By Clayton Ledger in Board of Education — 09 Oct 2026

Clayton Board of Education — October 7: Bond sale authorized, Fontbonne campus agreements approved, and $147,800 play surface contract awarded

The board authorized Prop O bond sales after earning a AAA rating, approved two Fontbonne campus deals, and contracted for a Captain Elementary play surface.

Listen: Clayton Board of Education — October 7: Bond sale authorized, Fontbonne campus agreements approved, and $147,800 play surface contract awarded

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What happened

The School District of Clayton Board of Education met on October 7, 2026, and took several significant actions tied to the district's Proposition O bond program and facilities planning. The board authorized the issuance and sale of general obligation bonds after staff announced the district had received a AAA bond rating from S&P Global — one of only four school districts in Missouri to hold that designation. The board also approved two agreements related to the former Fontbonne University campus and awarded a $147,800 contract for an outdoor play surface at Captain Elementary School. A lengthy presentation on CSIP Goal 1 equity data and a student representative report on iPad and AI concerns rounded out the evening.

What the board decided

Authorized the issuance, sale, and delivery of general obligation refunding and improvement bonds, Series 2026, providing for the levy and collection of an annual tax to pay principal and interest on the bonds.
Authorized the superintendent to execute an agreement with Washington University's property management company, Quadrangle Management Company, to extend the existing site access agreement for a portion of the former Fontbonne University campus.
Authorized the superintendent and chief financial officer to execute an agreement with the lowest responsible bidder for abatement of the Fine Arts Building and St. Joseph's Hall at the former Fontbonne University campus, subject to resolution of outstanding scope of work items and review and approval by legal counsel.
Approved a contract with Byrne & Jones Sports Construction in the amount of $147,800 for the installation of an outdoor play surface at Captain Elementary School.
Approved consent agenda items 7.2 through 7.5 by voice vote.

Who was there

Roll call at the opening of the meeting recorded the following members present: Meade Greenberg, Aaron, Ben, Leo, Pam, and Jason. Chris was called but no response was recorded in the roll call; Jason Growe responded "Here." The transcript shows Chris participating later in the meeting's discussion.

What they debated

Bond sale and retail order period. During the bond presentation, a board member asked whether it was too late to establish a dedicated retail order period — a window during which district residents could purchase bonds directly. The district's underwriter from Piper Sandler explained that the market has largely moved away from retail order periods, particularly given volatility over the prior 30 to 45 days. The board member acknowledged the timing but expressed interest in the concept, noting the tax favorability of municipal bonds and the community's likely appetite for them. The underwriter indicated that for the next tranche, the team could set aside a percentage of the issuance to accommodate a retail order period if the board wished.

Fontbonne campus and Glenridge student concerns. After the abatement motion passed, a board member raised a concern prompted by the student representative's earlier report: Glenridge students were worried about being on a college campus and feared no one would know what was going on. The board member suggested the district make clear to students that no college classes would be held on the campus during their occupancy. A board member who had spoken with the students said they had tried to explain the situation but agreed that a more formal update to students would be helpful.

Captain Elementary play surface. A board member noted appreciation for the administration's willingness to accelerate the timing on the Captain Elementary play surface contract, referencing a prior board meeting discussion. Another board member echoed that sentiment and expressed excitement, hoping the Captain community would hear the news quickly.

CSIP Goal 1 equity presentation. Dr. Cameron Poole and new equity and inclusion coordinator Brittany Willis presented an update on CSIP Goal 1, "A Place for Everyone," organized around three new objectives: that school is a safe space for all learners regardless of identity or ability; that the diversity of Clayton's teaching staff reflects the racial diversity of its students and the broader community; and that the district's commitment to becoming an equitable, anti-bias, and anti-racist learning community is reflected in the actions of students, teachers, administrators, and the board.

Willis, who also teaches physical education at Captain Elementary, described the personal significance of the staff diversity objective, recounting a moment at a meet-the-teacher night when a student's face lit up upon seeing her. She also noted that she is currently the only teacher of color in her building, and described the value of the affinity spaces Dr. Poole created last year for staff to share experiences and build community.

On staff diversity data, Dr. Poole reported that the district's certified teachers of color stand at approximately 11.8%, compared to a statewide average of about 9%. He noted significant growth between 2020 and 2025 driven by intentional programs including diversity hiring fairs, but acknowledged that retirements, departures to other districts, and other factors had slowed momentum. The goal going forward is to achieve one to two percentage point gains per year, similar to the pace seen between 2020 and 2025.

