001please rise and join us for the Pledge of Allegiance welcome to the Rockwood Board of Education meeting we would like to thank the administrative team and all the staff and students at Crestview middle school for being gracious hosts for our meeting this evening thank you also to the ambassadors who are here from our schools to assist with greeting and signing in our guests the purpose of this meeting is to conduct the business of the district hear reports about our progress and listen to the community on important issues we want to remind all of our visitors that we expect the audience to remain civil and respectful at all times as the board conducts its business calling out verbal aggressiveness inappropriate language or name calling is not acceptable if the meeting becomes unruly the board may take
002a recess until such time the audience is appropriate if inappropriate behavior continues by individuals they may be asked to leave the meeting if the audience becomes so inappropriate in their behavior that we can't conduct our business the board reserves the right to adjourn the meeting this Board of Education meeting is live streamed to the community's convenience opinions expressed at the meeting are not necessarily the opinions of the Rockwood School District YouTube reserves the right to Monitor and block an accurate and misleading content that process is beyond the control of the Rockwood School District we want everyone to have the ability to see and have the ability to hear the business of the district reports presented and the comments of everyone who is here to speak if you have we request that all individuals speak slowly
003and clearly if you have a sign we ask that you keep it down low so you are not obstructing the views of others we appreciate your cooperation and that you took the time to attend tonight's meeting foreign could I have a motion to approve the agenda okay motion and a second any discussion all those in favor please say aye aye anyone opposed that passes next could I have a motion to approve Board of Education meeting minutes for October 6 2022. second motion and a second any discussion all those in favor please say aye aye anyone opposed that passes next is our first section of Patron comments this section is for agenda items only I will read a statement here before we get started during Patron comments Rockwood patrons May address the Board of Education concerning
004issues related to the school district under our updated policy there are now two Patron comment sections during regular board meetings the first public comment period shall be solely for Patron comments related to items on tonight's agenda which will be limited to 30 minutes the second public comment period shall occur at the end of the meeting order of business and shall be for patrons to make a statement or address the board concerning any issues pertaining to the Rockwood School District please know that patrons also have the opportunity to submit comments and writing to the board at any time each speaker will be limited to three minutes combining time or giving your time to someone else to speak is not allowed only one speaker is allowed at the podium at a time the board uses the public
005comment periods as an opportunity to listen and receive information but board members will not engage in debates or discussions with those speaking other than to seek clarification of their comments a board member may ask that the superintendent ensure that the appropriate staff member follows up in a timely fashion with the individual regarding the information question or concern presented during Patron comments we have a stand with microphones ready so both the board and the audience may hear the patron comments clearly I would like to remind everyone that comments about individual employees and or students will not be permitted in public session we also expect that you will remain civil and respectful in your remarks and if anyone becomes disruptive we reserve the right to cut your three minutes short verbally aggressive language and vulgarity in any
006form is not acceptable whether you are reading someone else's remarks or they are your own it will not be tolerated the board appreciates that you have taken the time to come this evening and we value both your input and your perspective for your convenience our three-minute time clock is ready for our first comment we welcome Rachel Pereira up to the Cody foreign I am a parent with three kids um in the school district I have one at home and I am very involved in various volunteer capacities in both of my kids schools and I would like to share this as both a parent and a leader in our community budgets determine who belongs do students of color belong in our district while actions speak louder than words the message sent to them at the last
007board meeting with a four to three vote defunded programs that specifically address the needs of students of color and is not one of belonging The Love Project sister keeper and programs by Tony Thompson are three programs have been used with very positive feedback and benefit from students and their parents and are not something feasibly absorbed by other programs or educators the programs are vital to our black students in the Rockwood School District helping them to develop their voices build their confidence and find specific Avenues of social emotional academic support as they navigate the racism however however unintended and obstacles of being a black student and are primarily white school district this vote was held with no plan for replacement programs researched or approved are for contract by our board this is negligent and needs to
008be rectified as co-president of Rockwood real which is racial equity and anti-racism Leadership we object to the reasons given during the public discussion and to those given and subsequent subsequent private email responses to parents by board members who voted to discontinue these student programs the board's action is inconsistent with the stated mission of the Rockwood School District which is we do whatever it takes to ensure that all students realize their potential it also is inconsistent with how they have voted on this funding in the past and how they voted concerning other single Source contract vendors during this same board meeting what has prompted this change what has led to this disparity why these programs first and why now taking away access to these programs which have a successfully provided social emotional and academic support to
009students for many years in our district without providing alternate supports significantly restricts educational and social social equity for our black students please fix this next speaker is Justin Dixon foreign I want to start with a quote from Maya Angelou who famously said when someone shows you who they are believed them the first time several weeks ago this school board stood United against the hateful and bigoted remarks made by one of your own members targeting Rockwood students and parents she was rightfully removed from committee assignments every board member reaffirmed their commitment to the mission statement of the Rockwood School District we do whatever it takes to ensure all students realize their potential imagine my shock and confusion then when three of you joined with her to vote against funding certain programs aimed to help minority students
010she has shown that she does not value all students she doesn't even see some of them as fully human why would you take your own reputation as well as that of this school district by allowing a documented bigot to put her stamp on school policy by aligning yourselves with her you are also aligning yourselves with the hate groups that supported her candidacy that have harassed teachers and administrators of color and continue to work to undermine the district's Dei initiatives is not a good look you know it's true that being said I have some questions for the board I would appreciate some answers to these questions at your earliest convenience first of all is it the position of this board that as one director claimed only programs that serve all students should be funded if this
011is the case will we be re-examining our school's music and athletic programs not every student plays football after all or even attends the games what about the gifted program as a parent of two children at CCL should I be worried that funding for that will also disappear because it doesn't serve all students if that is not the position of the board the public is left to assume there are more nefarious motives in targeting these programs second question uh is it the position of the board as another director has claimed to patrons this week the classroom teacher should be expected to fill the gaps left by the removal of these programs I certainly hope not let me be very clear Rockwood teachers should be commended they're doing a fantastic job even with some community members actively
012working against them however they can't do it all it's unfair to expect them to pile more on their plates if anything this board should be looking for extra ways to lighten the load increasing planning time lowering class sizes removing unpaid duties additionally there are very few if any black teachers in the Rockwood School District some of our black students will never have a teacher in this District of their own race have you addressed the impact of removing programs that allow students to learn social and emotional skills from adults who share the experience of being black in a majority white District again the fact that you have voted to defund these programs specifically aimed at the well-being of black students with no plan to address their needs is something you should really be uncomfortable with we
013already knew that there's one bigot on this board aligning with her and the most hateful members of The Rockwood Community to make life worse for black students you're showing who we are as a district as well next speaker is shamia Reese good afternoon my name is Shamir Reese and I'm the current the current parents of three kids in the district and I've had the privilege of having two kids go through the district and I can say since 2005-2006 until now I've seen many changes in the district when it comes to um diversity Equity inclusion and when it comes to trying to make children feel included there are programs implemented and those programs have now been taken away from our children the black children specifically and everyone before me has pretty much said everything that I
014want to say but the one thing that they can't speak on is experience I've experienced the same racism that my children have experienced by being involved in a decent program I had no support in the 80s and 90s so to see a little bit of light and to be given a little bit of Hope from the time my oldest child started this District in 2000 5 2006. and saw some progressions to now have it all taken away it's hurtful because it was taken away and there was nothing to replace it nobody even had the decency to give our students an explanation as to why so once again we have failed the students this is not about parents these parents sit here and they argue and they Bick you and they go back and forth all
015in the name of children when nobody is even thinking about the child did anybody from the board go and say this is why we took this away and this is what we're replacing it with no we we are in limbo meaning black children are in limbo we already don't have a safe place in school we already don't have someone that looks like us so the one thing that we did have that gave us hope that gave us light it was taken away and now the kids are just left in the dark and you guys are figuring it out when it should have been figured out before it was taken away because of the handicap system fails you guys are going to make sure you're to it not every kid and not all students use handicapped
016doors but you're going to make sure that the ones that do need it have it What About Us it's too many times in too many school districts across the world that we have black kids saying what about us where will history change when will we stop this cycle because it's a vicious cycle you give us a piece of pie you let us eat on the pie as soon as we get to the point where we get full you take it away and then you come up with something else later and say here you go and then we repeat the cycle it has to end [Applause] Mr Speaker is Nicole art with freed up yeah foreign I'll be reading a letter from a Rockwood student a black student named CeCe Rhodes at Eureka High School hello
