001uh good evening everyone uh my name is Jennifer shansky I am with the League of Women Voters of Metro St Louis and I will be moderating the candidate for forum tonight for our Rockwood School District uh Board of Education uh I'm going to go over the ground rules uh for the Forum and then we will just get right into questions for our candidates um the first thing I want to make sure everyone is aware of is this is a forum it's not a debate uh the candidates will not be addressing each other uh but they will be answering questions provided by you the audience and also questions that were submitted online uh volunteers um the ladies in the purple sweaters they plan that apparently um we'll be handing out cards so please write your questions
002on the card give them to our leag volunteers and they will bring them up to me um it's helpful just to have one question of per card and something that we are quite strict on is the questions have to be of a general nature that can be answered by all of the candidates this is not the right venue for specific questions directed at specific candidates uh each of our candidates will have two minutes to make an opening statement um then they'll have one minute to respond to the questions and they will have two minutes to make um a closing statement um just in the spirit of keeping things moving we ask that you uh hold all Applause until the uh end of The Forum uh to remind the candidates our timer Jan here Will signal
003you when you have 30 minutes left to respond and then she will signal you to stop U Miss Boer will make the first opening statement and then we will alternate uh who goes first in terms of answering the questions and then um Miss for Warren will make the U First closing statement uh so with that let's start with Miss Boyer your opening statement please yeah hello thank you all for being here tonight and thank you to the League of Women Voters my name is Sarah Boer I'm a special education teacher a community volunteer and a parent my husband and I moved to Balwin 12 years ago he's a graduate of brockwood schools and he convinced me this was the best District to move to we have two daughters they both attend rocklet schools and they
004have had the best teachers and the best experiences so far personally I grew up in San Antonio Texas which is also where I went to college to become an elementary school teacher I joined Teach for America and came to St Louis and while I was teaching in a general education classroom in St Louis city I discovered my love for special education and joined Special School District in 2012 I've worked with them ever since currently my role is an instructional coach for SSD within the Parkway School District I get to be in teachers classrooms every day when I support new and Veteran teachers as we find the best strategies to meet all students needs this is also what led me to sit here today I want to see Rockwood and or sorry I see how hard
005teachers work and I want to ensure that in Rockwood we're retaining and we're empowering our teachers to meet the ever evolving needs of our students I want our kids to know that they belong in Rockwood and I want all of our students to have access to exceptional learning opportunities that lead to successful Futures thank you My Name is Izzy imig I am currently on the board of education uh I have three daughters enrolled in in uh Rockwood obviously so my story is a bit different you know I grew up in the third world country and my mom was a teacher for 30 years and education was very important in our household and her she has pass time but her love for education is what actually drove me to be part of this amazing organization and
006District um my I'm I would say my my current job is a full-time volunteer um you know and uh for my daughter schools and obviously for the district um and my goal is to ensure all of our children reach their full potential to succeed thank you good evening I'm Mara ver Warren I'm so appreciative of the legal Women Voters who are hosting and moderating this forum and thank you for inviting all us all to join you this evening let me share just a little bit about myself I was born and raised in Fargo North Dakota I completed my bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at University of Texas at Austin in 1997 where I met my husband Trey we were married that same year he was a commissioned officer in the US Navy and deployed out of
007NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach while I studied and worked my way through graduate school in North Carolina I completed my doctorate in Biochemistry and then moved to the Tidewater region to join him shortly thereafter that's when I landed my first teaching job I was completely sucked in after I witnessed my first student have that light bul moment and I realized the joy that comes with teaching I taught middle school math and then high school chemistry and biology for seven years Trey separated from the Navy after 13 years of service and four combat deployments and we began to look for places to live in in St Louis we were hoping to have children soon and I knew and as an educator I knew to look very closely at the public school districts Rockwood was a clear
008winner our twins are now nearly 14 years old and will attend Lafayette next year I was hired at St Charles Community College to teach chemistry full-time in 2011 the summer right after our kids were born and in 2017 I was appointed to academic Administration I spent every working day surrounded by teachers students and supportive staff there's no place else I would rather be my husband and I have dedicated much of our careers to Public Service I have served students in the district as a denm mother C y volleyball coach and Girl Scout volunteer serving on the board is an opportunity to serve all Rockwood students thank you all right thank you so we will start with our first question and uh this image will have the first opportunity to answer uh Rockwood's board has been
