Monday, March 25, 2013
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: "Don’t let a small, angry group control your public schools. Go to the polls and vote to pass Prop S and support current members of our School Board," says a Chesterfield parent.
“Houston, we DON’T have a problem”: There has been an ongoing campaign by a small, perpetually dissatisfied group (Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions or “RS for RS”), who have seized upon the recent Rockwood School District (RSD) state audit report to further their self-important agenda, manipulating facts and fabricating issues while attacking our School Board, seeking removal of our current Superintendent, and campaigning to defeat Prop S. RSD is fiscally responsible: The recent state audit identified possible over-payments totaling $1.2 million for construction projects spanning the last 10 years, and RSD is pursuing this finding. Not to trivialize this (I am a RSD taxpayer), but for perspective, these potential overpayments, …
Monday, March 11, 2013
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: "A top-rated school district deserves the best school board and the best people to run it," states one alumnus of the Rockwood School District.
As one of the first students to attend Lafayette High, my wife and four children are all alumni. When asked what high school did you attend, we are ready and proud to say “Lafayette High School." Rockwood has always provided a good education, and is rated a top school district in Missouri. Some of the Rockwood schools are even ranked nationally. The alumni of Rockwood remember their high school teachers and many have come back to work in Rockwood. But when alumni and voters are looking at the actions of the school board, it is like a “Ripley’s Believe It or Not." Congratulations to Steve Smith for resigning. If the actions of Steve Smith and Glenn Construction were 100 percent in the interest of the schools, it doesn’t appear that way. I’m…
Monday, March 4, 2013
Following last week’s State Auditor report of what was called mismanagement within the Rockwood School District by some residents, a watchdog coalition group says more changes are needed in the district's leadership.
Public trust in the Rockwood School District superintendent and Board of Education continues to plummet—as do the chances of passage for the upcoming April bond issue “Proposition S”—indicates Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions (RS for RS). The watchdog coalition is a non-partisan group of taxpaying Rockwood citizens. RS for RS issued a Monday morning press release, calling for most of the district's leaders to step down. However, Rockwood's Board Director Steve Smith already resigned Sunday, per the breaking news from Patch: Resignation Comes from Rockwood Board of Education Director Steve Smith Update to article at 8:51 a.m.: RS for RS co-founder Eileen Tyrrell tells Patch they called all Rockwood board members and Superintendent …
Monday, February 25, 2013
The public is invited to attend this presentation regarding audit findings of the Rockwood School District, the first new one in almost two decades.
Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich just announced Monday midmorning he will present results of his team's recent audit of the Rockwood School District at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Lafayette High School Theater in Wildwood. Schweich will take questions from the audience as well. Read previous article: Rockwood Audit Cost Actually is Unknown Says Missouri Auditors' Staffer Spence Jackson, media director and spokesperson for Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich and staff, told Patch in July this audit was partially due to concerns voiced from a Rockwood watchdog coalition group called Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions. RS for RS representatives began a petition drive during the fall of 2011 for a state audit of the district, but the …
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The following opinion was submitted by Rockwood parent Anne Gassel and the watchdog coalition Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions.
The School Board cannot forget its duty to speak for the public. The education system and the educrats who inhabit it are fully prepared to protect and perpetuate that system. There are layers of administration which are packed full of experts on education and finance whose sole purpose is to keep the system running. As soon as someone is elected to serve on the school board they receive “training” from the Missouri School Board Association. This training emphasizes how important it is to present a unified front to the public. Controversy is to be handled behind the scenes so that the board can appear confident and united in public meetings. Where would such controversy come from? It comes from people outside the system trying to get the …
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions reps pose questions to Rockwood School District board candidates regarding staff, educational needs, accountability, transparency and fiscal support as well as community needs and issues.
Rockwood School District's four board candidates—Janet Strate, Steve Banton, Loralee Mondl and Jeffrey Morrell—recently received four, key questions from Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions, a patron's advocacy group. See previous candidate-related article: Meet the Four Candidates Running for Rockwood School Board RS for RS co-founder Eileen Tyrrell said candidates were asked to limit their answers to 100 words or less, and to submit them no later than Feb. 25. The questions from RS for RS are: From March 16-24, the candidates and their responses are planned to be featured on the front page of the RS for RS website.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions members encourage people to consider running for the two Board of Education seats that will be available in the April 2 election.
Beginning Dec. 11, applications are being accepted for strong decisive leaders on the Rockwood School Board of Education. Qualified citizens may apply in person at the Rockwood Administrative Offices located at 111 E North Street in Eureka. Dear Rockwood Stakeholders: The community of the Rockwood School District is in desperate need of strong, decisive leadership on its Board of Education. In 2007, the Rockwood School Board began discussing unsustainable budget shortfalls for 2013 and beyond. Here it is the end of 2012 and there is no real vision or direction for the future; except more taxes. Click here to view the pictures that represent the potential future of Rockwood. The claim (from Rockwood administrators and board of education …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions says Rockwood School District administrators and Board of Education are "simply a strong-willed bureaucracy that doesn’t like change."
“Rockwood District officials clearly do not accept the fact that, at some level or another, RS for RS is a fair representation of the 46% of stakeholders who voted against the tax increase ballot measure this pass April. As a result, they do not value the input and representatives of Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions”. RS for RS Advisory Board – September 1, 2012 Sorry, folks, we tried and, they are not listening. We have brought to the forefront your concerns. We have educated and informed you on issues and decisions facing your district that are otherwise not detailed within the district’s communication apparatus. In turn, you came to your own decision and spoke at the ballot box in April and, they didn’t hear you. We have …
Friday, July 13, 2012
When Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions members confirmed the Rockwood School District would be audited by state officials, they viewed it as a sign their efforts as concerned citizens had been successful...and they issued a press release.
There was never a "leak" to the press about the Rockwood School District audit, said Rockwood Stakeholder for Real Solutions (RS for RS) co-founder Eileen Tyrrell, after Thursday night's comments made at the Rockwood School District Board of Education meeting. See related article from Friday morning: Missouri Auditors Now Call Rockwood Evaluation a 'Performance Audit' She said a RS for RS representative called the Missouri State Auditor's Office at the end of January to inquire if the Rockwood district had made the 2012 audit list. "The answer was yes," she emailed Patch Friday morning. "We, in turn, put out a press release! The Auditors' Office DID NOT leak it to the press. "RS for RS 'informed' the press." Editor's Note: Content of that…
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Unlike Rockwood School District's Monday announcement, state auditor spokesperson Spence Jackson tells Patch on Tuesday no estimated costs for compliance audit of the district were provided. Audit starts this month.
Spence Jackson, media director and spokesperson for Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich and staff, said it was premature to speculate on the costs of a Rockwood School District compliance audit that will be initiated this month. Rockwood issued an announcement Monday, as well as posting on the district's website, that the estimated cost of the compliance audit is $180,000. Patch published an article to that effect Monday, based on the Rockwood announcement. "We're not sure where Rockwood got that cost," said Jackson. "We haven't yet met with them and don't know exactly what the scope will be or how long it will take to complete. Until we meet, we don't have a cost estimate." Jackson said perhaps Rockwood officials based the estimate on the…
Paul Bozdech
3:32 pm on Monday, April 1, 2013
Larry, the schools are great, the leaders.. well are more nonexistent. I believe there are people who are willing to show up and do their best for the students and the tax payers and not for their own egos or Bruce Borchers' ego. I went through proper channels. Coach, AD, Principal, Assistant Superintendent, Coordinator, Superintendent, new principal, and finally the Board. I didn't run into one … more ›