On Nov. 4, 2025, with Proposition S the only item on the ballot, the results were 51% (11,413) of voters against the proposition and 49% (10,910) in favor.

After the tense salary negotiations between the Rockwood National Education Association (RNEA) and lack of trust in Rockwood, high administrative salaries, accusations of misinformation, Proposition S was a controversial issue for many community members. Prop S was touted as the path to getting salaries more competitive within the county. Cain was disappointed with the results of the election.

“My greatest disappointment is for our staff and for our students. As superintendent, you are always thinking about what’s in the best interest of the district, what’s in the best interest of students, what’s in the best interest of staff. And us being able to stay competitive allows us to not only retain, but also recruit, the staff that we need to best serve our students,” Cain said.

“Prop S would not have made us a top three to five paying school district, but it would have made us more competitive,” Cain said. “My concern is that the notion of competitiveness is going to be threatened.”

Salary negotiations have been an ongoing issue in Rockwood since last spring with RNEA members gathering, demonstrating outside of Rockwood schools to get the attention of community members. Their goal was to bring more awareness to their pay, which is among the lowest ranked by district in St. Louis County. During the tense negotiation cycle, RNEA President Thomas Cook led the efforts.

“I think there is a tremendous value to public education for everybody in the community,” Cook said. “Ultimately the Prop S ask was about staff and ensuring more competitive pay and benefits, especially for support staff. But I think [Prop S] also was ultimately about students, we need to take care of the staff in the school district, it’s because of the staff that students are able to achieve at high levels. That doesn’t happen by chance or by accident. It’s because of the dedication and commitment of staff in the district.”

The publicity of the negotiations may have increased the polarization of the proposition.

“I think that some of the energy that was built from negotiations bled into this. It absolutely did. I think it would be completely disingenuous to sit in this room to look you in the face and say, no, I don’t think it had any impact,” Cain said. “Our teachers and our staff deserve much larger increases than we can fiscally afford. But we can’t threaten the viability of what we have financially, and we understand that. People really need to hear that what we want to do is very different from what we can afford to do.”

For the 2024-2025 school year the starting salary for a first year teacher with a bachelor’s degree in Rockwood is $44,240, ranking 17 out of 22 St Louis County area school districts. A teacher with a masters degree would start at $47,478, ranking 16 out of 22 out of St. Louis County area school districts.

“There are Rockwood teachers that are living paycheck to paycheck or have second jobs in order to make ends meet. [We] understand when you go into public service, you are not going to get paid as much as your equally educated peers that are in the private sector. Now, that disparity has grown. Our starting salary, for example, has not kept up with inflation,” Cook said.

Rockwood is approximately 79% locally funded, and relies on property taxes to generate the majority of their operating revenue.

“We do not get enough funding at the federal or state level to fully fund schools. So ultimately, if you don’t get enough money from the federal or state level, well, then it falls to the local,” Cook said.

With no indication of funding for public education from the state or federal government funding in Rockwood will be impacted if no action is taken.

“Society would not be what it is today without public schools. About 90% of America’s youth get educated in a public school,” Cook said.

“We are absolutely seeing what I believe to be some most definite political energy, if not attacks, on public education. To be clear, that’s not

just about Rockwood that’s happening statewide,” Cain said.

If these trends continue and funding for public education does not increase at any of the three levels it will be increasingly challenging to provide salary increases for teachers in the district due to a lack of revenue. Under the circumstances of this possibly needing to freeze teacher salaries can not be excluded,

“It would be highly inappropriate to take any tool off the table at this point in time,” Cain said. “I will flat out tell you without equivocation, if our teachers were to face a freeze, you don’t even have to ask the question of what I will do. I will speak for myself. I will absolutely freeze my salary without question,” Cain said. “I also think that it would be important that we are reflective of that as a group of administrators and that’s something that we will be having conversation about as well.”

During the election cycle, Prop S quickly became a polarizing topic on social media, with posts gathering dozens of comments. Many citizens shared their skepticism about approving a tax levy that would provide additional revenue to Rockwood.

“Nobody loves paying taxes, but it is through tax money that we pay for public services. Now, there’s always room for a conversation about how money is being spent, what it is being spent on, and what is being valued or not valued. I don’t know that you could look at Rockwood where they spend 85% of their budget on salary and benefits. I don’t think you could look at that and say that Rockwood, the administration of Rockwood or the School Board doesn’t value people at all,” Cook said.

Those in opposition cited reasons such as a lack of trust for district administration, some in opposition stated they simply did not want to increase their property taxes.

“I’ve heard a number of items, even the number of administrators in the district. I will speak to what we’ve done in my time in the district. There are fewer administrators in the Rockwood School District today than there were when I took the job. Point blank period, statement of fact,” Cain said.

To inform voters, there were over 100 informational in person presentations with Dr. Cain and district administration regarding district finances as they related to Prop S. Rockwood Communications Department kept an updated Frequently Asked Questions page on the district’s website.

“[Rockwood] had a very long frequently asked question document that constantly evolved, but it was factually based. When we put numbers out there, we don’t grab them from the sky. We put research behind them and we look into what we are sharing so that people have clarity. And that’s ultimately the goal, is when you’re informing, you provide clarity so that people can then make their own informed decision. All I ask is that people’s decision making be informed,” Cain said. “Let’s put true facts out there and then engage in meaningful dialogue and conversation, and then we ultimately move forward. Not only do I believe that’s important for our adult citizenry, we have young adults that are looking at how we are conducting ourselves, how we’re behaving, not just in victory but in defeat or in a time of question.”

“No matter how people are going to vote I would like for us to be able to talk with each other. Not at each other or around each other, but with each other from a place of facts,” Cook said.

Currently, leaders shared they have been reflecting on the results of the election and evaluating what is feasible for the near future. Regaining the trust of the community and ensuring that teachers and students are being prioritized,

“We will have to do the best we can moving forward to stay as competitive as we can, but this isn’t a situation where we’re going to start closing up this particular program or eliminate this after school or before school activity. That’s not where we are right now. Prop S was strategically placed to put us in a position to be competitive. And we’ll continue to find ways to do that to the best that we can with the means that we have in front of us,” Cain said. “Our star has not diminished, our shine has not diminished. You learn a lot in victory. I’d argue that you actually learn more when you face an outcome that isn’t the one that you in fact hope to experience.”

Throughout the Prop S campaign, many people worked to spread information about the topic and inform voters, including teachers and administrators.

“We have people that have clearly demonstrated to me that what they feel for this district is well past respect and it’s love,” Cain said. “The reason I took the job, moved my family, and now live in our district is because I strongly believe and absolutely do believe in the Rockwood School District. And that’s greater than any ballot proposal itself. I have watched and respected this community for years, considered it an honor to become the superintendent, and still consider it to be an absolute honor to be the superintendent moving forward. So that’s greater than a proposition.”

“The most sincere thanks is not enough to express my gratitude for those that stand by, defend, advocate for, inform for, believe in, trust, and love the Rockwood School District,” Cain said.