009in negotiations with the teachers about a new contract since December how would you build a bridge that increases the offer from the district but also addresses the board's concern you know I actually kind of saw this question come in and I have to say we are in the middle negotiations still so I can't really elaborate as much but uh what I can tell you that we all and I mean all of us on the board would love nothing more than to give our teachers you know the pay that they deserve and we're going to need to work with our state uh to address those concerns as well and go back to our voters um eventually you know to help with that um but our finance team been working really hard really hard to make sure
010that our teachers are taken care of and I do agree that our teachers deserve a lot more thank you I agree we have been working very hard so I did not mention um the the hard work that our teachers do every day that was that was part of my opening statement but I went a little long um I have appreciated every moment that my kids have been in Rockwood School Districts um I will be honest I did not know where we were on the pay scale until this year's negotiations we have worked so hard behind the scenes to come to um some amount at this point where we can keep the fiscal responsibility that we need within your budget constraints um in the district but pay the teachers as much as we possibly can and
011I will tell you that if I'm elected to board I will knock on doors I will make phone calls I will make sure that we have better funding so that we can pay our teachers a comparable wage in the St Louis region so now being on the board um I know I haven't been a part of the negotiations and I know they're ongoing um and being a teacher myself I understand that tough balance between we have to have a district that's able to be financially stable but we also want to take care of our teachers and retain our excellent staff and pay them what they deserve um so I know that you know our teachers are the backbone of our schools when you look at educational research one of the highest effect sizes for growth
012in a classroom is that teacher efficacy and so I think that we're going to have to be creative and we're going to have to have some different ideas going forward um but there's a lot of unknowns right now with the sales tax and all the other Cuts happening in our district to our funds I think we're just going to have to look at it as we're going to stay as a front our community is going to support our teachers getting more money and going forward we're all going to fight for them to get a fair wage and I'm willing to be part of that I and stand here um so uh for the next question this far of chat Warren you will have the first opportunity to answer how will you prioritize diversity equity and
013inclusion in the Rockwood School District and how will you promote a culture of belonging so to begin with everything that we do um in any sort of public school setting we have to be in alignment with all federal and state laws so I just want to be clear about that um um but I work at a community college and I will be honest we see students with a variety of goals they walk in the door and some of them just want to take a class or two some of them want to get an associates degree some of there are for career track are there for career tech training and we serve every student and we see them as individuals and I think that that's how you create an inclusive culture is you make sure that
014every individual student feels like they belong in that environment that you're meeting their needs and that you're supporting them and trying to help them work through any external factors that might be affecting their education yeah so as a special education teacher we say a lot you know they're not your students or their students they're our students and so I believe every single student deserves to feel valued supported and equipped for Success no matter their background no matter what they're bringing when they come to our door so that focus is always going to be on making sure those students have access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive and we're going to need to Foster that environment of belonging we need to empower the teachers to be able to meet kids where they are
015and have what they need we also need to make sure all of our families feel heard and like they belong in the district as well so I think when we prioritize those St academics mix that with student well-being and then give everybody in our community a sense of beling we're going to help every child reach their full potential I have to say as a district I think we're already doing a great job of making sure that all our children are valued or feeling or feel um that they belong in this district and we have been doing an amazing job our teachers uh work very uh hard on that you know um and I do agree with both ladies you know it is important it's important to also reach out to the community make sure they
