Ladue Schools was honored to welcome Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. Karla Eslinger, Deputy Commissioner Kelli Jones, and members of the State Board of Education to the Ladue School District on Monday, May 11. In town for their regional board meeting, the group spent the morning engaging with students and staff to see how state-level policies translate into classroom innovation at the local level.

The visit provided an opportunity to highlight two areas of recent success within our district:

• Spoede Elementary: Recognized for its growth in mathematics and recipient of the prestigious Louie Award.
• Ladue Horton Watkins High School (LHWHS): Our recently named National Green Ribbon School, where the group explored our student-led sustainability initiatives.

At each school, the delegation was greeted by student ambassadors and building principals Issac Bjerk (Spoede) and Brad Griffith (LHWHS). These tours allowed state leaders to see its "future-ready" learning centers in action, offering a firsthand look at how modern STEAM-focused facilities support student agency and collaboration.

The visit was hosted by Superintendent Dr. Jim Wipke, Assistant Superintendent for Business & Finance Dr. Geoff Macy, Director of Communications Kimberly McKenzie, and Board of Education members Kisha Lee (Secretary), Amy Hammermann (Treasurer), and Robert Snidman (Director).

Beyond the tours, the visit served as a platform for candid discussion regarding the current landscape of Missouri education.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to share our students’ achievements with the state’s primary educational decision-makers,” said Dr. Wipke. “Perhaps more importantly, the visit allowed us to have a productive dialogue about the real-world impact of recent legislation and its unintended challenges that public schools are now facing. We appreciate the Board's willingness to listen to the perspective of local districts as they prepared for their official session in St. Louis.”

Ladue Schools is grateful to the State Board for their time and interest in seeing firsthand the work happening in the St. Louis region.

Check out the Ladue School District's Facebook page for photos from the visit.