Rockwood School Board Candidates Support Voluntary Transfer Program

At a recent forum, the six Rockwood Board of Education candidates expressed support for a program that allows inner city students to attend suburban schools. However, five candidates did not support school vouchers, which would give families money to pay for private schools.

At the March 8 candidate forum at , which was sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the candidates responded to a variety of questions, including and a .

Chesterfield Patch has run several stories about the candidates’ responses to other forum questions and, starting tomorrow, will run candidates’ written responses to five questions.

This time, the focus is on their responses to the voluntary transfer program and the possibility of school vouchers.

The candidates are vying for three, three-year positions on the board in the April 5 election. The candidates are:

• Keith Kinder, a former Rockwood high school principal and current assistant professor of education at Maryville University
• Stephen Smith, an incumbent and former administrator at Saint Louis University School of Law
• Roger Stock, a former principal of Chesterfield Elementary School and recently retired district administrator
• Kevin Mabie, an English teacher in the Parkway School District
• Matt Doell, an engineer
• Mike Geller, a political consultant

Voluntary transfer program

Rockwood participates in the Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation, which coordinates the transfer of children who would normally attend St. Louis Public Schools to suburban schools. Participating districts are reimbursed for the costs of taking on more costs.

All of the candidates said they supported the program.

Doell said he had asked principals and district superintendent Bruce Borchers if the program was a detriment.

“I got a resounding no…the program has served the kids in it well and the diversity the district gets for it probably makes us stronger,” Doell said.

As a parent, Smith, said, he sees advantages to the program. He called it a win-win situation and said it helps all the students involved, plus the district makes some money off of it.

Both Stock and Kinder said they saw a lot of positives outcomes of the program when they worked in the schools. Stock said he was a fifth-grade teacher in the Clayton school district in 1981 when a prototype of the current program was put in place.

“I had one of the first students, and it’s pretty neat to see that student now, as a young professional and very successful,” Stock said.

Kinder came to Rockwood schools in the second year of the transfer program.

“The biggest joy for me was watching them (the transfer students) get a diploma from Rockwood,” Kinder said.

Mabie said in the past he’s helped take the program a step further. He said he’s worked as a teacher to ensure transfer students are applying to colleges by helping to implement a summer program that walks students through the college application process.

Geller said he had no problem with the program, as long as the students who transferred to Rockwood were adequately prepared for Rockwood schools.

School voucher program

Five candidates said they wouldn’t support any program that would give families government funds to be used to pay private school tuition. The candidates expressed concern that such a program would cut into the district’s funding.

“I’ll be willing to look at it again with private schools are subject to the same standards that public schools are subjected to,” Smith said.

Both Mabie and Doell said that even if such a program were put in place, Rockwood would have little to worry about.

“I don’t think we should be that scared because Rockwood is terrific. We have many people who want to come into our district rather than leave it,” Mabie said.

Geller said he didn’t think many people would leave the district if a voucher program was implemented, but he said he was in favor of vouchers.

“I think people who decide that they don’t want to take advantage of the services of the district have a right to take their tax money elsewhere,” Geller said.