Iowa Watchdog's Sebring Dox

From:
Sent:
To:
Sl!bject:
July 12, 2013
Mr. Roeder:
Stegmeir, Mary <mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com>
Friday, July 12, 2013 12:16 PM
Roeder, Phillip
Information request from Des Moines Register
Please consider this a formal request, made under the Iowa Open Records Law, for
access to records in the possession of the Des Moines school district.
Specifically, this request is for:
---The total number of DMPS administrators, by race
(So, for example, the number of white administrators, the number of
Hispanic administrators, the number of African American administrators, the number of
mixed race administrators, the number of Asian administrators, the number of Native
American administrators and the number of Pacific Islander administrators.)
----The total number of DMPS teachers, by race
(Following same format as above)
---The total number of DMPS teachers, by race, by school
---The total number of DMPS students, by race
---The total number of DMPS students, by race, by school
If this request is denied, please cite the specific Open Records Law exemption on which
the denial is based.
If there are fees associated with compliance of this request, please notify me in advance
of the work being done and provide an itemized, detailed breakdown of those proposed
fees. I respectfully ask that any fees be waived as disclosure is in the public interest.
1
To save on copying costs, I will supply a thumb drive or the documents can be emailed
to mstegmeir@dmreg.com.
Thank you for your help in this m a w ~ r . Please call or email with any questions.
Sincerely,
Mary Stegmeir
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
The Des Moines Register
mstegmeir@dmreq.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
2

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thanks!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
The. Des Moines Register
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Friday, June 28, 2013 2:37 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Sebring lawsuit
From: Roeder, Phillip [mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.orgl
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2013 2:36 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: Sebring lawsuit
Hi:
This was only filed yesterday afternoon; a copy has been forwarded to our insurer and we are waiting to hear back from
them. In regard to having a cost estimate at this point in the process: no.
Take care,
Phil Roeder
Director of Community Relations
Des Moines Public Schools
901 Walnut Street
Des Moines, lA 50319
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
www.twitter.com/DMschools
www.facebook.com/DMschools
From: Stegmeir, Mary [mailto:mstegmeir@desmolne.gannett.com]
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2013 1:23PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: FW: Sebring lawsuit
One additional follow-up:
Does the district have an estimate of how much it will have to spend on attorney/legal costs in this lawsuit?
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
3
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg .com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
From: Stegmeir, Mary
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2013 1:08 PM
To: 'Roeder, Phillip'
Phil,
I have another follow-up question re: attorney costs.
Will the district's legal costs in the Sebring lawsuit be covered by its insurance policy?
Thanks for your help with this,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
From: Roeder, Phillip [mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.orgl
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2013 5:53 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Hi Mary:
I got your voice mail, thanks for the call.
Teree, Pat and I would be defended by the district, of course, since these claims result from our work, but it's too early
in the process to go into more details.
I appreciate the opportunity to respond. I'll decline, for now. I tend to make it a practice not to comment on pending
litigation, no matter how unbelievable or unfounded it may be.
Thanks,
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
4
www.dmschools.org
From: Stegmeir, Mary [mailto:mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com]
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Sebring lawsuit
Hi Phil,
I'm working on story about the lawsuit Nancy Sebring filed today, but the doc itself is not showing up on Iowa Courts
Online yet.
Does the district have a copy? If so, can you share that info with us?
Thanks,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
.5

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
Hi:
Roeder, Phillip
Friday, June 28, 2013 11:58 AM
Roeder, Phillip
DMPS Community Report -June 2013
2012-13-Yearln Review- 2.pdf
I'm very pleased to send you a copy of the June 2013 edition of the DMPS Community Report, the bimonthly newsletter
of Des Moines Public Schools.
For the second year in a row, our June newsletter is a special year-in-review edition, looking back at just some of the
many stories, both large and small, that highlight the great work of our students, teachers, staff, volunteers and partners
over the past school year.
We hope you enjoy this latest update from Iowa's largest provider of public education. And, to receive more news,
information and announcements from Des Moines Public Schools anytime and anywhere, be sure to follow us at
www.facebook.com/DMschools and www.twitter.com/DMschools.
All the best,
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschoois.org
6