016also feel part of what we're doing as well um but yeah I think our jobs is to make sure all our children feel valued and belong to this District okay Miss Boer you'll have the opportunity to answer the next question first and it is we are all busy people how will you make sure you have time to attend every board meeting than its entirely that's a great question so as I said I'm a mom I'm full-time job as a teacher and I'm also I volunteer as a Girl Scout Troop leader and I'm on the PTO and so we had to have some tough conversations you know family decisions like if I'm running for this this is what it's going to look like and we are fortunate enough to have a great support system of people
017who are like yeah if you need us to take your kids or if you need to do that so I think really just leaning on my support system and also making some tough calls I would probably have to cut back on some of the other things I volunteer on but I think it's so crucial for every board member to just be a part of those conversations and to be an Engaged participant because our kids deserve that and so I would be very committed to being here particip I think I have made it clear in the past three years you know showing up to every meeting and being part of other committees it is very important it's a very very busy job um I mean it's almost like I would say a full-time job you know
018um and kind of like you volunteer with my kids schools and being a basketball coach and um and other you know places as well it is you have to make the time to make sure all of our kids um feeling hurt and respected and and and it is I can tell you it does take a lot of time um but I am committed to doing the next three years thank you um I have been doing this role for only nine months so I can tell you that uh the time commitment is great but I am a true uh iPhone calendar user um I prioritize both looking through the board packets and also all of the meetings um I've been able to work around my schedule at my own work so that I can go to
019some events during the day which I think is really important that the board members have a presence in our schools but by and large um I've not really seen that it's been a problem to work this around my current schedule my kids and my husband have been extremely supportive and uh I know that when I have a board meeting scheduled on the calendar that they are on their own for the evening and um I I'm looking forward to uh um committing this time in the future as well okay um so for our next question uh Miss imig will have the first opportunity to answer and we're going to talk some about uh District finances um and I'm going to uh this will be kind of the question will have several aspects to it so if
020you uh need me to repeat anything I am happy to do it um would you support using Reserve funds to boost teacher pay uh would you support raising property taxes to pay the teachers more and if uh if there are budget cuts required how would you decide which programs and staff are cut when revenues decrease um so basically um you know when dealing with financial shortfalls you can bring in more money or you can cut requirements uh there are a couple of ways to bring in more money property taxes uh pulling on the reserves um just address how your feelings about those topics again when it comes to Teachers Pay I would say we will do whatever to make you know within you know phys being physically responsible and reasonable to make sure our teachers
021are getting paid uh what they deserve uh what I I think it is time our tax have not changed since 1994 and I feel like it is time for us to go back to our taxpayers and ask you know for that little increase to make sure that it's added to our teacher funds um it's also I mean we also hire the best Finance team you know to obviously to deal with all of this it's not um just us you know that but I be willing to knock on doors kind of like what Mara said when it comes to reaching out to our taxpayers I do think that we need to investigate a property tax increase um our rate has been uh pretty well set since 1994 and our amount of tax assessment value can't compete
022with some of the other districts in our region um for instance Parkway they're they have a billion dollars more in taxes value than Rockwood School District and so if we're going to compete for teacher pay there are very few levers to pull in a publicly funded school district and I do feel that we're going to um have to probably progress forward with asking the community to support our schools our students and our teachers and staff that uh that really deserve this better pay right think to Echo that um i' I've heard and seen some of the responses to this current the current negotiation teacher or parents and families are like wow I have no idea that's what teachers were making so I'm hopeful that that awareness and that appreciation we've seen for teachers coming from
023families will continue and that we can move forward with the property tax increase I know that we have an amazing team who's looking at the budget and we have to be very careful when we look at those Reserve CS as we've seen some toam districts have dipped and now they're having to make these huge cuts and I would hate for that to happen in Rockwood because it's I don't know what we would cut it seems like we've been very careful with our budget we've been very thoughtful with the Departments that we have and everything serves a purpose and that purpose always comes back to the children and so I want to make sure that you know we're definitely looking at the property taxes and that we're just being physically responsible those choices so that we
