ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Teachers were spotted picketing in front of Rockwood Summit High School Tuesday morning in an effort to receive higher pay.
The protest occurred Tuesday morning outside Rockwood Summit High School in Fenton as students arrived for classes. The protest comes after the teacher’s demands were not met during ongoing negotiations with the Rockwood School District’s school board over higher wages.
Bommarito Automotive Group’s SKYFOX flew over the scene of the protest Tuesday morning and a large group of teachers could be seen standing outside the high school holding signs that read “Lock in for Rockwood Teachers,” “Top results, bottom pay,” and more.
Rockwood School District’s Chief Communications Officer, Mary LaPak, released the following statement in regards to the protest:
“The Rockwood School District values and appreciates the work our teachers do every day for all students. Through the negotiations process, we brought to the table our very best and responsible offer of 12% over three years, with a first-year raise of 5.25%, the highest one-year raise offered in at least a decade. We also came to an agreement on a number of language items in the contract that would benefit our educators. This agreement was voted down by Rockwood NEA members.
The district stands behind this as a fair offer that the district can fiscally and responsibly sustain going forward. We cannot put the district at financial risk by entertaining annual raises higher than what has been offered. We also need to keep in mind that we don’t yet know what the financial impact will be of Senate Bill 190 (Senior Tax Freeze) and we need to factor in the decrease to the state funding formula, which will negatively impact district revenue by approximately $7,000,000 annually.
We value our teachers and their contributions to our students’ success, and we are hopeful that we can reach a mutually agreeable resolution that benefits all Rockwood patrons very soon.”
Mary LaPak, Rockwood School District Chief Communications Officer