ROCORI Reacts To Referendum Defeat

(KNSI) – ROCORI School District is digesting the message sent by voters earlier this month when they overwhelmingly rejected a referendum aimed at upgrading facilities.

Interim Superintendent John Thein says some of the proposals will most likely fall by the wayside but security enhancements and other measures at the elementary schools have to happen.

“Safety and security is the top priority. Everything else is number two. We want to make sure that our kids arrive at school safe and sound, and at the end of the day they all go home to their families and grandparents.”

Thein says the election results from earlier this month are not shocking, given the economic conditions most families face today.

“It wasn’t just ROCORI alone. There were a number of other districts throughout the state that were faced with the same dilemma. It was a tough time. Inflation, timing, etc., it all enters into it.”

Thein is in his second stint as interim superintendent. He says even with the election outcome the district is in great shape, having mostly avoided the enrollment declines seen elsewhere in Minnesota.

Thein has led districts large and small across the state in at least an interim capacity. He says in the end districts are judged on how they serve individual students on a micro scale. He calls himself an old war horse and says it is imperative the district finds a permanent leader that can help it chart a consistent path going forward.

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