024don't have to cut anything that will lead to our students so miss for Warren you'll have the opportunity to um answer the next question first um um a couple of issues have come up from stakeholders um and they seem related but perhaps a bit contradictory uh there's concern on a declining enrollment and how should the district address that meanwhile there's some sentiment that there is overcrowding in Eureka schools uh due to the buildings of new developments so how do you believe the board should address those two potentially contradictory issues so recently the board approved the superintendent in cabinet moving forward with hiring a company to do a demographic study and one purpose of that is to look at the future of Rockwood schools and each building and the community that surrounds the building uh we
025do have declin and enrollment there's a variety of reasons um you know again I'm at a community college birth rates were lower 18 years ago and because of the recession that started in 20072 2008 and so um we can't control that and you know our our occupancy rate in the district is quite high so it's not like we have places for people to move in and live so ultimately we have to look at what is the best way to potentially um look at school enrollment at individual buildings but we again have to be looking future forward because any changes that the demographic study um make makes us make could be um long-term the on that I think you know we'll have that demographic study and I think there are some real concerns when you're looking
026at class SI um I know that we get a lot of those parameters from the state and sometimes they are not something that teachers feel like match what they need to meet the needs of the students and so just having those regular and internal reviews and being conscientious of the numbers in the classrooms I think really does help teachers when when you have more kids than you feel like you can teach it adds to that stress and it adds to right know like if teachers feel weighted down by that so I'm I'm glad we're moving forward with some ideas to address that and just keep it on the Forefront and keep making decisions about that I would agree also with oh I'm sorry no that go I would agree with both ladies um when it
027comes to our study that is being conducted right now so we have to wait can see uh what comes out of that um I also think that there's a lot of misinformation out there I know someone reached out to me and asked if there were over 28 students in one class and I know at a certain school and I know that's not uh true at all so but I do agree that we do need to do something some of our schools um are a bit crowded some of them uh we could probably add more students but we have to wait and see with our study thank you okay um so for our next question Miss Boer you'll have the first opportunity to answer that how are you going to prioritize teacher retention through these uncertain
028times and also recruitment so I currently in my job I support new teachers through our Academy program in Special School District and so I every single week I'm meeting with teachers who are within their first three years of teaching and I think and what I hear a lot is having that support system and making sure that the new teachers are feeling like they have a safety net they have a mentor they can ask the questions in a safe space has been really helpful I also know that retention is extremely hard right now there is a teacher shortage going on nationally and we're feeling it in my district we're feeling it all across the region and so I think making sure our teachers are appreciated are respected and are given that trust that they deserve is
029going to be a huge peace in keeping our teachers Rockwood is a great District we have great families we have great students and we have great teachers and I would love to keep it that way I would have to say also Rocka is a great place to work uh I've known the same teachers my daughter now is a sophomore in high school and some of her teachers you know still there from elementary school so I know teachers move here because we are Rockwood you know we have we have a great district and we have a lot of opportunities here to grow I do agree with you um you know we do need to make sure our teachers know that they are valued and they are important and um you know and I believe that we
030are doing a great job with that right now and it's a little I would say the tension is a bit high right now with the negotiations and whatnot and with the uncertain uncertainties of the Senate bills and all of that stuff but I believe things will go back to calm uh in no time in terms of recruitment I know that Rockwood has a couple programs right now to help um basically retain former students in the district you know helping them come back to us uh so I think that that's really important because a lot of I know I I look finally in my years of high school um and a lot of our teachers came from Rockwood School as well so I just love that idea of keeping keeping Rockwood uh together and whole by
031bringing those teachers back in terms of retention absolutely we need to make sure our our teachers feel more valued in the classroom in their buildings um I do think that uh newer teachers in in particular if we can help them feel mentored um give them the resources they need make sure that they have that person to go to when they have questions that helps retain them some of the toughest years for them um and then moving forward our more experienced teachers making sure again that they're better paid um that's important uh to retain teachers in the profession okay uh so miss imig will have the opportunity first opportunity to answer the next question which is more students are attending Community College how can the district support these collaborations supported what and how what way does