017members of the Eureka and Rockwood Community my name is CeCe Rhodes my name is CeCe Rhodes I am a senior at Eureka High School I would like to reintroduce myself last year on May 6 2021 I wrote a letter asking about critical race Theory and how I myself a black student in Rockwood is affected by your decisions I am personally involved in the Love Project by Shantae Duncan the program provides a safe place for me and also helps me connect with other black females in the school this space provides a place when I and other students can talk about our struggles when we have someone to relate to and someone who can understand this would be a different situation if there were more black Educators working in the district it also helps my mental health
018by Miss Duncan sending me encouraging words in the morning it is hard enough to be in a predominantly white school but also adding to that fact Eureka had several racial incidents and they have them every year it sometimes makes me feel embarrassed to say that I go to a school in the Rockwood School District as I recall isn't the Boe speaking for students and staff members canceling these programs that specifically support black students in the Rockwood School District we barely feel supported by the school when a racial incident happens to one of us I get so tired and overwhelmed by wondering every day if all Rockwood is in the is going to be in the news for something else another racial incident it's getting annoying and repetitive we need a change and we need it
019quickly I think the first step is to not cancel these programs and then hire more black Educators in every Rockwood School in my whole life in the Rockwood School District there were only nine black Educators and staff members in my life most of them have left or retired by doing those two steps black students would feel more acknowledged and heard if we hired them and we brought back these programs I personally believe in the value if you don't see value in something then why do it but these programs do have value it is valuable to me and it is valuable to my mental health it has value to black students at Eureka High it has value to all the black students in the district so all I ask is to reconsider the decision that you
020have made like speaker is Elizabeth Cohen a hundred thousand dollars for health screening kiosks between the stations at the grocery store and cell phones we all carry around those things can be done for free 28 000 for Love Project twenty five thousand for social emotional learning 12 000 help staff actualize emotional intelligence competencies which I don't even know what that's supposed to mean all of this while we have middle schools asking for microwave donations it costs 300 to buy a commercial donation a commercial microwave why isn't the district providing for these Basics that every student can benefit from pardesi the proficiency of Rockwood students in math language arts science and social studies is dropping in all student groups since 2018. Asian down five percent black down 11 Hispanic down 18 and white students are down
02122 percent 10 of our 19 elementary schools have fewer than 50 percent of their students proficient in math those are startling statistics for Rockwood and since one of the board's responsibilities is to assure District performance that falls directly on you at 50 an hour for private tutoring session just the few items I mentioned alone would cover 3 300 hours of private tutoring sessions imagine the real difference you could make in the lives of kids who are struggling academically if you could provide one-on-one help to get more students at least proficient in these important areas of learning education is the key to success it lessens the challenges you will face in life and thus empowers you as Nelson Mandela said education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world during my
022research I was also shocked to see that the average teacher salary in Rockwood is half of the average administrator's salary furthermore it takes a doctorate in about 25 steps for a teacher to get anywhere near the salary of most administrators I respect the need for administration but is the teachers who directly impact our children and they deserve more go back to teaching our kids not to bully to respect everyone to celebrate the differences in people this is easy to incorporate in every class without spending outrageous amounts of money to train the teachers teach about character for that is how we are truly judged and is Meaningful to every student stop asking 100 of the kids to announce their pronouns when it's one percent of the kids who identify as something other than their biological sex
023instead respect those who wish to be called something different and teach the other kids to respect it as well trying to have your teachers manage mental health of kids with gender dysphoria is dangerous they could do actual damage it takes eight years of school and four years in a Residency program to become a psychiatrist who is qualified to treat the fragile minds of children the individual board members major responsibility is to study evaluate and vote in the best interest of all students after the last couple of meetings it was obvious that some of you don't even know what you're voting for the board is responsible for evaluating outcomes please start doing your job uh perhaps we need term limits for our directors to help Propel this District forward by bringing in new views thank you
024next speaker is Jocelyn yedlika there are two items on the agenda that I'd like to comment on first I want to take a moment to thank the board for acknowledging American Education week which has a very long history that I'm hoping we the community will hear more about thank you for welcoming the rnea and recognizing the importance of supporting organizations sorry that protect and advocate for the education profession and in turn our students uh yes the rnea is the organization that advocates for the salaries of the teachers as our previous speaker was just speaking about we all must know the true value of public education and this week brings attention to all of the members of Education profession that make Rockwood Public Schools basic so thank you next I'd like to Circle back to the
025last board meeting referenced in a meeting minutes up for approval tonight I have sent emails with questions and have not received responses and I understand that you are under no obligation to answer questions here but I'd like to offer the opportunity to do so now or during four comments if you see fit these are the questions uh that I have and they're regarding the three contracts that were terminated last week for Love Project Keepers circles and Catalyst Leadership Academy and they're directed towards any board member who wants to speak what was the process used to evaluate these programs prior to their termination is there a standard procedure the board follows when determining whether or not to fund a program what programs were put into place to replace the services that were terminated I feel like
026I'm talking to my kids when I pick them up from school because they don't say anything we're staff students administrators notified in advance of the termination about the contractors did they know board members that voted yes did you know I notice there's not a policy in board docs that explains what the process is to repeal or even examine an agenda item such as a contract that has been terminated via a majority vote and I'd like to propose we initiate a PIN to do just that would one of you board members sponsor the pin and work with me to create and submit it that would be a policy feel free to email me next speaker is Jan sprunter as a taxpayer parent teacher and resident of the Rockwood School District since 1985. I wanted to express
027a thank you for the board members who voted down the contracts that were not in the best interest of all our students one percent excluding a majority of our students that seems to be a conflict of our Rockwood Mission which has been to benefit all students not only that but attached to the contracts are problems such as the conflict of interest on the part of the administrator who submitted these contracts a pattern that a vast majority of the contracts are being labeled as a single Source vendor to get approved not allowing other vendors Biz from what I understand that out of 50 contracts only four got more than one bit and as public records shows among some of the vendors there are outstanding garnishments from debt warrants for arrests and that they are not always
028in good standing with Missouri are these vendors really serving our students or are there other alternative motives are these examples for our children thank you again to the board members who are looking out for our students and making wise decisions on how to better use our tax dollars next speaker is Danielle meard hello my name is Danielle mute I use she her pronouns I'm here tonight addressing agenda item 403 to express my concerns over the three student programs cut last meeting without having replacement programming established the three programs cut Catalyst Leadership Academy love project and assistant keeper were all founded by black leaders from here in St Louis who created these programs to empower students here in St Louis so they can Envision themselves making a positive impact in our community and inside our classrooms
029it's my understanding these programs are open to any student interested however they mainly served our Vic students it's also my understanding that participants experienced a decrease in suspensions from school amongst learning many life skills and other lifelong benefits it's also my understanding that collecting and processing of data for programming is lacking in many areas district-wide along with all of the concerned parents of Rockwood I would also like to see data for all Rockwood programs to compare what percentage of students are participating versus cost of each individual program for all sports clubs and activities including football lacrosse water polo bands Special School District CCL and English as a second language it's my understanding that one of the reasons given for cutting these programs was Board of Education members waited three weeks without sufficient data to support
030continuing the three programs that were cut I think Rockwood should hold all programs to the same standard and requests of the board provide District residents like myself with a full analysis of programming for the November 3rd Board of Education meeting and if two weeks is enough time for the four who agree the data is essential can you have it ready for us by November 17th another reason given for cutting the programs was they were either sole source or no bid vendors one solution is to invite potential vendors in to get a Public Presentation including their credentials prior experience and how they and their students measure success thankfully we have a women's empowerment specialist on the board who could possibly dust off their sugar baby boot camp PowerPoint presentation time to get from 2020 of course
031to teach our community their philosophy and personal experiments experience in Youth Empowerment however there would of course be a clear conflict of interest with the contract contrary to an alleged conflict of interest with the three programs that were cut last meeting which as far as I've learned no effort was made to confirm or deny any imprecially next speaker is James Thoreau foreign I'm a parent of a student in Rockwood School District a sophomore at Marquette I'm reading a letter from a student a former student of the Rockwood School District deer Rockwood School Board my name is Khalid Abdul Kadir I'm a father husband veteran and former student of the Rockwood School District I'm also a product of programs and services provided by the Vic program implore the Board of Education to reconsider eliminating programs offered