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
Roeder, Phillip
Thursday, June 27, 2013 5:20 PM
Stegmeir, Mary
RE: Sebring lawsuit
003-000 Petition 06.27.13.pdf
I've attached a copy of what we've received.
Also, here's a statement from Superintendent Ahart about the lawsuit:
"This lawsuit is unbelievable. In this matter, the school district did the right thing and properly released public records
according to Iowa law, a fact that has already been established by the Iowa District Court. As a public school district, we
abide by the state's open records law, and will continue to properly respond to requests for public records. Everyone at
Des Moines Public Schools is focused on our number one priority: the education of our 32,000 students."
Thanks,
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Sebring lawsuit
Hi Phil,
I'm working on story about the lawsuit Nancy Sebring filed today, but the doc itself is not showing up on Iowa Courts
Online yet.
Does the district have a copy? If so, can you share that info with us?
Thanks,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
7
@marystegmeir
8

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Roeder, Phillip
Roeder, Phillip
DMPS One of Five to Receive the Governor's Iowa Environmental Excellence Award
NEWS RELEASE
DMPS ONE OF FIVE TO RECEIVE THE GOVERNOR'S IOWA ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
DES MOINES, lA (June 27, 2013)- Environmental honors continue to roll in for Des Moines Public Schools,
as today the school district was recognized as one of the 2013 recipients of the Governor's
Iowa Environmental Excellence Award. The award, presented to the district by Governor Terry Branstad, is the
premier Iowa environmental honor and recognized DMPS for its district-wide environmental and sustainable
strategies and tactics. It is the third major environmental award DMPS has received this year.
"It is always rewarding to showcase and celebrate the innovation Iowans exhibit in creating new jobs and
protecting our natural resources," said Governor Branstad.
In addition to rewarding important efforts to improve Iowa's natural resources, Governor Branstad noted that
highlighting success stories benefits other businesses and organizations in the state.
"In every aspect of what we do, providing the best opportunities for our students is a daily goal," added
Superintendent Tom Ahart. "I am proud that we are a national model for other school districts on this issue,
and have a solid record of proven strategies for the smart use of our resources."
"Our students and community deserve the best, and our energy efficiency and environmental efforts are based
upon that approach," said Bill Good, COO of Des Moines Public Schools. "We take the optimization of our
financial and environmental resources seriously as proven by our state and national recognitions."
This is the second year in a row that Des Moines Public Schools has earned three major environmental and
sustainability awards. In March, the school district repeated its recognition as Energy Star Partner of the Year
by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In April, the U.S. Department of Education presented DMPS
with another Green Ribbon School award in recognition of district-wide environmental practices and curriculum
programs. Last year, DMPS earned a special recognition Iowa Environmental Excellence Award for energy
efficiency; this year's top honor is for the district's overall efforts.
The Governor's Iowa Environmental Excellence Award honored DMPS for the following reasons:
Des Moines Public Schools is committed to being an environmental leader; efforts span multiple areas
including reducing environmental impact and costs, improving student and staff health and providing effective
environmental and sustainabifity education. All renovations to school buildings are carefully planned and
include sustainability projects that maximize the return on investment. In 2012, DMPS upgraded four schools to
geothermal heating and cooling systems, bringing the total number of schools in the district using geothermal
up to 33. Instead of replacing carpet, the concrete subfloor is polished and sealed, providing years of
maintenance-free use. Water retention is addressed in every renovation plan, and rain gardens have been
installed at several schools. Landfill waste has been reduced and recycling efforts have increased district-wide.
9
DMPS has begun testing for lead, a plan is in place for asbestos management and the district conducts radon
tests in all buildings, though only required to do so in preschool classrooms.
Finally, DMPS is implementing ground-breaking initiatives in environmental and sustainability education,
incorporating these concepts into all grade levels. DMPS teachers partner with bio-renewable scientists at
Iowa State University to stay informed on the latest STEM-industry developments. The district also participates
in Symbi to educate and inspire students about renewable energy, sustainable technology and green products.
DMPS has introduced AP Environmental Science at five high schools, and the cutting-edge Iowa Energy and
Sustainability Academy operates out of Central Campus.
Other recipients of the Environmental Excellence Award were:
City of Clinton
Lennox Industries; Inc., Marshalltown
RDG, Des Moines
Rathbun Land and Water Alliance, Centerville
For more information about the Governor's Iowa Environmental Excellence Awards, go to
www. iowadnr. gov/eeawards.
The awards are sponsored by the Governor's Office, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa
Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Department of Economic Development, the Iowa
Department of Education, the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Waste Reduction Center.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
-30-
10

