All 6 candidates for Rockwood Board of Education Director answered questions during the League of Women Voters forum. It was held at the district's administrative annex Wednesday night.
There are 3 spots open this year, so voters will select three names on the ballot.
BIG DISTINCTION
Last night's forum shows this election boils down to one issue: Do you want more political ideology in our schools, or do you want less?
Kary Bachert, Bob Cadigan and Lynne Midyett want more.
Tom Dunn, Trisha Katzfey and Rich Wierzba want less.
NOTE: At the time of this writing, the recorded video of this was not yet on YouTube. It is now. Here's the link: candidate forum
THEIR ANSWERS
MORE DEI IS NEEDED IN ROCKWOOD: YES OR NO?
Dunn, Katzfey, Wierzba said no.
Bachert, Cadigan and Midyett said yes.
Context:
On the issue of whether Rockwood students should continue to be divided into groups based on race, gender identity and/or sexual orientation to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Dunn, Katzfey, and Wierzba all said no. Katzfey specifically stated that the students should not be divided into "oppressors" and "oppressed."
Bachert, Cadigan and Midyett stated that different groups ARE ok, and appeared to conflate DEI with different academic levels, by adding that different academic groups are also needed.
WHAT'S HAPPENED ALREADY
Concerns about more than 30 instances of DEI and other forms of divisive political ideology found in lesson materials, books, teacher training, and, affinity clubs have been reported by parents, teachers and students over the last year or so. You can read details about these verified examples
here.
PREFERRED PRONOUNS IN CLASS/OPPOSITE GENDERS IN BATHROOMS OR LOCKER ROOMS?
Dunn, Katzfey, Wierzba said no.
Bachert, Cadigan and Midyett said yes. And, maybe.
Context:
When asked whether teachers should ask students their preferred pronouns, Dunn, Katzfey and Wierzba said teachers should not. Some reasons (paraphrasing) included that it's a distraction from academics, and that students who don't identify as their biological sex should be addressed individually, rather than subjecting all students to the topic.
The questions about pronouns and using bathrooms or locker rooms of opposite genders were asked together.
As for preferred pronouns, Bachert, Cadigan and Midyett indicated that whatever students want, or students and parents want, is ok, and the way Rockwood is currently doing things should continue. Generally, that should mean teachers use whatever pronoun is in infinite campus. Whether or not teachers ask anyway if students prefer a different pronoun has varied, anecdotally, according to parents.
When it comes to sports, Bachert, Cadigan and Midyett stopped short of supporting male athletes in girls sports and said they always defer to whatever rules are set by MSHSAA (Missouri State High School Activities Association). This is the
MSHSAA handbook.
On the issue of bathrooms and locker rooms, Dunn, Katzfey and Weirzba made their views clear and said students should not be able to use those for the opposite genders.
RNEA HOT BUTTON
The RNEA is Rockwood's teachers union (Rockwood National Education Association) and is an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA).
Note: Kary Bachert, Bob Cadigan and Lynne Midyett are endorsed by the RNEA.
Tom Dunn, Trisha Katzfey and Rich Wierzba are NOT endorsed by the RNEA.
The candidates were asked whether they think being endorsed by the RNEA is important and/or a conflict of interest. Dunn, Katzfey, and Wierzba (who are not endorsed by the RNEA), said such endorsements are not a good idea and Dunn stated it was a potential for a conflict of interest. (The school board votes on whether to approve the contract the RNEA has with the district.)
BOB CADIGAN (endorsed by the RNEA)
On the conflict of interest question, Bob Cadigan answered that he would accept all endorsements from local groups and that his West Point code of ethics would prevent his RNEA endorsement from being a conflict of interest.
He mentioned he is married to a teacher, but, did not mention she is also an RNEA building representative at the school where she teaches.
TOUCHY TOPIC
Conflict of interest is top of mind for many parents and taxpayers in the district after it was revealed that former Rockwood administrator Terry Harris was on the board of directors while his department submitted no bid contracts for a vendor that conducted student empowerment sessions in Rockwood. You can read more about that here.
LYNNE MIDYETT (endorsed by the RNEA)
Midyett implied she has the support of 70% of the teachers in Rockwood, just by having the endorsement of the RNEA.
Note: Midyett voted to approve the questionable no bid contracts, referenced above, that were submitted by Terry Harris and his department.
KARY BACHERT (endorsed by the RNEA)
Bachert expressed that she is glad to have the RNEA endorsement. As referenced above, Bachert also spoke in support of having separate groups of students with different needs in the district, which include those that are based on race, gender, and sexual orientation.
This aligns with the former profile picture on her personal Facebook page, which shows a fist often associated with Black Lives Matter and reads, "Rockwood parents for diversity and inclusion."
It is not clear why, but this picture is no longer visible on Bachert's personal page.
CONNECTION TO THE NEA
Although RNEA members often try to distance themselves from the NEA (National Education Association), it says on the
RNEA site that members are part of the NEA mission. The RNEA then endorses school board candidates whose values align with the NEA.
OTHER QUESTIONS
In total, the moderator asked the candidates roughly a dozen questions on various topics, including academics, whether they think there's an effort in our community to "ban" books, and, questions on transparency from the district.
The election is April 4th.
Note: This post has been edited to clarify how preferred pronouns have been handled in Rockwood.