032to students like me who otherwise may not have had adequate opportunities to become more productive members of society I attribute My Success to crucial experiences and opportunities from those programs eliminating these programs under belief that they do not serve all students is a mistake do you not interact with me on the street in shopping centers at work etc are my morals and values not endowed into my children who then become your children's friends and classmates how then does my psychological well-being and disposition not serve you our communities our students Etc and vice versa as Martin Luther King put it I cannot be who I ought to be until you are who you ought to be for no man is an island entire to itself and every man is a piece of a continent a part
033of a maid due to programs like those we are in Jeopardy of losing I found the psychological fuel necessary to tune into the lessons taught at home grasp the concepts taught in the classroom and form the courage and strength required to navigate the environment I grew up in these elements developed in me a sense of self an awareness of community and motivation to serve my country that motivation carried me into a 10-year military career where I served honorably as a Navy corpsman alongside my magnificent Marines where we all put it on the line for everyone in the room where these words are read the seat of that service believe it or not started when I first bus to Eureka Elementary School via the bank program where I had the opportunity to take advantage of benefits
034offered to me making my benefit to my country my community my friends and my family as Educators I ask that you consider the data I.E me as opposed to emotions or political opinions and invite others like me who have from the benefit of these programs extended those benefits directly to you our community and our country after observing the data I ask that you consider how your decision to eliminate these programs one click impact us all in the future your student colleague Abdul qadir foreign next up we have superintendent and board comment Dr Kane good evening we will start with um just an update on some some teacher um accolades that are really important I believe need to be shared Eureka High School special education teacher Marie d Prospero Marquette High School physical education teacher Felicia
035Durst Eureka Elementary third grade teacher Elizabeth Keelan and LaSalle Springs Middle School teacher Bergen Toth have all been named Emerson excellence in education teaching award recipients the four Rockwood educators are among more than 80 from across the St Louis metropolitan area who are being recognized this year through the Emerson program they're being recognized as examples of truly outstanding educational leaders and practitioners the Emerson excellence in teaching Awards program is now in its 33rd year and is one of the St Louis Region's most recognized teacher recognition programs helping the St Louis Community express its Collective admiration and gratitude for educators dedication to teaching our students congratulations to these outstanding Rockwood educators this week I also had the honor of accompanying Bergen and her family to the Missouri State Teacher of the Year banquet in Jefferson City
036at that banquet Bergen was recognized as one of the state's Regional teachers of the year it was a tremendous opportunity to see Bergen honored with her peers and as one of the finest Educators that our state has to offer let's give them a round of applause each year the Rockwood School District recognizes support staff members including bus drivers nurses secretaries custodians maintenance workers computer support Personnel classroom assistance special school district teachers and all other Rockwood employees who serve our students and staff every day this is done through the Cornerstone Cornerstone Awards program these employees represent an absolutely vital part of our district and Rockwood wants them to know how much their contributions mean to everyone the Cornerstone Awards is our community's opportunity to recognize these individuals nominations for the 2023 cornerstones award will be accepted
037through Friday October 28th to learn more and to nominate a deserving staff member you can visit rsdmo dot info Cornerstone Awards the Eureka High School chapter of best buddies International in the Wildcat Wildcats football team recently combined to host a best buddies football game as a part of the school's homecoming Spirit week's activities during during this particular event more than a dozen Rockwood students who receive services from the Special School District of St Louis County took part in this year's game they met up and interacted with Eureka High football players before the game ran out of the oversized inflatable Wildcats football helmet onto the field her cheers from the crowd as they were individually introduced and scored as many touchdowns as they could fit in eight minute halves best buddies is an organization dedicated to
038creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships integrated employment leadership development and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental delays nearly 250 students across all four of our high schools are members of their respective best buddies chapters and several of our elementary feeder and Middle School feeders also participated in their assigned high school activities and finally this evening Rockwood is joining school districts around this nation celebrating this week in acknowledging accelerating national school bus safety week we would like to thank all of our Rockwood Transportation staff members for the part they play in ensuring the safety of all of our students one of those staff members Johnny Jordan works as a bus driver and trainer in the Rockwood transportation department he plays a vital role for the students and families he serves ensuring students safe travel to
039and from school each day while building positive relationships let's watch a video [Music] okay you ready Andrew ready all right the best thing about being a bus driver to get your chance to interact with your kids you know and a lot of kids need that you know sometimes they just need a across from home figured somebody that can communicate with other than their parents to talk to them and you know it makes you feel good when you do nice things for them and they appreciate it good morning good morning afternoon Johnny right yes ma'am I will be here in the afternoon I got great parents here you know they just always say good morning have a great day and we love him he always wave at me and they always they're always out here waiting
040I don't care if it's raining snowing or whatever some of the prayers I do this every day [Music] and that's probably one of the more challenging things to the drivers in town here I tell anybody that I trained you can drive in Rockford School District because we do a lot of narrow roads we're doing a lot of back roads we do a lot of turn around we go up a lot of Health training that they get you know they're very well particularly challenges thank you you're not only a bus driver sometimes you have to be out prepared a nurse a mentor you know we're responsible once they get on here they're now the marriage trust us with them and it's our responsibility to make sure we give the school safely that you know if you
041never know what you're going to encounter now these two here that's getting ready to get on now they're moving to Chicago and I really really gonna listen good morning I'm gonna miss you guys it's been awesome yeah no problem that's what I'm here for I'm gonna miss these two today [Music] you guys have been awesome I'm gonna give you one that I gave you before 12 pairs hanging High 12 men riding by each to prepare and left 11 hanging there how do you do it in the back Molly there you go you got it it was a man named each took a pair I love the love in there she got it the man named each took the pair and left 11 hanging there all right [Music] [Applause] thank you Dr Kane any board comments
042this evening I do have one I'd like to make a statement that I should have made on October 6 at the Board of Education meeting regarding my vote on vendors first and foremost I want to affirm my support for the Dei department for Dr Harris and the work that his Department have done and continue to do for the students in Rockwood Dr Harris and I may not always agree but we respect and honor those differences and we continue to work together for the good of all the students in Rockland I hear and understand the frustration and hurt that some students parents and teachers may have experienced after that meeting my decision to not approve the three contexts contracts stems from my concern of how to reach more students of color in a more comprehensive program
043in an ongoing basis while still remaining fiscally responsible to the district I regret that there wasn't an action to have a more positive transition program in place prior to that vote but I assure you and everyone in this District that I will continue to advocate for our students who need these supports My caring may look different than your caring but it's our goals are still the same we want our students to be loved we want them to be safe and to be long thank you any other board coming all right before we move into consent I just want to close out a comment from myself based on our consent agenda item protocol you guys all have in front of you we just have made some adjustments to this to make it a more clear process
044um and so if anybody has any questions just let me know for anyone else you may just notice a couple slight changes one will be the wording that we use we're just trying to clean that up so it's a cleaner process should we ever need to have a discussion on a consent item things of that nature and at the next board meeting you all will see a change in your board doc packet as well up on the screen in the agenda we're going to assign numbers a different type of numbering system to the consent agenda items so that we can reference to those much cleaner than we did the last meeting so we found some improvements there to make and we're trying to make this so just letting everybody know that as we head into
045this any questions certainly reach out to me and let me know at any time so to begin may have a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented or would any board member like to remove any items from the consent agenda it's nothing to be removed is there a motion to approve consent agenda SoMo second motion and a second any discussion on the consent agenda items okay hearing none all those in favor please say aye all right anyone closed that passes next we are at item 8.01 which is American Education week Proclamation I would like to invite Melissa Stein up to the podium up here could I have a motion to approve proclamation of November 14th through 18th 2022 as the Rockwood School District's annual observance of the National Education association's American Education week motion
046and a second and hi Melissa thank you would you like to speak first and then director media I believe is going to read the proclamation when you're ready okay good evening American Education week was first celebrated in 1921 and has been held every year since to recognize the importance of a strong public education for all students as a Cornerstone of our beloved democracy students need an education to maximize their potential and become happy healthy successful and productive members of society recognizing American Education week gives all of us in the district and in the larger Community the opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education as they say it takes a village and we are lucky here in Rockwood to have a
047large Village of support to ensure that all our students realize their potential our parents nurture a love of learning at home our bus drivers are the first and last person a student will see each day they greet our children with smiles and transport our children safely to school and home each day our teachers and Librarians provide students with a multitude of learning experiences to help students develop a strong Foundation of knowledge skills and expertise our counselors social workers and nurses make sure that our students are physically and mentally healthy as our students must be well in order to learn well our custodians ensure that our buildings are safe and healthy places to learn our administrators and School Board provide the climate and support necessary for the Rockwood School District system to be as effective as
