2019 RSD Legislative Platform

 

2019 Legislative Platform

The Rockwood School District is led by the principle that quality education is a responsibility shared by the home, school, community and nation. We support the following legislative priorities in an effort to help all children thrive and realize their highest potential.

Priority Positions

As the bedrock of strong local communities, public schools are critical to the continued development of a prepared workforce. The investment and support of the public schools’ innovative approach to educating our children is critical to the success of our state.

Supporting Students' Critical Needs

We are committed to the education and well-being of all children. We support funding of initiatives to provide training, services and resources to public school districts that meet the critical needs of children.

• We support funding public schools’ trauma-informed approach to provide access to necessary services to address mental health needs, improve children’s health and provide educator training.
• We support Medicaid funding for school services.
• We support a collaborative approach to providing the greatest opportunities of success for all public school districts.
• We support funding to expand opportunities and access to early childhood public education.

Flexibility for Innovation

We support innovation for public schools to create more equitable learning opportunities for positive educational outcomes for all children.

• We support and encourage work-based learning partnerships between public high schools and Missouri businesses.
• We support and encourage partnerships between public high schools and post-secondary institutions.

Accountability

We support measures that enable all students to learn and be assessed in an equitable manner.

• We support the goals of the Missouri Assessment Partnership (MOAP) to implement an adaptable and comprehensive assessment tool that accurately evaluates continuous growth toward college and career readiness.
• We support legislation requiring all educational institutions receiving public funds to be held to the same accountability standards ensuring that all students receive an equitable and quality education.
• We support an independent State Board of Education and Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that is autonomous of political influence.

Support Local Control and Professional Educators

Federal and state mandates are eroding local control. We call on the General Assembly to support public school districts to create initiatives that will promote success for all Missouri children.

• We support keeping local dollars in local communities under the accountability and oversight of locally elected school boards.
• We support local decisions by public schools on issues regarding bonding, compensation, school calendar, curriculum, programming and district boundaries.
• We support public school district input on local economic development incentives.
• We support a state-wide effort to grow the next generation of Missouri educators.

Meeting our Financial Responsibilities

We want to ensure that fully funding Missouri public schools continues to be a priority including protecting categorical funding (e.g. transportation funds). It is critical that the General Assembly continues to fully fund Missouri public schools and invest in the future of more than 900,000 Missouri public school children.