Rider Guardians,
On Tuesday, February 11th, our district had its annual State of the Schools presentation at North High School. During the presentation, Board Chair Jackie Norris highlighted some of the many accomplishments our district achieved in the last year. I can confidently say that Roosevelt did more than its fair share to contribute to the collective success of our district! As I've boasted before, our percentage of A/B grades earned in classes taken at Roosevelt increased while failures decreased. Our suspensions have decreased while our student sense of belonging increased. As you also know, our intentional pursuit of Excellence through Unity, Equity, and Integrity demands that we not become complacent and continue improving.
A majority of our State of the Schools focused on the future, Re-Imagining Education. Like Roosevelt, DMPS has a lot to be proud of. However, we must collectively be bold in how we pursue even greater results for our students and community. I encourage you to watch the State of the Schools if you have not already, which can be found here (you can fast forward to the 34-minute mark for the actual beginning of the presentation). The district will have structured conversations to get feedback, as well as surveys. Please get involved in the community discussion about the future of our schools.
Here's my perspective - I continuously work to be honest and transparent with you. I do not share this to tell you what your view ought to be, but rather, to provide context and insight that some may find valuable.
First, as a principal. Last week, I had the responsibility of finalizing my staffing plan for the 2025-2026 school year. In my four years as principal, I've had to meet face-to-face with staff and let them know that I cannot continue to have them work at Roosevelt the following year. This is a reality that isn't rooted in their performance but in managing the budget realities we face. Thankfully, this year, the cuts are not as deep for the high schools, but I still need to have these conversations. I'm excited about the potential for Re-imagining Education to make it easier to equitably staff buildings! Not only that, but if Re-imagining Education is successful, it's my understanding that we will have the ability to lower class sizes. These two realities alone, beyond the other benefits, get me extremely excited about the ability to lead more effectively in the future.
Second, as a parent. My own children are students in Des Moines Public Schools and are in the Roosevelt feeder system. I am excited that the district is envisioning classrooms that are built or redesigned to accommodate best practices for teaching and learning. I am grateful that we will expand opportunities to pursue passions that could set up a better pathway for life after pre-K through twelfth grade and do so in a more just and equitable manner. I'm excited that at least one of my children will get to experience sixth grade with their elementary before transitioning to middle school. I'm pumped that the middle school experience is being closely examined and revamped to build off of the good work that is already happening.
Third, as a citizen. Public schools are a tremendous tool to level the playing field. A strong public school system creates a more desirable workforce, which attracts positive economic impact. I'm excited about our continued work to expand pre-k for students, which DMPS has reported demonstrates students are more successful in school when they have access to this transformative educational opportunity.
DMPS could just continue to cut staff and programs and point to the realities of how we're funded. However, they have chosen to be proactive and bold in setting forward a vision for how to improve the student experience despite the challenges we face. I'm thankful and hopeful. Roosevelt prides itself on its intentional pursuit of Excellence through Unity, Equity, and Integrity. During this time of change, our collective values which students, families, alumni, and community partners helped generate, will be what we anchor ourselves in. The sense of loss that many will feel because of the hard choices to retire some facilities is real, genuine, and authentic. However, in my view, what we will collectively gain is so much more powerful. That doesn't negate the loss, but hopefully it will inspire us to work together through the change.
Thank you for entrusting your children with our school. It's an honor and privilege to partner with you to do the best we can for them with the resources available to us. I genuinely believe that Re-imagining Education will enable us to more strategically use resources, and in the end, invest more into students.
Steve Schappaugh (he/him/his)
Principal, Theodore Roosevelt High School
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