048possible for all of its students and staff The Rockwood Nea on behalf of all Educators would like to thank the Rockwood School Board for recognizing the importance of Education in our American democracy thank you American Education week Proclamation whereas public schools are the backbone of our democracy providing young people with the tools they need to maintain our nation's precious values of freedom Civility and equality and whereas by equipping Young Americans with both practical skills and broader intellectual abilities schools give them the hope for and the access to a productive future and whereas education employees be they substitute Educators custodians nurses teachers bus drivers are librarians worked tirelessly to serve our children in communities with care and professionalism and whereas schools encourage Community bring together adults and children Educators and volunteers Business Leaders and elected officials
049in a common Enterprise now therefore we the members of The Rockwood School District board of education do hereby Proclaim November 14th through the 18th 2022 as a 100 101 annual observance of the National Education Association American Education week thank you so the motion is to approve proclamation of November 14th through 18 2022 and it's a Rockwood School Districts annual observance of the National Education association's American Education week all those in favor please say aye aye anyone opposed that happens next item 8.02 can I have a motion to approve the proclamation designating October 24th through 28 2022 as Red Ribbon Week in the Rockwood School District ocean and a second Todd Monticello is coming up and Dr Kinder will be reading this Proclamation when you're ready you ready yep we're ready okay go ahead Dr Kenneth
050okay where's Rockford School District values to help the safety of all our student citizens and whereas substance abuse is particularly damaging to one of our most valuable resources our children and the contributing factor in the three leading causes of death for teenagers accidents homicides and suicides and whereas it is the goal of red rib Ribbon Week and Rockford School District to involve families schools businesses churches law enforcement agencies and service organizations in all aspects of this campaign and established an atmosphere that supports awareness education and an ongoing initiatives to prevent illegal drug use and whereas the rhetoric Ribbon Week campaign team promotes family and individual responsibilities for living healthy drug-free lifestyles without illegal drugs or the illegal use of legal drugs and whereas National Red Ribbon Week will be celebrated October 24th through the 28th
051across the country now therefore be it resolved at Rockwood School District does hereby Proclaim October 24th through the 28th 2022 as read Ribbon Week within the district as well as District support in demonstrating Unity around healthy drug free Lifestyles signed Jamie pass president Lockwood School District Board of Education signed this 20th day of October 2022. thank you [Applause] so that motion is to approve the proclamation designating October 24th through 28 2022 as Red Ribbon Week in the Rockwood School District all those in favor please say aye aye anyone opposed that passes next we invite my Cayman up this is information only he's coming up to give us the transportation update thank you very much uh I got to thank the board Dr Kane all the chairpersons of the board for their support for the transportation
052department of Rockwood it's very much appreciated and I got to tell you it really warms my heart to hear the bus drivers put out there for everybody as much as they have been today because they're really putting it together and pulling together as a team and making things happen for our district I'd like to go over a few of the I gotta turn this on some of the success items that the transportation department has enjoyed over the last few years uh we have received the fleet Excellence Award presented by the Missouri State Highway Patrol for the sixth year in a row ever since our existence Inception of 2016. we have received that every year what is that that is a 90 or better score on your state inspections and in them six years we've averaged
05399.3 percent overall service to the district our maintenance performance is is all done in-house not only for our school bus buses but also for our White Fleet that services our maintenance department our groundskeeper uh and everything keeping our vehicles dependable and safe for all of our employees and our students we have 100 great bless uh bus drivers that we're that we are truly blessed with uh it's an epidemic around this country that everyone is having trouble with bus drivers we are short we're down 72 drivers from where we were two short years ago um and and we promote Community relationships with our bus drivers that was very evident with Johnny's video that um we showed today you can see how they care for our students they care for our families and how they take care
054of them and and they really it's like they're they're kids that's how they are they truly are and we promote that relationship aspect of the job uh we have enjoyed uh repaving our our parking lot at our main location in Wildwood for our bus facility uh it turned out fantastic we have plans for renovation and expansion at our Wildwood facility in 2023 and we also look forward to additional State transportation funding for the 22-23 school year challenges State Nationwide driver shortage I mentioned that a little bit ago it it is a problem it it truly is um we offer the best working conditions I tell people this all the time if you want to be a bus driver you want to drive for Rockwood we take care of our people just like everyone all of
055our schools take care of our students we take care of our drivers driver recruitment we work 24 7. to not only retain the drivers that we have but to recruit new drivers to get them on we offer sound bonuses referral bonuses not only to our drivers but also to other staff Personnel uh staff Personnel of the school district this impacts the availability but with the driver shortage that we're having to reduce services that we've offered in the past providing activity routes for for schools middle schools and we've had to cut back on some of our sporting activity trips we just don't have the drivers to support all these functions um we are very very creative and we are making things happen but it is a tremendous strain on the department um come here Outlook and
056Beyond we have uh we have some really good things happening in the department I'm just really pleased to say this year we have 20 new air-conditioned buses that we've purchased uh um last spring they should or do should be delivered sometime in November uh the district now will have as of November we'll have 57 buses regular red buses that are air-conditioned so now we can support all of our summer Academy routes with air-conditioned buses so not just the little ones will have them but all the students will have air-conditioned buses this summer camera security upgrades were completed at the Wildwood bus lot they're really cool they have infrared and they put squares around people when they're walking and they could you know zoom in we really need that we have a very expensive Fleet and
057and we need that security in our Lots we have an upgrade of traversa software that's being initiating starting this month which will upgrade and enhance the um the work abilities and the and speed up the process for Designing new routes making my routes more efficient assigning students to buses making sure that all the parameters that we set are there the kids aren't walking too far they're not walking uh in dangerous areas so we're looking forward to that we're also implementing a new software to provide live GPS on our buses that will provide maintenance Diagnostics on the Run oftentimes a driver will pull into a school and a light will come up on their dashboard so they radio Us in they say what what the light is this system will actually tell us what the codes
058are so our mechanics can determine right away that we need to replace that bus or is it okay to run does that if that makes sense this these are these are things that um technology uh is is amazing that can save us and delays for students uh we're also looking at uh driving safety notifications and a lot more with the system fun facts we are currently running 99 daily regular routes okay so you got a route and I don't know how many people understand how they work but each route does a tier and most of our routes are three-tier routes that means it does a Middle School a high school and an elementary school right so we have 99 drivers that run 495 tiers every day that's a lot we have probably the most efficient
059uh busing transportation department that that I know of and I talk to all the districts around prior to covid we ran 147 routes we transported 13 600 students currently we have 99 routes through the map that's 48 routes less and we transport 12 000 students the efficiency is unbelievable what does that do for our bus drivers that means our bus drivers have more kids per tier our average drivers have about 63 kiddos on every route that's a lot that's like three classrooms um that's where the Kudos go out it's it's tough It's not an easy job there's distractions their job is to get all your kids home safely they're doing a very good job of it and I appreciate their their uh your acknowledgment of that uh they just do a fantastic job I can't
060quit talking about them so with that said um if you want to be a bus driver or know somebody please give us a call okay we're looking for bus drivers thank you all very much if anyone has any questions thank you thank you very much thank you Mike [Applause] the next item is an update from the coke committee right the coke committee met um on October the 14th and we looked at outlying um plans for the coming school year we reviewed all of the 21 22 presentations we try to make sure that we're reaching out to all those segments of the district all the different organizations all the different levels and tiers so we placed we now have a calendar for the year we place topics on the board calendar for meeting presentations from November
061forward again looking at a balance of all of our students all of our organizational groups so that we we are representing all the quadrants in our district and we're going to revisit some of those topics again I know msip is coming up at least twice m76 there's a new section that's relevant to the board governance and some high expectations for the district so we're going to be looking at that and what our role is and we're looking at really featuring some of our high school students clubs robotics music and arts because they are such an intricate program part of their educational academic career that we want to be sure that we're highlighting them so we have a full calendar that you'll be experiencing at our board meetings we also talked about our fall Retreat which
062we're having trouble scheduling so it may end up being the Winter retreat but um we're going to really dig into the M sub 6 requirements but more than that we're going to be looking at performance data related to the Strategic plan so it's very exciting that we usually do that early evening or in the afternoon it's an opportunity for us to come together in a little different setting and really be able to share and and learn we also talked about uh Dr King's student advisors and how and we got an update on how the meet and greets are going so it was a very very productive meeting and um I think all who attended awesome thank you guys for all of your hard work any questions all right we appreciate that looks like a fun
