Wednesday, July 13, 2011
In the third of a three-part series, here are additional comments from a Town Hall Meeting held in Wildwood by a grassroots group entitled Concerned Patrons of Rockwood. Rockwood board of education director Stephan Banton attended and answered questions.
Attendees at a grassroots gathering Sunday shared different concerns about spending levels, hiring practices and overall financial decisions made by Rockwood School District representatives. They also shared questions and skepticism about a Rockwood School District online survey available July 7 through today. Today is the last day to complete the survey; click here. The stated goal of the survey is "to learn more about people's attitudes concerning some important community issues." According to the district's Facebook page, 500 Rockwood patrons completed the same survey via telephone in June. Recently, the word "concern" is being used frequently in relation to the district, even to the point that the group organizing the town hall meeting…
Monday, July 11, 2011
In the second of a three-article series today, attendees at Sunday town hall meeting for Rockwood School District stakeholders were joined by patrons of the Mehlville School District who wanted to share their wisdom in dealing with district finances.
Sunday's town hall meeting by a grassroots' group called Concerned Patrons of Rockwood (CPR) included some interesting guests: three residents of the Mehlville School District who attended to lend moral as well as hands-on support. Mehlville representatives were among a group of activists who campaigned against an 88-cent tax increase in Mehlville that voters rejected in November. About 35 participants attended the CPR meeting at Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Wildwood. Rockwood School District taxpayer and parent Dennis Broadbooks organized the meeting in reaction to districtwide concerns expressed from parents and residents regarding Rockwood's recent hiring practices and finances. For an overall report on the CPR town hall meeting, read a…
Sunday's gathering of Rockwood School District taxpayers resulted in candid exchanges of information, as well as representatives from two other school districts joining the discussion. This is the first of a three-article series today.
Believing in the logic and power of grassroots efforts, Dennis Broadbooks' reaction to recent, widespread concerns about Rockwood School District's hiring practices was to organize a town hall meeting. The meeting, which was held at Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Wildwood, lasted a couple of hours and attracted nearly 35 participants on Sunday afternoon. Some were parents; some were district residents who send their children to private schools. Others had no children in schools, but are interested in how their tax dollars are being used in the district. All attendees had one mission in common, however: to become better informed and engaged with the district's future activities to lessen surprises and influence its direction. In the past few …
Joy Wilcox
3:54 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011
As a former fourth grade teacher, I did not need standardized tests to tell me which of my students was learning and which were not. It is unbelievable that anyone would believe that it would be difficult to hire a superintendent in the state of Missouri! The board is also out of touch. The new superintendent and his "consultants" have breached the trust of the Rockwood residents. All three … more ›