Board members offered substantive responses to the presentation. One member noted that the three CSIP Goal 1 objectives are new since last year — a significant change from a longer prior list — and called that out as meaningful progress. Another member expressed excitement about how the district's new SEL enduring understandings would connect to Goal 1 outcomes, including student safety, belonging, and behavior. A third member pointed out that Objective 3 explicitly includes administrators and the board itself, and suggested that Panorama data collection might eventually extend to board members as well.

On attendance data, Dr. Poole noted that multilingual students had an attendance rate of 80% compared to the district average of 92%, and said he had already begun conversations with the multilingual coordinator to examine the data building by building.

Also at the meeting

National Principals Month. Dr. Nisha Patel opened her superintendent's report by recognizing October as National Principals Month, noting that the district's six building leaders collectively have nearly five decades of administrative service in Clayton.

IOTA Phi Lambda recognition. Dr. Patel recognized Dr. Cameron Poole and Dr. Tarita Murdock, principal at Glenridge Elementary, as recipients of the IOTA Phi Lambda Sorority Inc. Apple for the Teacher Award, which honors educators for dedication, professionalism, leadership, and commitment to students. Both will be formally recognized in November.

Sixth grade camp. Dr. Patel reported that sixth graders had returned from four days at Sherwood Forest Camp. She thanked eighth grade counselors in training and Clayton High School student leaders who assisted, and noted that some CHS seniors have attended sixth grade camp every year.

Learning Together Conference. Dr. Patel announced an inaugural "Learning Together" community conference on November 5 at Clayton High School, free and open to parents and community members, with 15 RSVPs received at the time of the meeting.

Student representative report on iPads and AI. The student board representative reported on focus group visits to Glenridge, Meramec, and Captain elementary schools. Students across all three schools expressed concern about not being able to take iPads home, as they had been able to do with Chromebooks. The overall consensus was that iPads are preferred over Chromebooks.

On AI, the student representative reported conveying student concerns about a perceived double standard in AI usage between students and teachers, and noted that the technology department is developing an AI policy for teachers. The chief technology officer indicated he would meet with teachers this month to establish stage one of those guidelines.

Superintendent search update. Board President Jason Growe reported that the district issued an RFP for an executive search firm at the end of September, received responses after a two-week window, and has identified finalist candidates the board will meet with soon. The board will vote on the selection in public.

Community Coffee and Conversation. Growe announced that the board will hold a series of informal community coffee sessions this year, with the first scheduled for Saturday, November 7, at a venue on DeMunn. He thanked Director Meade Greenberg for leading the effort.

Equity committee report. Director Erin Linnenbringer reported briefly on an equity committee meeting held earlier that day, noting a positive response to the board grant parent affinity group announced at the prior meeting, with community members stepping up to help organize events and affinity spaces.

AAA bond rating announcement. Staff announced that the district received formal notice on the morning of October 7 that S&P Global had assigned a AAA bond rating — making Clayton one of only four school districts in Missouri to hold that designation.

In context

The bond authorization approved October 7 is the culmination of a process that began publicly in January 2026, when the board voted unanimously to place a $135 million zero-tax-rate-increase bond referendum on the April 7 ballot . Voters approved Proposition O in April with 89.24% support . The September 23 meeting produced a go-to-market resolution, and the October 7 bond resolution is described as the last bond action that will come before the board — with the bond sale scheduled for October 20 and closing documents due December 3.

The Fontbonne campus agreements connect to planning that has been underway since at least the September 2 board meeting, when the district reported it was in discussions with Washington University about potential use of the former Fontbonne campus as a Bridge Campus for Glenridge students during construction. At that time, no agreement had been finalized. The site access extension and abatement contracts approved October 7 represent the next formal steps toward that use.

The superintendent search is proceeding against a backdrop established in September, when the board announced Dr. Nisha Patel's retirement effective June 30, 2027, and began seeking an executive search firm . The board's stated goal is to name the next superintendent this winter to allow an overlap period with Dr. Patel.

The equity staffing data presented October 7 reflects a trend the district has tracked for several years. As early as December 2020, the district was conducting retention interviews focused initially on non-tenured teachers of color, and by April 2021 reported retention rates for teachers and administrators of color had risen from 88% to 100%. The October 7 presentation showed the district's certified teachers of color at approximately 11.8%, above the statewide average of about 9%, but with growth having slowed after strong gains between 2020 and 2025.

Public comments

The transcript records that when the board president asked for public comments at the opening of the meeting, the response was "Not tonight."