063schedule because it gets students back and hear from them sure next item is the proposed agenda for the November 17 2022 Board of Education meeting that will be the only November meeting take note of it will the Rockwood Summer Academy be the that'll be for 23 we're not going to have the results of 22 we've already had that right like how many students attended and okay this is planning for 23. usually that information is part of that it'll be part of this presentation okay thank you what'll be different and change okay thank you all right next item future agenda presentations and events to attend Google calendars and the final item on the agenda is our second feature and comment section which is for non-agenda items only and I'm going to read a statement again and
064and we will get started we will now hear from those Rockwood patrons who have signed up to speak about non-agenda items as a reminder each speaker will be limited to three minutes combining time or giving your time to someone else to speak is not allowed only one speaker is allowed at the podium at a time please remember the comments about individual employees and or students will not be permitted in public session we expect that you will remain civil and respectful in your remarks and if anyone becomes disruptive we reserve the right to cut your three minutes short verbally aggressive language and vulgarity in any form is not acceptable whether you are reading someone else's remarks or they are your own it will not be tolerated for your convenience our three-minute time clock is ready first
065we welcome Kelly The Saga to the microphone foreign consent two donations we had can I throw those in there anyway I can't hear you could you hold off till yeah is that all right thank you sorry go ahead good evening I don't really have a lot to say I'm just gonna say what I have here um I wanted to start off by saying happy birthday to director Jessica Clark probably not your first choice of for fun on your birthday but uh duty calls and we appreciate you thank you to those board members who voted down the no bid contracts there is no competitive bidding for these contractors that are offering the same Services it appears to be abuse of the single Source vendor designation I am also concerned about the vendor that was allowed to
066come into Rockwood School buildings to work with Rockwood students while she had multiple active warrants for her arrest it's not black white purple yellow it's how our tax paying money is being spent bottom line that's it for me next speaker is Justin Dixon I have a letter I'd like to share from some students at Eureka High School first let me say that while I appreciate the statement made by one director regarding her votes the vote itself says so much more to our students than the state member Brett ever will it's also worth noting that when kids in wheelchairs in this District were under attack every board member minus one obviously spoke up in support of them why is there no similar outpouring of support for our black students no statements from the board they hear
067that they see that our students know this is a letter from a student at Eureka High School dear Eureka Community in the Rockwood board hello we are writing to you to express our feelings and thoughts about the recent decision of canceling the funding for three programs that specifically support black students throughout the Rockwood School District here at Eureka High they're part of the Love Project by mashante Duncan we meet twice a month during act lab which is not taking any time away from the learning in the school curriculum this program helps girls of color to have values and goals and create Sisterhood not only does this program provide a safe space for girls to come together but allows us to be ourselves have a voice of our own and Hope for Change we also receive
068encouragement every morning and it helps us to feel better about ourselves in the morning this allows us to have a place of similarity and conformality in the predominantly white school being in the Love Project we feel understood it allows us to process our feelings and feel validated with racial situations that happen in our schools and across the district we would love to feel supported by our schools but we don't by canceling these programs just shows us that we do not matter to anyone who works in the Rockwood School District while being in these programs we all come together as one as a unit to support and encourage one another one student said that being in this program helps us learn about our culture that is not talked about in a predominantly white school we are
069very disappointed with the latest decisions and actions The Rockwood School District has taken in the past years with the actions the parents of students who go to schools in the Rockwood School District that have threatened or harmed black Educators or faculty members make us feel unwanted and not important enough although the direct attack to Black Educators and faculty members does not affect us as we express our feelings through social media we personally would like to see a change happen and happen quickly we want to feel like we are important and heard thank you foreign speaker is Jason Moore good evening thank you to directors Romberg Miller Clark and Emig for voting no to renew the contract of sisters helping each other reach a higher height Shira but the revelations of poor management of that Organization
070no bid contracts discovery of a conflict of interest concern to the executive director of student services with that organization I would have thought that it would have created a 7-0 vote on October 6 to end the relationship unfortunately that is not the case having said this I am very happy that the force stood up and correctly put so much focus on fiscal responsibility and ethics on behalf of us the taxpayers I believe this puts us on the right path of proper oversight of Rockwood funds going forward as it should be it should have been all along I would like to request that a full audit even a forensic ought to be performed on all contracts Rockford has entered into over the last five or six years or even Beyond to ensure all funds and contracts
071are accounted for and proper procedures like engaging a bid process have been performed as the rules and laws mandate I'd like to have an outside firm be hired to form this audit to avoid any potential conflict of interest concerns there could be no more shortcuts like has been exposed in this affair and there must be consequences if there was any intentional or unintentional oversights discovered entering these contracts as an aside Madam president I'd like to ask why the second speaker tonight wasn't gaveled down for his abusive language directed at one of the directors it is concerning that your directions and warnings to speakers to show respect were violated yet your gavel remains silent in order to ensure Equitable I.E equal outcomes treatment of all attendees of these meetings that you hold all to account who
072violate the rules you clearly explain I trust this will be the last time this type of clear violation will be allowed that these will be addressed moving forward addressed appropriately moving forward per your rules director Clark happy birthday thank you [Applause] next speaker is Amy Krebs good evening I want to begin by thanking the board voting against the three contracts last board meeting I agree that they don't serve all of Rockwood students first one in particular was doing empowerment work in our Rockwood buildings with our Rockwood students while she had multiple warrants for her arrest because she didn't show up for the for court or pay the fines for expired license plates and expired driver's license speeding and not having Insurance on her vehicle how does this happen didn't anyone check her background when you
073have a warrant for your arrest you can be arrested the next time you're pulled over that would be a terrible image for our students to see she also has multiple court orders against her to pay debts that she owes I won't go on and on about her struggles but how is this person the best person to empower our teenage girls of color how is she the best one to teach them entrepreneurship and personal development you don't know that because you didn't get bids from other companies to compare even more disturbing this vendor started getting contracts while the director of a Rockwood Department was on the board of directors for her company and his Department submitted the contracts to you for her isn't that a conflict of interest or at least something he should have shared
074with you since you were voting on those contracts all three companies you rejected last meeting provide empowerment to students but they were all categorized as single Source funders that's supposed to mean they're the only company that provides that service they can't all be single Source vendors if they all do the same things I would like to ask that you take a closer look from now on at contracts that say they are single Source vendors because when you don't get other bids we taxpayers have no way of knowing if the service we are paying for was the best quality or the best price the second reason I don't think the companies you rejected were serving students the programs have nothing to do with academics and academics are low right now according to the latest data the
075most recent data available from Dusty shows that 13 of Rockwood's black students are proficient or above in math 16 percent are proficient or above in science and just 24 percent are proficient in English language arts I'm hearing these programs are taking place during AC Labs at our schools AC labs are times during our school day that students can get help from their teachers on work or homework talking about entrepreneurship or personal development and AC Labs is taking important time away from core subjects and academics you don't get better at math by talking about feelings you get better at math by doing math I'm also concerned about these programs that exclude thank you next speaker is omoy ehmar I apologize if I did not say that right good evening my name is Amoy ahemarie and I'm
076a senior at Marquette High School I'm here today to address the Motions made in agenda item 8.04 during during the October 6 meeting with a 4-3 vote three organizations intended to encourage Empower and provide a welcoming space for black students who voted to be discontinued seeing these organizations struck down was truly disheartening from a personal standpoint I've been in the district since third grade and as a female black student I got to learn how to best present myself in a predominantly white setting from a young age I came to realize that I needed to work harder than some of my peers in order to earn respect or to be taken seriously pressure mounted on me to achieve a respectable standard both academically and socially since I felt innately out of place in some of my
077classes I remember feeling like this the most in Middle School in this very building fortunately I've matured and taken strides to challenge myself in ways that makes me stronger and a better student I've also come to realize my privilege I'm privileged to be standing here and voicing my opinions in front of you right now so that I know that not everyone has the opportunity to share their voice on this additionally I appreciate and acknowledge the steps taken by the district to help disadvantaged students already but it's important to also recognize that for many students this is not enough you can transport a child to school but are you truly looking out for the best interest of the child if you're not doing everything in your power to make sure that they feel included and respected
078this is why I feel like it's so important that the three programs that were voted against the Love Project sister keeper and Catalyst Leadership Academy in circles are so integral and necessary for the students of Rockwood if anything resonates with you tonight I really want to encourage the board to think in the best interests of the students first yes I understand that budgeting is an important factor in that there's a tendency to only act in ways that will provide benefits to all students however in a district composes students from a myriad of different and distinct and unique backgrounds a one-size-fits-all solution that empowers all students may never truly be attainable but through empowering programs more confidence can be instilled in black students which is translate to improved academic performance improve Student Success and most importantly
