New Rockwood BOE President Asks: When Does It Stop?

"After 12 months of attacks on the Internet by foxydrummer, mama bear and others—some who actually use names—after witnessing decent people being hurt day after day, after watching a community I love, and have always been proud of, splintered into a bickering distrustful mess:

When does it stop??"

Rockwood School District Board of Education director Bill Brown, who just was elected president of the group at Thursday's board meeting, took a few minutes to deliver a heart-felt plea to the community the same night. The rest of his words verbatim follow.

When do we put aside our differences and work for a greater good?  When do we say enough is enough, when is the damage being done equal to the mistakes that brought on such anger and distrust? When does this community rally back and reclaim the pride we had for the first 60 years of my life? 

Tonight is the answer to every one of my previous questions. It has to be tonight. Tonight is the first night in a long series of steps toward the rebuilding of a spirit of community that exemplifies what was the Rockwood that educated my children and me. 

Rockwood now needs to focus on preparing my grandchildren and your children to be successful adults proud of their alma mater’s  just as my children and I are proud of ours. 

I am asking everyone to help me make this happen. Everyone—critic and defender alike. 

It is going to take a heroic effort on the part of every one of us.  Putting aside our differences will require a great deal of energy from both sides:  Those who believe in our district and those who question it. 

A popular view of some, is that we as a board, and Rockwood as a district, are not deserving of this fresh start. I will conclude by reminding everyone what is at stake here:  The futures of roughly 22,000 young people who are just as deserving of our support as the many thousands who came before them—including an extremely insecure, but eager, first grader at Ballwin Elementary in 1957 who had absolutely no idea that many years later he would be the president of the Rockwood School Board. 

He would become president on a day when Rockwood was at a crossroads of utmost importance...I look forward to working with you to make this happen. 

Newly elected board vice president Sherri Rogers also delivered a prepared statement Thursday night. She talked about it being an important time for the district. She pointed out the board now consisted of some veterans, some with two years or less service, and some new members.

"We will make mistakes; this will not be intentional," she said.

Rogers said board directors encourage constructive feedback. "This is not criticism of the past or current leaders. These are just different times and require different approaches."