The Fox C-6 School District has promoted two administrators to new leadership positions for the next year.
Trent Sauer has been named the next principal at Seckman High School in Imperial, and Rennee Rapert has been named the next director of child care services. They both assume their new roles July 1.
Sauer, who is currently a Seckman High assistant principal, will replace Jeff Krutzsch, and Rapert, who is currently the assistant director of child care services, will replace Sue Belleville. Krutzsch, 53, of Imperial and Belleville, 58, of Imperial will retire June 30.
Nathan Burch, assistant superintendent for human resources, said it is valuable to have an assistant principal and assistant director ready to move into the top leadership roles at either their building or department.
“Leadership continuity at the high school level provides stability and helps maintain momentum,” Burch said. “Leadership continuity within a child care program provides stability for families and staff while maintaining the positive direction of a program that supports many of our Fox Families.”
Sauer will be paid an annual salary of $137,631 as Seckman High’s principal after being paid $113,946 this school year. Krutzsch’s salary this school year is $157,280.
Rapert will be paid an annual salary of $114,468 as the child care services director after being paid $58,980 as the assistant director this school year. Belleville’s salary this school year is $118,068.
Board of Education members voted unanimously on Feb. 17 to promote Sauer and Rapert.
Seckman High
Sauer, 44, of Barnhart has been an assistant principal at Seckman High since 2022 and is the class of 2026 principal.
He said next school year three of his four children will be attending Seckman High. He said two of his kids will be seniors and another will be a freshman.
Sauer and his wife, Shannon, who is an Antonia Middle School business teacher, also have a child starting kindergarten next school year at Antonia Elementary School.
“I live in the district, and my kids attend school here,” he said of why he sought the principal positions. “I wanted to take the leap into being the principal to help the building keep moving in the right direction. We have an amazing staff, a great student body and great community support system. Stepping into this role will help me have a part of keeping Seckman moving down the right path.”
Sauer said he has worked in education for 21 years, spending the first 15 years as a teacher and the last six as an administrator.
He started his career in the Mehlville School District, teaching physical education and health at Oakville Middle School. He then served two years as the Senn-Thomas Middle School assistant principal in the Dunklin R-5 School District, where he also was the activities director.
Sauer has a bachelor’s degree in education from Southeast Missouri State University, a master’s degree in educational administration from William Woods University, a master’s degree in athletic administration from Southwest Baptist University and an education specialist degree from Missouri Baptist University.
Burch said six people applied for the Seckman High principal position, and the district interviewed five applicants.
“Mr. Sauer will begin on day one with a strong understanding of Seckman High School’s strengths and needs, allowing him to set clear goals and identify how he can help support the students and staff at Seckman High School,” Burch said. “Just as importantly, his established relationships with staff, students and parents create a strong foundation of trust, which is essential for continued success.”
Sauer said Krutzch, who has been Seckman High’s principal since 2019 after serving as an assistant principal at the school since 2006, has been an amazing mentor.
“Now that it is official that I will take the building principal role, we have started having short meetings to discuss plans for the future,” Sauer said. “We want to make it as smooth a transition as possible. As we get closer to the end of the year, it will amp up. We will make sure we have a smooth transition.”
Child care services
Rapert, 41, of Barnhart has been the assistant director of child care services since 2024. She has worked at Fox C-6 since 2009.
Rapert started working in the district as a Character Kids Club (CKC) coordinator, became a Building Blocks preschool teacher in 2011 and became a special-education teacher at Hodge Elementary in 2020.
“It is a program that I have loved ever since I have worked in it,” Rapert, who graduated from Seckman High, said of taking over child care services. “I think being able to provide families in our community that child care service that is a quality program as well as in a school they are already familiar with is important to our community.
“Being part of the community as a student, teacher and parent, it is important to me to provide that service to our community and families in our school district.”
Rapert has an associate’s degree from Jefferson College and a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Missouri Baptist University.
Burch said 27 people applied for the director’s position, and the district interviewed six candidates.
He said Rapert has extensive knowledge of the child care services program after serving in multiple roles, and that she has demonstrated strong communication, problem-solving, accountability skills and a deep connection to the district and community.
“I came into this role (assistant director) knowing Sue Belleville was planning to retire at some point,” Rapert said. “Under Sue’s leadership, she has given me a lot of tasks that make me feel ready to be the director. Under the amazing leadership that she has provided the last two years, I feel very ready to take on the role.”
Rapert is married to Matt Rapert. Her son, Aidan Newman, graduated from Seckman High two years ago, and her daughter, Claire Rapert, will graduate from Seckman High this year.
Belleville is retiring after 15 years with the district. She came to Fox C-6 in 2011 after working as an executive at the South County YMCA in St. Louis County.
She started as the CKC director, and her position was renamed director of community outreach in 2017 before being renamed director of child care services in 2023.
Belleville said the end of this school year is the right time to retire because she wants to spend more time with her 3-year-old grandson; travel more to St. Petersburg, Fla., to visit her son, David; and because her husband, Fred, also is retired. She also will spend more time with her grandson’s parents, her daughter, Angela Bernhard, and son-in-law, Charles Bernhard.
She also said the time is right because she still enjoys her job.
“I am blessed with wonderful staff members,” she said. “I enjoy watching children grow. I have enjoyed watching my staff mature and grow. I feel like going out now is the right time because I still love what I do and enjoy what I do. I don’t want to ever get to a point where I don’t like coming to work.”