079an improved sense of belonging part of the district's mission statement is that we do whatever it takes to ensure all students realize their potential so as a student as an advocate and most importantly as a black girl I sincerely hope that even after I leave this District black students will have a resourceful outlet that highlights their true potential I sincerely hope that like me the board members recognize the privilege they have in their current positions and use it to incite me to change thank you [Applause] next speaker is Sally Nichols foreign good evening my name is Sally Nichol I use she her pronouns I'm a Rockwood parent given the failure of proposition P this past spring it is reasonable that we may need to tighten our belts so to speak and evaluate expenditures to find
080places to reduce costs thus it may be reasonable to consider reviewing single Source vendor contracts and evaluating if requesting multiple bids may offer an opportunity for savings it is not reasonable to Target three relatively small contracts that serve a minority and historically underserved population while passing without question other contracts that similarly aren't intended to directly support all students it may be reasonable to review outsourced services and evaluate if bringing them in-house could offer savings or could be more effective at reaching more students it is not reasonable to cancel outsourced service contracts without having a replacement plan ready or at least having researched the feasibility of potential replacements I'd fall over and shock if the district had canceled the contract with first student before having determined a budget and a plan for purchasing buses hiring drivers
081and managing our transportation services internally reasonable is not the r word that describes the impact of the decision on October 6th when you made a motion to pull these vetted programs from the consent agenda and then you voted against them you may have thought you were being reasonable reasonable is not the r word that fits the only contracts that were questioned were ones that serve our black students reasonable is not the impact you had the impact was harmed to our students and our community specifically to our black students reasonable is not the r word that fits we're all human we make mistakes what defines our character is what we do after the mistake directors I call on you to address the mistake made in singling out those three contracts you have the power to make
082it right do it needs to be done so the programs can be returned to support our students correct the harm done and going forward actually be reasonable as opposed to racist in your approach to reviewing contracts and programs and looking for cost savings ensure that the policies and procedures for determining which programs should be subject to review do not disproportionately affect minority and historically underserved groups thank you next speaker is Clarice across good evening my name is Clarice cross and I'm a senior at Marquette High School I've been in the Rockwood School District since my kindergarten year and personally I have never felt like I have belonged never felt like I had someone to go to for the fact that I've never had a black teacher or anyone to come to my safety I've always
083been left out of certain things and my white peers were able to do these programs are important for children and girls like me who need somewhere to belong somewhere to talk about their emotional and mental well-being I'm a part of the Dei committee at my school and I'm also part of sisterkeeper I know Tracy Barry McGee personally as she is a close family friend and my aunts as well Yolanda Langford is a part of this amazing non-profit organization I volunteered helped and worked with the girls that are in Sister keeper and they're amazing it is not only for black women for young black women is for women of all color all race all size and if you would actually look and do your research you would know this if you go on the website you'll
084see as Tracy takes a selfie with women of all colors shapes and sizes these programs if you there are some with warrants yes people have different backgrounds but not all people are bad that are trying to help these kids Tracy is a licensed therapist and she has helped me personally a lot and I know she has helped other women a lot and yes some kids struggle more than others in certain subjects personally I am privileged to have the help that I need with my studies other kids do not and one of the most important things you need to even be able to study to be doing many different things is your mental well-being because it will affect your grades as I have personal experience with it and is it from racism is it from different
085things maybe but the reason these programs are needed for schools is because your demographics are going to continuously go down if these kids mental health don't get better and that is the main reason that you need these programs to help your demographics to help these kids because the funding the funding for these programs are so much less than Athletics programs than not all kids use so you need to rethink this decision and think about kids mental well-being before you think about your own [Applause] next speaker is Elizabeth Cohen I would like to request the director who was removed from her committee's be placed back on her committees she was elected by people who want her diversity of thought to count you may not like the way she expresses her thoughts but that's kind of the
086point of diversity isn't it she was she explained that she was not making disparaging remarks against kids she she explained her words um she didn't word it the way you might have but remember just like many of our students she didn't grow up in white West County uh but that September meeting was an embarrassment it was a roast um we've been told repeatedly that we can't have access to information about what happens to employees who instruct our teachers to lie to parents employees who have multiple DUIs we're not even allowed to mention one of your names in the public forum yet you plastered your spin on what happened all over and not a single mention of her clarification about her intent it's an email in an email to everyone you said it publicly at the
087meeting and it's posted on the district website and enough is enough 10 of Rockwood students likely identify more with Jessica's life story than with any of yours and they deserve a voice on the board I've heard a lot about teachers of color but so but we've taken the the person you know one of the people of color off of committees so I just really don't see how that that connects also I was going to say that it's disappointing it took a law for graphic sex novels to be removed from our schools the reason the law was passed is because you were blatantly wrong to give children access to that kind of material in our Public Schools any parent who feels those books are important for their child then check them out for free and one
088of our amazing branches at the St Louis Library none of us ever asked for the books to be banned just removed from our schools the argument that the internet the kids have access to these days gives them access to all this anyway is ridiculous it's easy to get drugs should we provide them kids drink anyway should we provide it and let them drink in our home so they can do it safely no that teaches that it is acceptable some of us do still attempt to keep our kids away from the dangerous stuff as much as possible it is not my problem if you are a parent who doesn't teachers talking about sexual orientation must stop some of the stuff happening in our schools would get you fired if you said them in the break room
089at your job we've been showing up for three years trying to explain these concerns and it continues to fall on deaf ears I keep hearing that most the feedback you get is in support of many of these things most of us are busy being parents teaching our kids morals helping them with their social problems managing their physical health and keeping watch over their mental health we are the ones who don't want the school to be anything but a school for our kids perhaps the vocal parents the ones who have time to send you multiple emails in support of your controversial decisions have the time because they're the same ones who expect the school to parent their kids and if you didn't like me standing up here for six minutes tonight talking I actually really recommend
090that you you have to pick which one you should speak at because we're supposed to have three minutes in a night Tech speaker is Audrey Dean I'm here to thank Izzy and the other board members who have stated who have started looking more closely at the category of consent agenda items it has been sent at a prior meeting that discussing these items or contracts during the meeting is considered theater well I tend to disagree you see to me instead it's a great step towards transparency to the residents of Rockwood when all of these items are pumped together for approval and the consent agenda items it is easy for the residents to be unaware of what's going to get approved it is even easy to have the board members unaware of what is being approved it
091became apparent that some board members might have neglected their due diligence in looking into each item that they are improving it makes me think what else in the past got approved under the consent agenda items renewal of contracts should be looked at in a lens of did the vendor provide those Services promises promised and have an evaluation process that proved that this happened the Board needs to have this provided to them before approving the renewal of the contract before years go by not knowing that the service should continue for the members that voted down the contracts recently I would venture to say that it doesn't mean that you are against providing these Services as this Rumble talked about it doesn't to this specific portion of Rockwood students but that you are against the use of
092those businesses or those services this might require the student service department to search for other reputable businesses to do the work or to have the department of student services along with Dei counseling and guidance social services and professional development departments provide the services themselves the last meeting a board member spoke on the incredible rank of Rockwood he emphasized that we should remember that yes we should but I would also add that it takes work for those rankings and I and that includes vetting outside services and not turning a blind eye to questionable contracts it seems that the board has the responsibility to look into every contract up for approval or renewal do this doing this is not a form of theater it is due diligence which health Rock would stay highly ranked personally I approach
093I appreciate the role some of the directors have taken that provides transparency to Rockwood residents next speaker is Jan spermer empowerment make someone stronger and more confident especially in controlling their life it makes people feel valued and appreciated which Fosters I have both a positive work environment from being in the various Rockwood schools I witnessed that this is already being done by our teachers counselors volunteers bus drivers secretary substitutes kitchen employees and even other students so I asked why do we need these vendors that we are paying huge amounts to do what is already evident in our school for all students I witnessed this personally I substitute and I see students support their friends yes just yesterday a student's feelings was hurt from a simple game immediately several other classmates circled her and tried to
