Parent Post: What a loss to our district! Parents, teachers, children and administrators in other districts have nothing but respect for this outstanding professional.  She is held in utmost regard for her knowledge and professionalism.  Our loss is someone else's gain!  How did we loose two outstanding principals in less than a year?

Parent Post: I must say that I am not surprised by the news of Ruthie Riggs resignation.  However, I do have many mixed-emotions.

I must agree with the first post, in that Ruthie is a very kind person with the best of intentions, I believe; but I, too, think it is time for her to go.

I have been active in Rose Union since Riggs' first meetings the year before RU opened, with the promises of "childhood being a journey and not a race."  Three years later, I must admit that I am deeply disappointed and feel that Deer Creek and Rose Union Elementary has let my elementary student down, WAY DOWN.

The points made about lack of leadership and trying to be a friend instead of a boss I found to ring VERY true.  It seemed to me that the teachers are running RU.  For example, we have received many "Schoolnotes.com" notices as well as notes, etc. home with glaring grammatical errors, including one time the misspelling of a word on that week's spelling list for my 3rd grader!  Teachers take 1/2 day monthly for group planning time and expect (and get) parents to "sub" for the classes.  (This is a half-day each month totally wasted on color pages and "busy-work."  If you ask about it, you will get a defensive response, NO response, or called in to discuss your question with the principal, instead of a teacher being able to manage their own classroom and issues.)  On a specific field trip to downtown OKC, teachers assigned parents groups of students to guide and then disappeared, to be seen only at the end of the day, toting bags from Nona's and laughing about what a great lunch they had!?!  Does the RU choir perform at any events outside of school, as other schools do?  Do the Antler Ambassadors even get a picture in the year book?  Do we have intramural sports like the other DC elementary schools do?   Why were students allowed to move into a portable classroom that was not ready, clean or inspected and certified for occupancy?  Because teachers pushed for it and there was no one there to say "Whoa!" and make sure these things were done correctly.  It seemed only logical - not rocket science.

As far as the mantra of Riggs to her staff, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade", perhaps it was self-pity.  I saw and believed it to be a principal with her hands tied, receiving no support from the administration or board and trying to lead a staff of over-extended teachers in a cramped, over-populated, leaky building.  As said before, who is leading this district?  Will anyone step up to the plate and do what must be done to get DC on the right track?

I went into this new school (Rose Union) optimistic; last year I was still content to give the administration and faculty of Rose Union the benefit of the doubt, regarding Everyday Math, fixing the redistricting issues, etc.  Now I am completely disillusioned and worried about my student being prepared academically as they enter middle school.

If Ruthie Riggs has any blame in this, it is because she was too willing to please and perhaps naive about being able to get things done in this district.  I think that in wanting to create Rose Union's own environment and experience, many ideas were not considered because of where they came from (other schools, etc.).  I believe the deck was stacked against her from the beginning and that not all the teachers she hired served her well.

I agree that the Board will use Ruthie as their (not "there" as you will find in teacher's notes coming home from school at Rose Union) scapegoat here although it is obvious that the biggest problem at Rose Union and in the district as a whole is the Deer Creek Superintendent and Board (with the exception of it's newest members, Miller and Robertson; I reserve my judgment there).

What is the district coming to?  It is a very grave outlook unless something BIG changes soon.  

Parent Post: One more brownie point for our inept Superintendent: Ruthie Riggs turned in her resignation to Becky on Wednesday. Ruthie proceeded to tell her staff BEFORE the last day of school. She must think highly of them - that they wouldn't "SPREAD THE WORD".

However, with no response of accepting her resignation or any other professional form of behavior - ignorance seems fitting from an ignorant person. While I like Mrs. Riggs as a person - I am glad to see her go.

Her lack of leadership has hurt my children at Rose Union.  Many staff members left the schools they had spent many a year teaching at to follow what wound up to not be a fearless leader. "When you get dealt lemons; you make lemonade" became an excuse for self pity.

Enough is enough.  This is her third year working on Rose Union.  She worked on it before the doors opened.  She continues to show no leader skills.

Ruthie tries to hard to be a friend to every parent, student and unfortunately staff member.  I do believe it is wonderful that she is such a kind and loving person.  The role she applied for and was awarded- was a boss.  You cannot "ask and ask my staff and they just don't listen to me" or openly state at the end of your second year - "that you just don't know" some very BASIC educational and/or district policies.  If you don't know - how can you expect the staff to know?

Finally, two years down the road - after we jumped in hook, line and sinker, to her "new ideas" our overall scores continue to drop.  Given the benefit of the doubt the first year; as it was a transition year - now it is a serious problem.

Worse - we have no leadership from the top down to guide us on how we are going to reevaluate and change things.  Our kids are now 2 years behind our other two elementary schools.  The middle school staff explained about needing so much time to "catch up the Rose Union students" last year - what about next year when they have students who have been in that elementary for two years?  Does that mean our students from other schools have to be held back while we "catch up" the 3rd school.

Maybe our School Board will finally admit that things aren't perfect.  While there is NO school district - ANYWHERE that has everything correct all the time; we are headed in the opposite direction.

We have an incredible situation here.  Do we stand out amongst other districts in the state?  Absolutely!  But is that something to be proud of?  Or have you looked nationally to see where we really rank?  OKC schools is one of the worst - Putnam City Schools aren't far behind any more -so who are we really comparing ourselves to?