From:
Sent:
To:
Roeder, Phillip
Tuesday, June 25, 2013 3:34 PM
Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Re: ELL source
Hi:
Sorry, been out of the office at an appointment. That program's been offered the past 6 summers.
Phil Roeder
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 25, 2013, at 11:46 AM, "Stegmeir, Mary" <mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com> wrote:
One more question for you: Is SUCCESS 4 Sixth Grade a new program, or has it been offered in past
years?
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
From: Roeder, Phillip [mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org]
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 11:18 AM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: ELL source
Hi Mary:
First, I've attached a list that highlights most of our summer activities. We actually just posted a blog
item that has some additional information: http://www.dmschools.org/2013/06/when-should-school-
start-at-dmps-when-does-it-ever-end/. In light of the recent "debate" about when school should start, I
thought it made sense to point out that, at least around here, it never really ends with thousands of
students showing up for one activity throughout the summer.
Also, 1 sent Vinh a note to give you a call. Even though he's out this week I did get an email from him
yesterday so I think he's checking in. He's really our expert on all things ELL (as far as I'm concerned, he's
the top expert in Iowa on this issue). Otherwise, let me know what you need and I can see about
tracking it down.
Talk soon,
Phil Roeder
11
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: ELL source
Hey Phil,
I'm working on a story about ELL funding, but I see Vinh is out of the office. Is there someone else with
the district who could talk about research on language acquisition?
Also, last year I got a document from you with all the summer schooi/CCLC/ Americorp activities going on
in the district.
Has a list of this year's events/classes been drawn up yet? Can I get a copy?
Thanks,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
12

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
Hi Mary:
Roeder, Phillip
Tuesday, June 25, 2013 11:18 AM
Stegmeir, Mary
RE: ELL source
DMPS2013SummerProgramming.docx
First, I've attached a list that highlights most of our summer activities. We actually just posted a blog item that has some
additiona I information: http://www .d mschools.o rg/2013/06/when-sho u ld-schoo 1-sta rt -at -d m ps-when-d oes-it -ever-
end/. In light of the recent "debate" about when school should start, I thought it made sense to point out that, at least
around here, it never really ends with thousands of students showing up for one activity throughout the summer.
Also, I sent Vinh a note to give you a call. Even though he's out this week I did get an email from him yesterday so I think
he's checking in. He's really our expert on all things ELL (as far as I'm concerned, he's the top expert in Iowa on this
issue). Otherwise, let me know what you need and I can see about tracking it down.
Talk soon,
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools,org
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: ELL source
Hey Phil,
I'm working on a story about ELL funding, but I see Vinh is out of the office. Is there someone else with the district who
could talk about research on language acquisition?
Also, last year I got a document from you with all the summer schooi/CCLC/Americorp activities going on in the district.
Has a list of this year's events/classes been drawn up yet? Can I get a copy?
Thanks,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
13
mstegmeir@dmreq.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
14