094find out what happened I just watched to see how they would handle the situation they were able to call they were able to calm her and even encouraged and cheered for her that's a result of teaching and modeling in the classroom School environments I also see teachers interact with their students who respect and them at times students will ask for the counselor they feel free to go and share their concerns they trust their counselors to listen and offer advice I was asked to be a building sub last week I worked with a student in math we worked hard and he shared with me what his dad does when he succeeds so he taught me this special hand clap that's empowerment students will open up with people they know and trust empowerment is all about relationships
095that is what's special about high schoolers students are made to feel welcome and are empowered by those around them I was in a classroom just yesterday and I asked a mixed group of students who or what empowers them listen to what our students said my teachers because they made me feel they make me feel good about myself and give me compliments doing good in school soccer teachers family friends visiting my mom I love her and she makes me feel so good I love you Mom my best friend Stella she always makes me feel good about myself and giving me confidence she always makes me have a smile on my face she is so sweet I get empowerment by myself by talking cause positive self-ups and being kind to others because that makes me feel kind
096and strong my animating skills I know and my friends and family my family because they make me feel safe and I know that they care about me my dance instructor teacher as you see it's teachers friends parents family siblings interesting isn't it not so sure we need to spend money on outside vendors let's capitalize on what's already in place thank you next speaker is Jocelyn yet foreign okay so I did speak during the agenda comments and I will also make it very awkward today because I during this round because I'm going to ask of you for a response um I have distributed just so everybody knows it's the Rockwood educational Equity Proclamation it is on board docs anybody can have access to it I've given it to the board before and um the educational Equity
097Proclamation was put into place in 2020 and it was reaffirmed in 2021 and I am asking today for a motion to take place at this meeting to reaffirm the Equity educational Equity Proclamation because we need it there have been a lot of things that have happened recently that have called into question what rock would really means by educational equity um and I feel like as a district we've been very reactive and responsive to what has happened but two years ago or more we put into place this standard of what we really mean by equity and I think that there's some confusion with our community between equality and Equity the quality means everybody gets mistakes Equity means everybody gets exactly what they need to succeed and that is what our mission state is we do whatever
098it takes to ensure all students realize their potential so before you I put the proclamation guys didn't do it again this year I get it um there's a pause maybe not a pause we're evaluating Dei initiatives um we're stopping contracts that we have questions about I get it but it all points to one thing where is the equity and where do you stay in the world so I will pause for a moment and ask will any of the directors vice president president put forward emotion to reaffirm the proclamation tonight we have two new board members and a new superintendent and you guys should be included to director Romberg I would just make a statement this is we have an updated draft that we did just currently read several um September and so this is a
099we have a revised wrap that's newer than this one okay um so I know my time is up can I clarify everyone on the board has signed and reaffirmed the educational I think your time is up Jocelyn thank you I know there was some discussion thank you you're awesome next speaker is Marcy McCrary oh Lord I'd like to thank you for the thankless job that you guys do and all that high pay we give you um I have two things I'd like to address the board for I'd like to speak to you about Nea I'm asking the board to make some changes and Lockwood's current agreement within EA Nea current their current agreement is a pay-to-play policy Nea negotiates contracts for all teachers but if you don't pay the runways unreasonably High membership dues you
100do not get a vote on your future like livelihood this policy disenfranchises a large portion and perhaps even a majority of teachers from having any control over their working conditions I'm not opposed to Anya negotiating but accountability to all teachers has to be part of the contract with internet and that will only happen if every teacher gets a vote the second thing I'd like to talk about is the elephant in the room and it's the one that's been here for years Rockwood needs to redistrict Rockwood equitably equitably distributes fund to schools based on student population but you cannot put a price on time currently the disparity of students student distribution is inequity of the three West County middle schools that have two teams per grade level Rockwood Valley has 770 students Wildwood has 606 and
101LaSalle Springs has 902. you may argue that LaSalle has a half team and that is but that is just one teacher for one grade level that teaches two subjects money won't buy one-on-one money won't buy one on one time from a teacher a teacher with a 13 to 1 ratio versus a 22 to 1 ratio and offer so much more in personalized instruction for obvious reasons LaSalle currently ranks in the top 30 percent of Missouri schools where our counterparts are in the top 10 percent according to the public schools review our Halls are full our cafeteria that's all Eureka is probably the only quadrant that will continue to grow bigger and bigger LaSalle is a really good school but redistricting can make it great as a parent if I was looking for a private school
102of experience in a public school I would really consider Rockwood Valley and Salvage because of those numbers thank you again for your time tax speaker is Sloan Cowell [Applause] hello my name is Sloane Powell I'm a Rockwood parents I want to start with a hypothetical situation Parkway Central High School has a large population of Jewish children the school decides to have extra information disseminated in various classes about the Holocaust parents who are Holocaust deniers flood the administration's email about how they do not want this information taught not only to their children but to all children how much Credence should the school give these parents in another situation there are parents who believe that the Earth is flat and want all teaching related to planet Earth removed from the curriculum does the school need to honor
103this request what if there was a parent who didn't believe in the theory of gravity and wanted students to jump off of buildings to prove this my point is at what point does the administration and the school board draw a line and say that they are not going to give into the demands of extremist parents we all know that there are several racist parents in Rockwood I would hope that the school board would consider their opinions as they would the opinions of Holocaust deniers and flat earthers thank you Tech speaker is Gary weigert my name is Gary wigert I'm a Wildwood resident first I want to thank the four four members who voted for the October 6th vote I'm glad to see conservatives voting together what I want to talk about today was gender confusion
104and what is what is discussed with gender confusion is not necessarily taught in schools but fostered by the schools not only here but in other schools so I was a police officer for 35 years in the city of St Louis and what just happened there recently is a Cadet went through the academy um and like the folks here probably all did you run you run you run your mile when you're done you take a shower this Cadet identified as a female and he goes into the female room or female bathroom and showers and what happened was the females in the academy quit and this is what happens and I think we are the the point of the spear here in schools we are have to be out front and stop this because what we do
105not only in this school but in other schools is we Foster this and I think this needs to come to a stop because it's really not fair especially to those policewoman who had to quit so thank you very much for listening next speaker is Candace Carter good evening Board of Education and parents this past week I have read watched and researched about what is going on in Rockwood specifically with our social emotional learning and diversity equity and inclusion areas I want to start by plagiarizing a little bit and asking for some forgiveness in advance I want you all to take a minute and use your imaginations with me imagine there's a goose in a bottle how would you get the goose out of the bottle without breaking the bottle think about it for the next
106two minutes as I share with you my thoughts I have a question for all of you here how are the children the most fierce tribe in Africa the Messiah tribe used to greet each other with this question well I know we are not African nor are we Messiah I want to tell you how they would respond their response would be the children are well I have spent much time contemplating what I was going to speak about tonight because like most people here I have an opinion but like my old southern grandmother used to tell me before she died opinions are like armpits we all have one and sometimes they stink well that is the PC version but we get the point when they would ask how are the children their question was related to all
107of the children they didn't single out how are your children but how are the communities children they knew that the children were the future of the communities so if one child needs the community should provide last board meeting four of our seven directors voted no on three contracts that support a small part of our student body one board member even had the audacity to respond to a parent accusing the a Rockwood employee of misappropriation of funds which without adequate proof is a pretty hefty accusation and defamation of character by the board voting these three contracts Dion we are in essence telling these students they don't matter there's not significant if any of our students are hurting our community is hurting Society is hurting so back to that initial question how do you get the goose
108out of the bottle the answer is the goose was never in the bottle you imagined it you put it in the bottle so let's all imagine the answer to the question how are the children is the answer is that the children are well and see how amazing community and District how amazing our community and our district can become I got the idea for this from a tedx talk by a Rockwood employee who is super amazing it is crazy to me this employee had foresight three years ago to have this conversation and it's still so valid today thank you next speaker is Sandra to tanoi good evening my name is Sandy and I am a 24-year president of the Rockwood School District I am here tonight to support the actions of the four members of this
109board in their float the last meeting it is my understanding that no better no other bids were received for these programs and I have been told that the director of the student services said on the board of one of these programs when he originally submitted program to Rockwood this seems to me the conflict of interest as a taxpayer I see the majority of my taxes go to the school district so I support those who show honesty and integrity and saying no more wasteful spending after the vote last meeting there were those who spoke of their disappointment I wanted to encourage those to look for programs beyond the school district to meet your various needs Rockwood more than provides the needs of students and teachers there are hundreds of services and organizations and could meet many
110of the needs Rockford School District contributes so much that they are not meant to be the all in all for every problem under the sun I am I am very encouraged and proud of the board members who investigated these programs I thank them for their integrity and their accountability and spending my and the district's tax dollars in the most appropriate way thank you for your time next speaker is Kate sickles good evening first I enjoyed hearing the letters written by a board member's two daughters regarding empowering mentors they have encountered in their teachers this speaks volumes to the quality of teachers who use the classroom to help every student feel valued second I would like to thank this board for the decision to vote down three programs slated for approval on the October 6 board
