Rockwood Board of Education members voted not to renew three contracts involving services offered to students.
The board voted 4-3 on Oct. 6 against renewing contracts with Sisters Helping Each Other Reach a Higher Height, SistaKeeper Empowerment Center, and Tony Thompson Inc.
Board members Jessica Clark, Izzy Imig, Randy Miller and Tamara Jo Rhomberg voted against renewing the contracts while Keith Kinder, Lynne Midyett and Jaime Bayes voted to renew them.
The district was to pay a maximum of $86,100 for the three services, according to board documents.
The contract renewals were included among the meeting’s consent agenda items, which contained numerous routine items to vote on as a single package.
However, the board opted to remove those three contracts from the consent agenda and voted on them individually. Each renewal was denied by a 4-3 vote.
Terry Harris, Rockwood’s executive director of student services, said the contracts were with groups that provide services about self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making and relationship skills. He also said he believed the three contracts were vetted and aligned with the district’s goals and strategic plan.
“I was shocked by the decision,” Harris said. “However, I know that this board has and will continue to support our efforts.”
Rockwood’s communications department told the Leader that board members would not comment about the contracts. Clark was the only one of the seven board members to talk with the Leader about the decision.
“I think these three (programs) in particular serve minority students, and are there data points that say we brought these specific people in to fix a certain need or gap?” she said. “They have been working with the district for a few years. Are their programs effective? So those questions have been asked, and it didn’t sound like there were any answers to those.”
Rhomberg made a statement about her vote at the Oct. 20 meeting.
“I hear and understand the frustration that some students, parents and teachers may have experienced after (the Oct. 6) meeting,” she said. “My decision to not approve the three contracts stems from my concern on how to reach more students of color in a more comprehensive program in an ongoing basis while still remaining fiscally responsibile to the district.”
The programs
Rockwood’s contract with Sisters Helping Each Other Reach a Higher Height, which was founded by Shante Duncan, limited the district’s expenditures to $28,000. Rockwood would have paid for 20 one-hour sessions that would be held over a 10-week period at Eureka, Lafayette, Marquette and Rockwood Summit high schools.
The program is called the LOVE (Learning Oneself Very Extensively) Project, which was created for girls of color between the ages of 9 and 17 to explore their experiences and goals, according to the foundation’s website.
Rockwood Chief Communications Officer Mary LaPak said the district has offered the program since June 2016 and has paid the organization $96,600 to date.
Rockwood would have paid the SistaKeeper Empowerment Center $25,200 for one-hour sessions to be held over 12 weeks at Crestview, Selvidge, LaSalle Springs, Rockwood South, Rockwood Valley and Wildwood middle schools.
The sessions would work with female students to increase self-esteem and literacy, while decreasing relational aggression and bullying, the nonprofit’s website said.
LaPak said Rockwood has contracted with SistaKeeper Empowerment Center since May 2009 and has paid the group $37,180 to date.
The district would have paid Tony Thompson a maximum of $32,900 for 10 one-hour sessions at Crestview, Selvidge, LaSalle Springs, Rockwood South, Rockwood Valley and Wildwood middle schools and at Lafayette, Marquette and Rockwood Summit high schools. The cost also would have covered eight additional 30-minute sessions at Crestview.
Thompson is a motivational speaker, award-winning author and entrepreneur who has developed programs aimed to help middle and high school students.
LaPak said Rockwood has booked Thompson for assemblies since August 2017 and has paid him a total of $43,300.
“All of these organizations work in other schools around the region and come highly recommended,” Harris said. “Our principals and students love the support, the curriculum and the connections that are made in these groups.”