If our school board uses Ruthie as their "scapegoat" to blame and change things - we could possibly move forward. But, reality is that she couldn't do anything without the school boards approval.  Allowing one school to teach totally different than the other 4 was just plain STUPID!

If ever there were a time when our school board needs to admit that they have made mistakes and turn things around:  it is now.  If not, we are quickly headed in the same direction Putnam City did.  How do I know? My family fought the growth issue with Putnam City and finally had to move from it.  That is first hand experience.

If our infamous Danny Barnes continues to believe that Deer Creek has always been great and will remain great - he must be driven from the shelter of a school district that is no more than that - a school district - not a town/city.  He just stays within the confines to make a little man feel big.  The continued ignorance of his reality that our district is nowhere near what it was when he attended as the state nearly shut down the district due to low # of students and funds. 

Now we have that same person, who wears rose colored glasses, leading us.  We are facing make it or break it time!  Pay attention to the details of what is going on.....we have no money! The teachers get in trouble for using too many paper towels.

We cannot afford to staff as many bus drivers, maintenance or licensed technicians that we need.  We weren't uneducated enough to not know that a fire marshall has to investigate a public building.  We have to buy every piece of equipment for maintenance on credit because we have no funds.  We are short several bus drivers.  We do not have a licensed mechanic on staff often - but allow anyone with "car knowledge" to maintain our busses safety.

We have a Superintendent whose brilliant idea of getting the parents of her back by allowing them to stay at the school of choice if they raised enough hell that we now pay our busses to drive 15 miles on average around a school to drive to one farther away.  Instead of correcting the problem after seeing how much money the gas cost and the overpopulation of one school in comparison of evening out the numbers - we ask the parents to "volunteer". 

Who is in charge? Does anyone - ANYONE want to step up to the plate?

We have asked repeatedly for a plan - like any other business - a plan for our future - not just our growth.   Becky has had 4 years to make one - but she is over her head.  No one could work with her so we continued to move her around to a different school (yes, I have been around long enough to know it was NOT a promotion)in to administration because she was tenured, design a job of redistricting for her - and when she miserably fails - we promote her and extend her contract?!  That is like being a weatherman in Oklahoma - you can be wrong most of the time and look like you know what you are doing!

I used to be proud and work hard on behalf of the entire district.  Even the Deer Creek Foundation has dwindled down to nothing.  A few snobs decided to try and make it an "elitist group" and run like a business.  A business within a school district run like a neighborhood.  There is no direction - it is a bunch of people who live near each other trying to argue enough to get their way and no one will step up and take charge.…

My home value has dropped.  Say it is from the national economy.  Then, read the real facts:  Oklahoma is ranked #1 in the states NOT going in to a recession - the last expected to be affected.  So be real!  New businesses are still opening - new companies are moving in to our state - people are still buying houses - foreclosures are not on every corner like other states.  Is the market different now than the boom?  Of course, but it isn't falling off or behind.  It is simply behind the highs we were having.

We are still growing.  We still have no leader.  Not from our Superintendent.  Not from our School Board.  Look at the coaching problems we continue to face for the last SEVERAL years - if we had a "business plan", expectations for our employees with repercussions when jobs weren't performed - we wouldn't have the outrage, the disgust, the gossip - the embarassment we bring on ourselves.

WE DO NOT ALL HAVE TO AGREE ABOUT ANYTHING EXCEPT THAT OUR KIDS ARE THE FOCUS - THEIR RIGHTS IN OUR COUNTRY FOR AN EDUCATION.

I do not understand people who will put themselves in debt to jump on a bandwagon of the growth in our district and won't speak up when their ship has no sail.

How many high school principals can you have?  What is the common denominator there?  The boss - the Superintendent - Becky Wilkinson!  The School Board - the ideas that have been around entirely too long.  Do you think there might be a reason the government chose to limit the # of years a President can lead our country?  Hmmmmm - maybe that should apply to other leaders, like our school board members.

I am trying very diligently to get an education for all of my children that meets their needs (at each of their levels).  I am not expecting the middle school to teach unrealistic values of everyone feeling good and treating you fairly all the time.  I want better remediation rates because all of our children deserve an education that teaches them to be successful in life.  If making a basketball team just because you tried out doesn't give you a life skill - maybe all those extra hours that the principal … and her sidekicks spend on athletics -should be spent teaching fundamentals that will actually last a lifetime.  The Y was created for the "feel good because this isn't really my thing".  NOT OUR SCHOOLS. 

If we have an attitude that athletics is our focus - than get us coaches that know what they are doing and quit firing those that have any sort of competitive drive.  We cannot compete on the level the growth will have us to without coaches like that.  If our focus is not sports -than why is that allowed to be the focus in middle school?  Why is Rose Union allowed to teach differently than the "adopted guidelines" for our district?  Why are parents allowed in the locker room at high school games?  Why are PTO volunteers told EVERYTHING from the Superintendent, the School Board and Principals?  When does the line get crossed?  Every time we forget that educating our children is a job. It is a business -a chosen career.  This is NOT just for fun.  We are raising our nations future leaders.  Let's fight for an education that will help them be successful in life- without remediation!