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Hi:
Roeder, Phillip
Stegmeir, Mary
RE: Tonight's meeting
Just to follow up on this issue, the Governor signed the "standings bill" late this afternoon and the extension of ELL
funding from 4 to 5 years remained in tact. I posted a quick item about it on our web site
at http://www.dmschools.org/news release/governor-signs-bill-to-extend-support-for-ell-students/.
Talk soon ... Phil
From: Stegmeir, Mary [mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 4:35 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: RE: Tonight's meeting
Thank you.
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: Tonight's meeting
Hi:
It's a two-parter. The shorter powerpoint myself and Andrea Jansa with our government relations firm are doing, giving
a reminder of our priorities and the work to extend ELL support, which became a top focus. The second is from Margaret
Buckton, who lobbies for UEN, and going over anything and everything relating to education that was addressed during
the session.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
15
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Tonight's meeting
Hi Phil,
Can I please get a copy (electronic or paper- whichever is easiest) of your power point presentation for tonight.
Depending on how in-depth the discussion is, I might end up writing something on it tonight for tomorrow's paper.
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
16

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
Hi:
Roeder, Phillip
Stegmeir, Mary
RE: Tonight's meeting
Legislative Update DMPS June 2013.pptx; 2013 Legislative Review.pptx
It's a two-parter. The shorter powerpoint myself and Andrea Jansa with our government relations firm are doing, giving
a reminder of our priorities and the work to extend ELL support, which became a top focus. The second is from Margaret
Buckton, who lobbies for UEN, and going over anything and everything relating to education that was addressed during
the session.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Tonight's meeting
Hi Phil,
Can I please get a copy (electronic or paper- whichever is easiest) of your power point presentation for tonight.
Depending on how in-depth the discussion is, I might end up writing something on it tonight for tomorrow's paper.
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
17

From: Roeder, Phillip
Roeder, Phillip To:
Subject: DMPS Earns National Honors for Communications and Public Relations
NEWS RELEASE
DMPS EARNS NATIONAL HONORS FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
DES MOINES (June 18, 2013)- Des Moines Public Schools earned recognition for its communications
efforts in several categories from the National School Public Relations Association. The district earned a total
of seven awards in NSPRA's annual Publications and Electronic Media Awards competition.
For the first time ever DMPS received two Awards of Excellence, the highest honor awarded in any category.
One of the top awards was presented for the district's on-going use of social media. The school district's online
presence includes Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Flickr, Tumblr, and Pinterest, which are integrated with the
district's website.
DMPS also earned an Award of Excellence in the Special Purpose Publication category for "Turning Around.
Moving Ahead." This publication was a progress report on schools in Des Moines taking part in the School
Improvement Grant program.
NSPRA also presented Des Moines Public Schools with four Awards of Merit for the school district's blog (For
the Record), newsletter (DMPSCommunity Report), and for two video reports produced by DMPS-TV, one
featuring Iowa judges assisting AP Government classes and the other highlighting the work of actor Forest
Whitaker at Findley Elementary School. The district also received Honorable Mention for Excellencing in
Writing for a guest editorial about Advanced Placement courses.
"A top priority has been to make news and information about DMPS readily available to the public in a variety
of formats, and it's an honor that this effort has been recognized nationally," said Phil Roeder, director of
community relations for Des Moines Public Schools. "While it's great to be awarded for our work over the past
year, I'm looking forward to our efforts in the coming months and years to do even more."
The following is a list of the awards earned in various categories by DMPS (with links to those items available
online):
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Social Media: Integrated use of multiple social media sites including www.facebook.com/DMschools,
www.twitter.com/DMschools, www.flickr.com/dmps, www.youtube.com/dmpstv,
http://dmschools.tumblr.com/, www.pinterest.com/dmschools
Special Purpose Publication: "Turning Around. Moving Ahead." a progress report on Des Moines
schools and the School Improvement Grant program.
AWARD OF MERIT
Blog: The district's "For the Record" blog at blog.dmschools.org
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Newsletter: DMPS Community Report, the district's every-other-month newsletter
Videocasting: DMPS-TV report on Iowa judges helping AP Government classes.
Videocasting: DMPS-TV report on Forest Whitaker at Findley Elementarv School.
HONORABLE MENTION
Excellence in Writing: "Criticism of AP Classes is Wrong-Headed" (newspaper editorial published
November 21, 2012 in the Des Moines Register)
NSPRA is a professional organization dedicated to building support and trust for education through
responsible public relations that leads to success for all students. For more information about the
organization, including a complete list of award winners from across the country, visit www.nspra.org.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
www. twitter.com/DMschools
-30-
19