032it say uh it doesn't say so I would say you can interpret that however you want okay I think we are doing a great job you know reaching out to the community colleges around here and trying to partner up with them through community ed through High parents as Educators so I would say that we are doing a great job and you know we're trying to recruit some of those students to come back and work here as well um yeah so that is my answer so I probably have some Insider knowledge because I work at Community College so um what we what we need to do potentially as a district is uh look for ways to better um or I guess not really better but um enhance the ways that we work with St Louis Community
033College uh the Wildwood campus is right here within the district they're building they're growing um I am sure those conversations are happening and uh just growing that connection um encouraging our students I I do believe some of the Career Tech fields are are moving into that new building on the Wildwood campus and uh just encouraging our students to take a look consider it and uh I I think that those sorts of advantages are something that sometimes students Overlook while they're in high school and it's important for them to uh maybe consider Community College while they're still in high school and I know there's there's lots of Partnerships and some courses alowing that students can leave high school with courses already in progress at the community college and I think that it's also huge that teachers
034and the school Community validate that choice of community college or even the trade schools or any other choices besides that tra traditional forye College route I think that can be huge when kids hear like hey that's a great choice for me I can be successful here and have an idea of what it's going to look like I think that goes a long way when we're talking with our high school students and even middle school and Elementary School uh so Miss B Warren will have the first opportunity to answer the next question which is mental health issues are such a problem for our kids these days what do you think that District's role in mental health care should be so um when I think about where the district can assist students who who are struggling with
035mental health concerns um one of the earliest one of the the best things that they can do is help the students and the families identify that there might be a mental health concern in the first place and sometimes as a teacher uh it's it's hard to know how to have that conversation with a student that you think is struggling you maybe they're sleeping in your class they look like they haven't uh aren't they're not taking care of themselves maybe there's some weight loss or weight gain and really one of the ways I think the district can help because I think we already have a lot of those support systems in place is making sure the Stu that the teachers feel comfortable talking to the students for that early identification so that we know when a
036student is struggling and then we can reach out to the family and our own systems and make sure they get the support they need at that moment and I know as a as a teacher I've had someone say to me you're not a mental health specialist and I've said that to many new teachers and it is such a struggle when you see a student that you love struggling um but we I know in my district we were able to take a course called Mental Health First Aid that really looked at mental health as the disease it is we have first aid CPR we also have mental health first aate and it really equips teachers and trains people how to have those conversations so that they can support kids in the moment and also make those
037connections with the family I that can be a huge piece and can also validate a lot of the feelings that teachers and family members and parents and the whole Community might be feeling around these issues yeah I agree again with both ladies we do have a great uh resources you know we have amazing counselors we have social workers that work closely with our students we also have an organization named Chad um that actually does they would go to our middle schools and uh talk to our students and educate them about mental health and it's okay if you're struggling to talk to someone um I feel like our district is doing a great job of addressing those things as they come thank you okay okay uh Miss Boyer will have the first opportunity to answer the
038next question which is Rockwood teachers currently have no paid maternity leave policy or short-term disability leave policy um this leaves teachers facing medical trauma such as giving birth and chemo without pay if they exhaust their sick leave what are your plans to address these shortcomings and provide Rockwood teachers with the medical benefits they deserve yes I know um I I don't know the answer to this I think it should be a priority education is primarily a woman L guil um I know SSD was able to adopt maternity leave a couple of years ago and they really I have seen on some teachers faces not having to face okay I'm going to stay home with my I'm not to get CH but you know like I had to make the decision like am I not going
039to get paid or am I going to stay home with my children and that is a really tough decision for an educator to make because you don't want to leave your class because they're also your kids but also you're going to have a baby um so I feel like that should br a priority there's many fields teachers can leave and get maternity leave in so from the lens of retaining our teachers I think it should be something we consider and should do with at all possible so as a district we do offer you know um benefits to our Educators uh I do believe again uh if we go back to the voters and ask for that tax increase it would definitely help immensely um to help our you know teachers and the other problem is
