair County – was for seven years and will end in 2025.

Currently, the association farms the land, selling the crops and paying the district for the opportunity to use the land. These funds benefit the Columbia FFA.

The association requested a 10-year extension to the lease, with members of the board acknowledging the length of the extension is seemingly to account for preparation and investments in the land’s soil.

Middelkamp offered his support for the new lease, noting the importance of support for the district’s FFA program.

“As you all know, our FFA program or agriscience program has really taken off,” Middelkamp said. “This is somewhat of a farming community but not a huge farming community. We’re a suburb of St. Louis, basically. But FFA and agriscience isn’t all about plows and sows anymore. It’s about biotech.”

School board president Greg Meyer agreed with Middelkamp’s sentiment in support of FFA, though he expressed concern about the length of the contract.

That acreage, Meyer said, was originally acquired for possible expansion of the school district. He noted his preference for a five-year lease in order to allow a future board more flexibility to plan should the district experience unexpected growth.

The matter was ultimately tabled, with board members noting the two years remaining in the current lease. Further discussion is expected for later this year, with another seven-year lease possible.

Also receiving attention at the meeting was the first reading of this year’s board policies.

While several concerns were raised about the language of certain policies – particularly payment of the board’s secretary – the first reading was approved with changes expected to be made in advance of a second reading at next month’s meeting.

The board also amended the 2022-23 school year calendar, with a May 23 half day serving as the last school day of the year.

Regarding meeting discussion items, Grode gave a small update for the ongoing facility study, noting further progress has been made with FGM Architects on planned CHS renovations.

Several members of the board offered comment at the end of the meeting, with Adam Hemken urging folks to support the FFA greenhouse sale coming up in May.

Hemken also asked Grode about previously discussed plans to fix parts of the Columbia Middle School roof. While he said the project is progressing well, Grode said he would get a status report.

School board vice president Lisa Schumacher prompted Grode to provide a rundown on school safety following a recent facility tour, with additional cameras and improved doors being some of the items currently in progress.

The start of the meeting also saw a comment from Columbia High School German teacher Taylor Nickerson, who usually mans the camera to livestream the board’s meetings.

Nickerson, who also oversees the district’s sister cities program with another teacher from Gedern, Germany, spoke about several German students who are visiting.

“It’s a great program to be a part of, something I’m very proud of that we have here in Columbia,” Nickerson said.