111meeting these programs would have cost the district taxpayers almost a hundred thousand dollars and I applaud your willingness to do your job despite opposition embedding each program to determine their educational value for the students as well as their economic feasibility to the taxpayers of the district I also appreciate the board's willingness to investigate previously approved programs to deter to determine if they are still relevant at the October 6th meeting I listened as a few parents in the districts called for the resignation of a board member due to this members questioning the business status of one of the proposed program providers and subsequently joining with the other board members to vote down the implementation of this program along with the other two one of these parents called the board members questioning of the business license a
112performance or theater and stated this board member should resign so I researched the roles and responsibilities of a Rockwood School Board member per the Rockwood School District website some of the key roles and responsibilities of the board are to approve the School's District budget establish goals and evaluate outcomes assure School District performance this is a quote directly from the Rockwood School District Board of Education website the individual board members major responsibility is to study evaluate and after due consideration vote in the best interest of all students at such a meeting given the stated responsibilities of this board I commend your efforts to research study and evaluate each proposed program and after due consideration vote in the best interest of interest of the students of the Rockwood School District while also being fiscally responsible and meticulously
113evaluating each section of the school district's budget while it is inevitable that you will not please everyone with the decisions you make I respect the courage you have to sh you have shown in doing your job well these are difficult decisions that require a great deal of discernment and I admire you taking your roles seriously and judiciously thank you next speaker is John Antone foreign I'm a resident here since 1987 taxpayer we've got five kids who walk through this schools the school district uh I'm going to just talk real quick about what I've seen on in documentation on the state scientist Secretary of State site we've got a contractor over here called Shara that was created in March 17th of 2015 the executive director of the school of this mystery joined them on August the
11431st of 16th they were then going to contract from this school district in in October 16th and he's been on that contract on that board of edge report on that board for that for that Organization for two years he finally left but that's the that's the groundwork that we started from the thing we ought to keep remembering is that their failure to keep current cause them to be put under scrutiny the fact that they became non-compliant with state laws is their own fault it's not anybody's fault here the fact that we see it and revealed it and acted on it is probably the most important thing we did so my question is which you may not answer but knowing this that this was done did was this ever revealed during the time that this entire
115contract started was it ever revealed that he was on the board of directors for this contract for this contract I think that's a problem it represents an Integrity issue going on in the school district but I would like to say also that there are there's also a continued portion of the real or perceived conflict of interest issues there appears to be the single Source issue where you've got four contractors who can provide empowerment Services why not let them compete against each other when you're doing these things okay and I guess where's the Integrity of the Rockwood Board of Education it was stopped here but it's been going on for what six years why is it going on that long with all this information is being revealed so I've got I got a question as to
116whether or not we're really actually getting to the to the bottom of this thing but I want to thank the four board members particularly the two new board members that have come out and stood into the ground on all this stuff I think they've been doing a great job thank you very much and uh I guess one other thing is I'd like to see us get our tax money back to do in their three R's Reading Writing arithmetic let's educate people and quit making people feel good foreign Grossman [Music] good evening my name is Kelly Grossman I'm a parent with students in the district I'm here to talk about the three programs that were limited at the last meeting one reason given for these contracts being canceled was that it was a single Source vendor
117other single Source contracts were approved at that meeting so that must not have been the reason one member stated that programs don't serve all students there are countless programs in the district CCL reading intervention Sports to name just a few that serves smaller select populations of students should we expect those programs to be cut as well thank you another rationale cited was that there was insufficient data showing that the program's work did you specify to anyone what data you wanted to prove the benefits of the program metrics for mental and emotional health students would be hard to quantify the conversations with the students about what the programs mean to them are fairly simple did you ask any students to participate in those programs how they have benefited I did I spoke to a student at
118Eureka High School in the Love Project she told me the program Fosters confidence in Sisterhood that it is a place to be welcomed and feel valued she said one benefit is that they get messages of inspiration to start their day for example the message from October 4th reads I Hope You Know How brave important sparkling and wonderful you always are even if you don't feel like it the student I spoke with specifically said that this program had significantly boosted her mental and emotional health the reasons you've given for canceling these contracts do not ring true regardless if you feel strongly that these particular companies were the wrong companies for whatever reason did you ensure new programs and services were in place before you canceled them a well-known maximum medical ethics is first Do no harm
119did you make an effort to be sure that these students won't be harmed by the cancellation of these contracts if you want these services to be offered in-house need to ensure the staff member was hired and ready to implement Services before you created a void Do no harm maybe best known in the medical field but it should be your guiding principle as well okay next speaker is Danielle hello my name is Daniel meard I use she her or they've been pronouns I apologize that I was unable to complete my original comment and I forgot where I lived on it exactly um but I know there's been a lot of confusion and questions about Soul Source vendors and conflicts of interest I leave many parents including myself have given a couple examples of how we could
120potentially solve that problem especially with the soul Source vendor I think we could invite our Youth Empowerment or women's empowerment specialist to give a presentation attitude with the next agenda um uh the next Board of Education meeting in November 17th I believe um and whereas I've been able to find a lot of information on the free programs that were cut on their very informative websites given their credentials students they've worked with admittedly I've not found much information on sugar baby boot camp empowerment program other than some YouTube videos that talk about um how spending your own money is a ghetto which is a taxpayer I find that concerning with someone who has that sort of motto and philosophy spending our tax dollars I genuinely do um I also find it um concerning that one of
121the other mottos is it um being handsome and broke as an oxymoron I don't know what the heck really teaches our students and also you know the same person punches down it marginalized students in our community so I don't know what that how that correlates to Youth Empowerment or women's empowerment or student empowerment but I would be front row if that were on the agenda to learn milk in my mind to see what that's all about is someone who lives in this community together with everyone here right this is a diverse community I know there's a lot of confusion about gender with some parents um yeah I've said on more than one occasion that my husband and I are the chapter leaders of transparent USA here in St Louis although I can admit right now
122I am not ready to have a conversation with everyone in this room to educate and share my personal experience given that we have yet to receive an apology I know it's you've had to wait three weeks to get certain data that we canceled programs that we've been waiting months to get an apology nada so I guess I'll see you next Tuesday final speaker is Ben Murray hello um I've been trying to understand last meeting's vote uh it's notable that only one reason was stated publicly during the vote for no and that was that these programs do not benefit all students um not only are those Optics very bad but the implied message to black students is you do not deserve programs tailored to you and your life experiences so I have a lot of questions
123but here's just a few what is the difference between three these three single Source vendors and the other four single Source vendor items that were passed at the last meeting or the single source and no bid items that were just passed today uh what are the difference between these different programs which were voted down because they do not benefit all students and other items approved this evening that also do not benefit all students what data was provided to the board for these programs before the vote I have been told that everything asked for was provided but also that no data was provided again this be clarified and then obviously I'm not qualified to speak for the black community instead I'll use a very personal example as an autistic adult diagnosed after age 40 to show
124one reason these types of programs are needed and why not just anyone is qualified to step into these roles to this day I still have not found a therapist psychologist or other professional that understands my life experience is enough to be remotely compatible with me so I'm still searching for a therapist who is also autistic because not only would they truly understand Decades of my life's experiences on a significantly deeper level than most people can but I would also have significantly more trust in the process because of our shared understanding leading to an improved outcome for other people these same trained professionals are an excellent fit but not for me the same concept applies when providing service to students with different needs or from different demographics um and you can kind of apply that to
125anything there are many services that do not benefit all students instead it is the cumulative benefits from every program that lead to the best outcome um dropping services that we specifically need for marginalized groups without any replacement is instead of step towards assimilation and indoctrination and for everyone affected by losing these programs there are many of us in the community who see you support you and are doing our best to be by your side the following quote is from John Green's novel Turtles all the way down you're both the fire and the water that extinguishes it you're the narrator the protagonist and the sidekick you're the Storyteller and the stories told you are somebody something but you are also you that quote applies to everyone in this room but most of us will interpret it
126slightly differently from each other and that is precisely the point thank you thank you with that the meeting is adjourned