040you know we're with the shortage is also you know if you're talking about teacher taking maternity you know we have to think about bringing this up um so I yeah I get the struggle but I do I know for a fact that we do offer benefits to our teachers and yes we need to revisit some of it and I'm I'm pretty sure that we will in the future thank you I do think that we need to analyze the districts around us have been doing as well find you know some of the best uh best practices for other districts um you know just recalling I was teaching uh I taught until 9900 PM the day before my kids were born and uh my kids were born in April and that happens to a lot of teachers
041where they're planning their pregnancies around a school year and let's be honest that doesn't work all the time um so we do need to make sure that we have a district policy and procedure that supports those teachers uh that um often are just starting their careers in teaching too so that they feel that they know exactly how much leave they can take um that the students in the classroom are going to be put in good hands and um I strongly believe we should investigate this further Excuse Me Miss you have the opportunity to answer the next question which is almost two years ago Rockwood limited Patron comments during board meetings to only those specific topics on the agenda uh with this Rockwood saw a dramatic drop in Patron comments was this a good thing absolutely
042so the board meeting is I mean if we break it down it's a business meeting that is being held publicly uh the patreons can reach us you know and they can email us they can call us they can uh you know talk to us in person I would say that now our meetings are more focused and there are less uh you know like disruption so yes I do agree with this policy I do think that we can uh still have agenda items added to the our agenda within a time frame before the meeting so that's another way that a patron who uh sees that the agenda does not uh relate to what their concern is they can get themselves put on the agenda but I also think that this is a conversation that the board
043can have behind closed doors about is there a forum in which we can be a little bit more open in dialogue with our community so that our our patrons our our families our our teachers our students feel heard and so I think those conversations uh should be had so that we can open up that transparency a bit more and open up those lines of communication yeah I think having a focused meeting and having intentionality and what's going to be discussed at a meeting makes sense but I also think that we need to make sure we're explaining the norms and the rules to new families so that when they come to our district they know what to expect and they know how to have their voices be heard and kind of take away some some people
044might not be familiar with school boards they might know know how to submit what they need to submit and I know it's probably all online but just maybe reevaluating how inclusive that process might be and if we need to change anything so that we make sure all voices are heard okay so miss uh V Warren will have the opportunity to answer the next question first which is um at least one audience member believes that the school board has been receiving poor scores from the community and has been in the news for multiple controver IES how will you improve the board's [Music] reputation I'm a pretty calm person um and so I don't uh I don't plan on causing any drama if I am maintained on the board um I think that that is part of
045what needs to happen I have a very small social media presence it's uh just not my thing to post the online that I don't that are my opinions um so I think that if the entire board can uh maintain that kind of relationship with the community where everything that they are saying is true that they keep the drama uh low and uh again just be as transparent as possible that that will assist us in the future with our score I guess um and our reputation as a board and I think part of it to just goes back to that belonging and Trust um and just rebuilding or bridging some of those gaps that might exist from everything going on in negotiations I think being part of the community kind of pulling back the curtain and
046just being out there and being approachable is going to be a huge piece I'm being willing willing to listen to people's concerns without arguing or without posting things social media that might hurt or harm teachers of the district so just finding ways to bridge that Gap trust and have those conversations I think is a big way to like Mara said you know with social media activities I have also the same way I keep it very very short and sweet um and we do need to work on building rebuilding the trust uh back with our community but with this current board we have had nothing but positive positive feedback so um I do have faith in in our board and when I if I am elected um we will keep it the same way thank you
047Miss Boer will have uh the first opportunity to answer the next question which is what do you think the school board's role is is when it comes to selection for books in school libraries and book challenges that may occur so I know um she the school board basic um because I've been trying to learn more about school boards and I became interested in this role and so really when you're looking at a school board they are going to develop and improve those rules for the school to help them operate for Student Success and in my mind we're really going to be focused on academic standards and those goals and so we're going to make sure we're evaluating the results of the district we're going to make sure what we're doing is aligned with meeting those
