From Candidate Moramarco

Dear Readers of the Arch City Chronicle,

My name is Joe Moramarco and I am a candidate for the St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education. I have lived in the City and worked as Quality Manager for a local pigment company for the past 20 years. My main focus at work is to ensure that our product meets the quality standards that our customers expect from my company.

I am running for the School Board because I see that the customers of the St. Louis Public Schools, the residents of our City, are far from satisfied with the quality of our schools. We are being cheated by the politics and personal disagreements of the present School Board. The media circus surrounding the current school board has resulted in political gridlock, dysfunctional schools, and short-changed the future of our children.

As a member of the School Board, I intend to keep the Board focused on what is truly important: making sure our students receive the quality education that they deserve. Every child in this school district is a precious resource that we are squandering with the School Board's disputes. As a School Board member, I will place our children first, not political infighting. As a man with a background in science, I intend to make decisions based on facts, not political relationships. It is time that we use a calm and intelligent approach to solving the problems of the City's schools.

Our City cannot remain viable as long as our Public Schools fail to perform. I am quite aware that the St. Louis Public School District is in a dire fiscal situation. This means that we will have to work hard and be open to changes which will make our schools function at peak efficiency.

Last year was the first year in decades that the City of St. Louis had an increase in population. If this trend is to continue, it is imperative that we provide good schools for the children of our residents. There are many that immediately dismiss the City of St. Louis as a place to live specifically because of our Public School system. Excellent Public Schools are vital to the long term success and growth of St. Louis. The people who make the policy and enforce accountability in the Public Schools, our School Board, must keep this goal clearly in sight at all times.

I will bring to the Board a level head and clear thinking. The current board has been racked with divisiveness, disunity, and, often, downright embarrassing behavior. Division is not on my agenda, and I intend to make our City proud, not ashamed. I will work tirelessly to see that our teachers have the resources they need to impart the knowledge and the skills that our young people require if they are going to thrive in today’s world. I will support all efforts to keep our community involved in and informed about the Board’s efforts to improve the schools. I will demand fiscal responsibility from everyone who spends or receives our tax dollars in the name of education. And above all, I will do everything within my power to make the St. Louis Public Schools a source of pride in our community.
The future of the St. Louis Public Schools is in the hands of the voters of the City of St. Louis. On April 5, please select candidates who want to move our schools forward and to give our children the opportunity to attend quality schools.

Joe Moramarco