Current Board Members:

• Harley Marshall - President - retired public school administrator and current  church administrator on staff at Chapel of the Lake Church
• Dr. Julie Turner - Secretary - Westgate parent and Associate Professor at Lindenwood University; leading students interested in non-profit organizations and grant writing
• Troy Haeggberg - Treasurer - Westgate parent and Marketing Leader at General Electric
• Anthony Osborne - Member - Westgate Parent - Vice-President at Monsanto
• Melanie Bishop - Member - Westgate Parent - Associate Professor of Education at Lindenwood University
• Randy Boettler - Member - President of Ben Hur Construction
• Jeremy Malensky - Advisor to the Board - Westgate parent and President of Dutchman Realty

Mission:

Westgate’s mission is to provide a Christ-centered environment of academic excellence, where staff members work in partnership with families, to develop students who will know and serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart, mind and strength.

Board of Directors:

• WCA is governed by a body of seven individuals who meet monthly to ensure the school benefits from sound governance and oversight to support the administrative function of Westgate. The board’s focus is predominantly on policy development, financial oversight and advising on matters of human resources, recruitment, and other matters to help support Mrs. Barratt and her qualified staff.
• Members are recommended or may demonstrate interest for membership and must submit an application and statement of faith to demonstrate consistency with Westgate’s mission and values. Those on the board bring skills to the school that are necessary to advance Westgate’s mission.  These are skills that the school may not possess within its existing staff.  Currently, the board has representation from parents, educators, and those experienced in real estate, finance, and general business operations. Decisions are made in the best interest of Westgate’s constituents - its students - in lieu of the best use of available resources.

Recognition:

• Buzz is on the street! St. Peters Chamber of Commerce has recognized WCA as “Best in St. Peters” among private elementary and secondary schools.
• WCA received full accreditation from North Central in its first year of operation, which is relatively unheard of.

Activities:

• Number of activities that easily rival public school counterparts - including: Band, Basketball, Cheerleading, Chess Club, Cross Country, Track and Field, Girls for God Squad, Personal Fitness, Soccer, Spanish, T-Ball/Baseball, Track, Honor Roll, school productions, talent show, and reading and math incentive program to name just a few.

Faith Factor:

• Westgate Board members believe we are to consider one another as Matthew 22:37 directs: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
• The most important component of Westgate’s mission is that we develop students who will know and serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart, mind and strength.
• WCA staff and parents work together to prepare students in an academically excellent way, and equip them to serve God with the many varied talents He has granted to them.

Test Scores:

The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) in combination with the Stanford Achievement Test measures the cognitive abilities that relate to a student’s ability to learn in school.  These tests are typically administered to private school students as public school students are required to take state achievement tests.  Therefore, the comparisons made below are being made between Westgate students and other similar students nation-wide.  The tests are administered in the spring of each year.  The following analysis was conducted using the last three years of test data.

Overall Academic Analysis:

• One of the greatest strengths of our faculty members is their focus on teaching the students to think.  The thinking skills cluster scores are average or above average for almost every single student every year.  Way to go WCA teachers!
• It was very difficult to find areas of weakness in the WCA scores.  The majority of the scores in all of the areas were in the average or above average range.  It is truly a testament to the quality of teaching and level of parental support that the students are performing at such high levels.
• The Board and Administration have responded to the discrepancy indicated on the math scores.  We have adjusted curriculum and teaching methods at all levels.  It may take several years to see corresponding improvement now that we have made changes.
• The scores seem to indicate a positive trend as students progress through each grade level.  This may suggest that the longer students are at Westgate, the greater is their academic success.
• We must remember to focus on the big picture with test results.  A student’s level of academic success should be measured by many indicators, not simply one test.

Detailed Analysis of Grade Level Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strengths:

• Clear focus on Word Reading and Reading Comprehension in the early grades was evident in the high percentage of students who scored in the average or above average range.
• Political Science in the early grades was a strength for the students.
• Math Connections & Math Patterns were a strength for kindergarten & first graders.
• Functional Listening skills drastically improved from the kindergarteners in 2008 as they progressed to first grade in 2009.
• Students had outstanding results in Spelling and Reading Vocabulary for 2^nd and 3^rd grades
• Estimation and Number Facts were a strength of the 2^nd and 3^rd graders.
• Mathematics Problem Solving was a strength of the 2^nd and 3^rd graders; estimation, in particular.
• Social Science scores drastically improved in 3^rd grade from 2008-2009.
• In 2009, all 3^rd grade students scored average or above average in Listening.
• Fourth grade students in 2009 were strong academically in almost all of the clusters - Reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, mathematics procedures, language, spelling, science, social science, and listening.
• Fourth grade student scores gradually improved from 2007 to 2008 to 2009.
• Fifth grade focus on language and reading appears in the scores.
• Very strong scores in 5^th grade for reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, and language.
• 5^th Grade students are performing very well in Mathematics Procedures and Science.
• Reading Comprehension, Science, and Social Science were all areas of strength for most 6^th graders over the last three years.
• Geometry & Measurement scores were all average or above average for 6^th grade students in 2008 & 2009.
• 7^th grade students over the last three years have performed average or above average in the following clusters: reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, mathematics problem solving, language, science, social science, and listening.
• In 2009, the 7^th grade students performed extremely well on the entire test.  They also performed well in 2008 and 2007, but in 2009 all of the students performed average or above average in virtually every cluster.
• Science, Social Science and Listening were areas of strength for 8^th graders in 2008 and 2009.
• Reading Vocabulary and reading comprehension displayed average or above average results for 8^th graders.

Weaknesses:

• It appears that a few of the kindergarten students struggled in mathematics, word reading, and environment.
• 1^st grade students were not performing as well in the Environment cluster as they were in all of the other clusters.
• There were a few students struggling in 2^nd grade on Mathematics Problem Solving in the clusters of Listening and Environment.
• In 3^rd grade there were a large number of students who scored in the above average range of most categories, except mathematics problem solving and mathematics procedures.
• 4^th grade scores could be improved in the areas of Mathematics Problem Solving.
• 5^th grade scores could be improved in the areas of Mathematics Procedures and Listening.
• 6^th grade scores indicate students have struggled all three years in the following clusters: mathematics problem solving, mathematics procedures, and listening.
• A few of the 7^th grade students struggle in Mathematics Procedures.
• A large number of 8^th grade students score in the above average range in all of the tested clusters, except for the mathematics procedures in which most of the students performed in the average range.

DISCUSSION OF CONTINUING CHALLENGES:

Finances:

Debt

• The loan is secured by raw land — approximately 10 acres on Highway P in north O’Fallon.
• We are trying to sell the land so the debt can be paid off.
• Our principal and interest payments on the bank note are up-to-date and we have never been late on a payment.
• We communicate frequently with our bank and they continue to support us.

Cash Flow

• Expenses for this school year are pretty much the same as last year.
• This year’s increased student enrollment was supposed to result in increased tuition.
• However, several families are running behind on payments (approximately $25K is more than 30 days past due).
• It is important that tuition payments are brought up-to-date to avoid a cash crunch.

Facilities:

• Elementary building:
  • The landlord has allowed us to skip some rent payments to help improve cash flow (5 skips last year, 2 so far this year … we need to get on solid financial footing to start meeting our lease obligation)
  • The landlord just offered us another 2-year extension, which will extend the lease through May 2012
• Early Childhood and Middle School buildings:
  • Both churches continue to renew the leases.
  • We plan to eventually have a permanent building that will accommodate two to three sections per grade, but we need to improve our financial condition before we pursue that further (pay off existing debt; save for down payment; increase enrollment; etc.).

Fundraisers:

• Cash donations are approximately $14K less than last year.
• Trivia Night brought in about $3K less than last year.
• Butter Braids brought in roughly $2K more than last year.
• Having a very strong Green & Gold Gala (auction) and Pride Prowl (5K run) will help our financial condition.

Tuition Increases / Staff Pay:

Tuition

• Tuition for all programs were held steady this year
• Next year, tuition for Elementary and Middle School will increase $200 annually (about 4%), which means tuition will be $4,700 for Elementary and $5,100 for Middle School
• There will be no change in tuition for Early Childhood

Staff Pay

• Staff pay was reduced 5% last year, along with elimination of retirement benefits.
• Staff pay was frozen this year.
• A pay increase is planned for next year, but the amount has not yet been determined.

Finance Summary:

• In 2009, hundreds of Christian schools were closed and layoffs hit World Vision, The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Focus on the Family, Asbury Seminary, Christianity Today, and many other ministries (Christianity Today; Jan. 2010).
• Although the “Great Recession” had a negative effect on us and many others, we are in better financial shape than last year and next year is looking even better.
• However, we still have work to do … the keys to continued financial success include:
  • Tuition payments made on time
  • Increased student enrollment
  • Strong fundraisers/donations