048needs and I also think you know when we're approving budget we are trusting the people that we've hired to make responsible choices and obviously if board policies are being broken that would be something we would address but I think that within a role of a school board our job is just to make sure that our board policies are being followed and we are on track to need stent needs do you mind rep the question what do you think the school board's role is when it comes to selection for books in school libraries and book challenges that may occur um I believe again you know to your point we do have to follow our policies and uh procedure I we can't you know go and make sure that we let every single book like as a
049board but we do have a policy to follow and I believe that our Librarians and teachers are doing a phenomenal job by following our policy so there is a process for community members to challenge a book um and as a school board member it's our role to take a look at what that Community member's concerns are and take a look at our policy and procedure and um you know just move forward from there you know there are seven members on the board and it's a majority rule from any decision and so you know that that type of book challenge would require a deep discussion among the seven members of that board and whatever the outcome of that decision that is made uh we all would have to stand by it that's how the board works
050is it does if you're in the in the minority of that decision then you walk away from that conversation without um descent um I will say this that as a parent in the school district I really appreciated the way um books are introduced to my own children and uh so I commend our um Librarians and teachers for that thank you uh Miss imig will have the uh first opportunity to answer the next question which is Rockwood has a department of equity and exess under Dr Cassandra SS is this the department Rockwood should keep in today's political climate absolutely uh but unfortunately right now with all the bills out there and the Senate bills and what's going on in the country we don't know what's going to happen but I do agree that we should have
051this position um available to help all of our children I had the opportunity to listen to Dr speak about her programs while uh I attended one of the uh strategic planning meetings Community meetings a few weeks ago and it she does uh she and her team do an impressive job of supporting students um her programs are completely open um and you know that the the students there there's no exclusion this any student can join any student can partake of of her programs so as it it stands right now I do believe that her programs are completely in alignment with state law federal law um so we should uh continue with those programs and I completely support them yeah I was able to listen to Sandra say as well as she talked about how that department
052is supporting and helping kids grow and achieve their goals so I think when we look at things from everything we're hearing and also from our role we make sure that it is serving a purpose it's serving our students and it's making a positive difference then I don't see a reason to get rid of it um but obviously we have to reevaluate as he live an unknown time so I support everything she does I think that that department is doing some amazing things for students okay um Miss for Warren will have the first opportunity to answer the next question which is uh speaking of the unknown uh due to unknown future finances due to State and National legislation do you feel the amount of administrator administrators per building can be reduced to cut cost I think
053that that's going to be something that we're going to have to take a look at as part of the demographic study um right now we have some some uh elementary schools with nearly 700 students and others with 200 and so as we are looking at ways that we can uh balance that out a little bit better um I think that the number of Administrators in the buildings will also be factored in I will say this our principles do an amazing job keeping their buildings safe for our students um they're responsible for a variety of things everything from a student concern a parent concern um making sure that you know if a school bus is late that all the students know about it you know they're they're running around making sure that uh um everything in
054the building is calm and ready for those students and teachers so I I would really hope that we would look at uh the number of Administrators in connection to that demographic study I think you know we need to be constantly reevaluating everything we're doing to meet the needs of students um from my perspective in the classroom I've worked alongside so many administrators and they're not all principles and vice principles there's all types of Administrators within a school district and they're there to support the teachers and they're there to make sure that the kids are getting what they need that the teacher cannot possibly manage by themselves when they're also trying to manage a classroom so I think we need to make sure that we aren't pulling support systems away from teachers that are really helping
