In the last five years, Rockwood School District (RSD) has spent over $40M on bond interest to maintain and update security, technology and facilities.
In order to alleviate these debts efficiently, Proposition 3 was created in 2016 and added to RSD’s “The Way Forward” plan.
If passed, the plan would occur in two phases, according to RSD. Initially, 36 cents would be moved from Debt Service to Capital Projects in the tax year 2024, followed by 18 cents in the tax year 2025.
In the first year, this transfer would generate approximately $17 million for safety, technology and facilities.
The following year, once the transfer is fully phased in, $26-27 million would be generated annually for cycle updates and maintenance. This would be accomplished without raising the district’s tax rate.
Emily Thompson, world language teacher, said many teachers still have old computers and some don’t even have smart boards in their rooms. In addition, many students at the elementary school level do not have Chromebooks.
“It’s not that I’m upset that I’m missing anything, that I don’t have resources, I’m upset that my students don’t have resources,” Thompson said. “Because it’s not us going without, it’s the students going without, and I don’t think that the community always sees that when they see stuff on a ballot.”
Thompson is also a member of the Rockwood National Education Association (RNEA), whose mission is to advocate for students through the representation and support of teachers.
“In previous elections, I have gone knocking door to door and making phone calls to inform people of bills,” Thompson said. “And I’m very transparent with my students in informing them that when you become a voter, here are the types of things that you can vote on.”
Principal Dr. Tracey Waeckerle said this year’s freshmen came in with their old middle school computers because there wasn’t sufficient funding in order to provide them with new ones.
The bill would also play a role in building maintenance, especially in regard to air conditioning and security measures.
“You are voting for something that is very necessary, not just for fun,” Dr. Waeckerle said. “It’s always so important for people to do their research and be educated voters before going to the polls to vote for anything.”
