Will Blaylock Named Rockwood's Chief Info Officer

Blaylock was the Rockwood School District's director of instructional technology, and also served as a middle and elementary school teacher.

William "Will" Blaylock was named chief information officer for the Rockwood School District, effective July 1, according to a news release issued by the district. Blaylock has served Rockwood in various roles since 1989. This year, in addition to his role as director of instructional technology, which he has held since 1997, Blaylock assumed responsibilities normally associated with the chief information officer’s position, the release stated. He also has served the district as an elementary and middle school teacher.   Blaylock earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University, a master’s degree in teaching from Webster University and a master’s degree in strategic studies from Army War College …

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Rockwood Coalition Teens Take On Anti-Substance Abuse Training

Coalition successfully urged Chesterfield to pass the measure that puts adults on the hook for youth party offenses.

Rockwood school district teens Jessika Buehler (Eureka High School) and Madison Robinson (Rockwood Summit High School) went to a 4-day training in Nashville, TN, over substance abuse prevention. Rockwood Drug-Free Coalition staff accompanied the students. The local Coalition was instrumental in persuading Chesterfield police and city council that Chesterfield pass a new ordinance that holds adults responsible for youth parties at their homes, whether or not they are aware of it, or are at home. The students and staff were among 1,800 prevention specialists and students honing their skills in developing and implementing effective prevention programs.  Both students, Buehler and Robinson are members of Rockwood Helping Others Remain Safe (…

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Rockwood Schools Highlighted in 'National Character Education Conference'

Rockwood will have more speakers at the national event than any other school district.

Rockwood School District teams are spotlighted for best practices and excellence at this year’s Character Education Conference, taking place June 25-27. It's the 18th annual conference, and it's occurring at the St. Charles Convention Center this year. Blevins Elementary School Principal Sharon Jackson and teachers Vicki Austin and Jeff Engle will present “Building Blocks of Effective Character Education” at the conference. The conference attracts educators across America to learn how to build character and good behavior traits in their students and schools. This year's theme is "Changing the World Through Character Education." Rockwood will have more featured presenters at this year’s conference than any other school district. In addition…

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Rockwood School Superintendent's Minnesota Hires Quit District

Replacement for Minnesotan administrator named at Rockwood Board of Education Thursday meeting. Other Minnesotan resigned Friday, plus the district's director of finance.

A year after regionwide controversy within Rockwood School District concerning the district's hiring of two of Superintendent Bruce Borchers' colleagues from Minnesota, both of those administrators have resigned from Rockwood. All three administrators—Borchers, Randy Smasal and Nancy DuBois—had worked in the same school district prior to Borchers becoming Rockwood's superintendent. For background, read Patch article:  New Rockwood Hires: Superintendent, Board Say Normal Steps Taken An email initiated Friday afternoon by Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions co-founder and spokesperson Eileen Tyrrell to Rockwood Chief Communications Officer Kim Cranston confirmed that Randy Smasal has submitted a letter of resignation to the district's …

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News With a View

Parkway District Shoots Self In Foot with Florida Trips

Parkway school district was doing a good job avoiding controversy until "Disney World" reservations for seven surfaced.

In 2011, I thought about how the Parkway School District had been doing a good job keeping out of the spotlight that can shine on all things negative. While the 2011 MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) test scores were not so kind to Parkway, the district still likes to claim it is one of the top districts in St. Louis County. However, for a number of years Lindbergh, Clayton, Ladue, Webster Groves, Kirkwood and Rockwood have all been ahead of Parkway in test results. The good news for Parkway was that Webster Groves fell behind it in math for 2011.  Then, 2011 saw the neighboring Rockwood School District take a beating with stories about: This all led up to a school bond issue failing this April at the polls. However, with all this turmoil…

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News With a View

Something Was Missing On Election Day In Chesterfield

Got a beef?

Chesterfield's city council Was I surprised to see that incumbents Barry Flachsbart and Elliott Grissom won handily in Tuesday’s city council elections, in Chesterfield? NO. The problem for challengers David Arbogast and Tania Pappas was that they didn’t have an issue to campaign on. Frankly, hot button issues seem hard to come by currently in Chesterfield. Nobody’s hand has been caught in the cookie jar, plus city staff seems to be efficient. Flachsbart almost gave Arbogast an issue when he voted with shoot-the-squirrels people in Ward 1. Are we to believe the framers of the Missouri Constitution thought citizens would be blasting away at bushy-tailed rodents in crowded subdivisions when they wrote citizens had the right to bear arms to …

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Rockwood Schools' Fiscal Health Spurs Debate Among Candidates

Four in race for Rockwood's school board join forum Tuesday at Crestview Middle School.

Four candidates. Two open seats. With a projected $6.8 million shortfall in the Rockwood School District's budget, there are multiple proposals on ways to help close that gap amid the potential sale of school bonds. These are the core elements residents in the Rockwood School District will consider at the polls April 3, when voters will decide whether to approve the sale of school bonds, typically paid back with interest over a 12-year period, as well as who should sit on the Rockwood Board of Education to allot the district's available finances. About 40 people got the chance to interact with those four candidates through a forum Tuesday night at Crestview Middle School. Board candidate Victor Hieken of Ellisville, who works as a …

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Chesterfield's Marquette High School Scholars Revealed

National Merit Scholarship finalists names here.

Nearly a third of Rockwood School District finalists for 2012 National Merit® Scholarships attend Marquette High School in Chesterfield. Seven Marquette students took home finalist standings. A total of 23 Rockwood students won "Finalist" standing, district officials told Patch. As a National Merit®Finalist, students may earn $2,500 scholarships, corporate-sponsored merit scholarship awards and college-sponsored merit scholarship awards.  The Marquette students: More than 1.5 million high school juniors nationwide from more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2012 National Merit® Scholarship competition when they took the 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit® Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of …

Rockwood Schools Examine Bid Process for Contracting

Local media follows up on cozy tie district has with contractor.

Rockwood Schools Will Not Put Tax Measure on November Ballot

At Thursday's Rockwood School District board of education meeting, directors voted not to place a tax referendum on the Nov. 11 ballot. The decision stemmed from a difficult discussion, and was not a unanimous vote.

Rockwood School District taxpayers no longer have to consider whether to support a tax increase this year, because the district's board of education directors voted Thursday evening to not place a tax referendum on the Nov. 11 ballot. Directors had to follow up on their vote from May 19 to let taxpayers decide the fate of a proposed tax increase as a way of making up the district's remaining budget shortfalls. Verbiage for the actual referendum, including the financial amount, was due by Aug. 31 for the fall ballot. So Thursday became the deadline for deciding, unless the directors wanted to call a special meeting. Board president Steve Smith said he did not believe they had "convinced a sizable (Rockwood) constituency that we’ve done all …

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