055them grow and do their job and I think we would just yeah need to reconsider to make sure that it is spread out fairly across the district but not take away something that is beneficial I agree it has been beneficial to our students you know having some of the admins in those buildings and tomorrow's Point some of our buildings are overcrowded and actually I would even add maybe one or two more admins if we could uh they do play a huge Ro and they are very important I can even tell you you know the hours that you know work there I see one of my kids schools the principal's car there at 8 p.m. at time I'm like wa when do you even go home it's kind of you know crazy but yeah they do
056play a huge role and um we probably could use more all right so uh over the course of the evening uh the candidates have answered a wide variety of questions and frankly have pretty much exhaust the topic exhausted the topics I have in front of me uh so let's move into our closing statements um Mr for check Warren you get to go first again I'd like to thank the League of Women Voters for hosting tonight um I'd also like to thank my family my husband and my son are here tonight uh uh for all of their support and all of my friends who are supporting me in a variety of ways uh throughout this campaign um I do want to say that one of the things I didn't get to mention before is um I
057feel very strongly about the future of this District um when I think forward 20 30 years even though I'm not from Rockwood I'm not from St Louis I am invested in this community I love the St Louis region I love Wildwood where I live and um have had many conversations with my children about their future and uh wanting to stay in the district so my job is not uh necessarily as a board member as not necessarily just a temporary thing in my head that I'm you know helping the uh the schools and the teachers and students up today I am looking forward to the future and I want to make sure that Rockwood stays as strong and uh as thriving as it is right now I want us to continue to be proud of our
058school district I want us to um continue to love every single one of our teachers and um really quickly I had opportunity to go back to my own High School in Fargo uh in the fall and got to stand in front of a room of many of my own teachers uh from well over 30 years ago now and many of them are retired and it was such an empowering moment for me to think about what they did for me to um get me to where I am in my own personal journey and so I just wanted to make sure that you guys know that I don't see that what we do in every board meeting is just um a temporary effect this is longterm thanks again thank you everyone for being here and thank you
059to my husband for being here as well um but on the other end we have a three-year-old and a six-year-old so we're just starting our time in Rockwood and I I wanted to thrive for them and I want to thrive for all kids so I'm running for the board because I do believe that every student deserves an outstanding education that prepares them for the future we have to continue evolving to meet those students needs and make sure that they have College and Career Pathways that are right for them we have some tough times ahead I think to make sure that we continue to retain and recruit teachers during a teacher shortage and as a board member I would be willing to focus on that I would be out there every day doing what I can
060to make sure the teachers have what they need so that they can focus on those students and decisions and support programs that reflect the students needs I want our teachers to feel like they have Advocates they have Innovative approaches that are going to breise their salaries and they have strengthened Partnerships to get more teachers in that teacher pipeline so that we have teachers in the future with my background in education I have a huge passion for Student Success and I'm ready to work alongside all of you and the board for our community so if you want to know more I have a website ww ww. for.com and I would appreciate your vote on April 8th thank you I also would like to thank my biggest supporters my husband and my children which they couldn't make
061it today because we're running practices as always um but yes U I think that we are a great District to work at and I believe that this district is going to do an amazing work for our students and I already see it and I mean we've seen a lot of positive ch es in just the last couple of years and it's only going to get better um I do agree that we do need to work on our teachers salary um make sure they get paid the pay that they deserve and I want them to feel valued as well um you know I am I would say again a full-time volunteer I love helping our community and serving in our community as well so and um you know being with our our children and they school
062so thank you again for hosting and um yeah please vote okay um so I would like to thank the candidates for their participation this evening it takes courage and character to put yourself forward like this so thank you so let's give them a round of applause [Applause] as a reminder to everyone in the audience it's now your responsibility to go vote uh absentee voting with an excuse is available right now and no excuse absentee voting begins on March 25th at the St Louis County Board of De elections 925 Northwest Plaza Drive in St an uh a variety of satellite locations for no excuse absentee voting will open on March 31st first uh the closest one to he is probably the Daniel Boon Branch Library polls are open on April 8 starting at 6:00 a.m. and
063they'll be open till 7 a 700 p.m. and as a reminder you can vote at any polling place in St Louis County uh you can see the St Louis County Board of Elections website for more information so thank you for your attendance uh safe travels home and good night [Applause]