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thanks.
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Monday, June 17, 2013 5:16PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Well ness
Sent: Monday, June 17, 2013 5:00PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Wellness
Hi:
Here's a couple of items that might be helpful. First, go to page 23 of this document: http://www.dmschools.org/wp-
content/uploads/2011/11/BoardMinutes-01-081.pdf. These are the minutes from the Board meeting back in January when
the Wellness program was first presented. It doesn't have dollar amounts, from what I can tell, but does discuss the
scope of the program and some of the areas it may reduce health care needs.
Also, here's the language from the Citizen's Budget Advisory Committee that supported this initiative:
Develop a comprehensive health and wellness program for all staff
We recommend that DMPS develops a health and wellness program for all staff. Our recommendation would be to hire a
highly qualified wellness coordinator who can work with staff and administration to fully develop a wellness program. One
of the main outcomes of the program will be to lower health care costs. This will happen through educational programs,
wellness programs, etc. initiated via the wellness coordinator. The lower costs will result in a happier, healthier and more
productive staff. Staff will model healthy behavior for students and a happier employee makes for happier customers, our
students, parents and the community. This cost savings can then be used to hire more staff when and where needed.
According to a press release from The Chicago Public Schools, February 21, 2012: "Well ness programs implemented
across the country have not only led to healthier employees, but have also found significant financial savings. The
American Journal of Health Promotion reviewed published studies of dozens of workplace well ness programs and
concluded that on average, every $1 investment in wellness resulted in $3.50 in savings from lower health care costs and
lower absenteeism. A second study by the same group found average reductions of 27 percent in absenteeism from
illness, 26 percent in health care costs and 32 percent in workers compensation and disability claims."
If we design and implement an effective and innovative program, it typically takes anywhere from 3 to 5 years to realize
a return on a comprehensive wellness plan, based on industry averages that reflects cost savings and results. Such a plan
would have a positive and dramatic impact on our schools, students and community.
Hope this helps ... Phil
20

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Attachments:
Roeder, Phillip
Thursday, June 13, 2013 9:01AM
Roeder, Phillip
North's Mike Vukovich to be High School's Next Principal
MikeVukovich.jpg
NEWS RELEASE
NORTH'S MIKE VUKOVICH TO BE HIGH SCHOOL'S NEXT PRINCIPAL
DES MOINES (June 13, 2013)- Des Moines Public Schools is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike
Vukovich, the vice principal at North High School, as the school's next principal. He will succeed Matt Smith,
who becomes thE\ Executive Director of Learning Services and Student Activities for DMPS on July 1.
"Mike has played a key role in the recent turnaround at North High, and is the right person at the right time to
lead the school's ongoing momentum," said Superintendent Tom Ahart.
"I'm really excited for the opportunity to help continue our success at North High School, and look forward to
pushing us forward to even greater things in the future," added Vukovich. "And I am especially honored to be
able to continue working with the great group of students, educators and families who make up the North
community."
North High School, located at 501 Holcomb Avenue, is home to more than 1,100 students in grade 9-12.
Vukovich has been vice principal at North High School for the past two years, and was North's School
Improvement Leader during the 2010-11 school year. Prior to that he was at Hoover High School, where his
roles included interim dean/vice principal, academic interventionist, and special education teacher as well as
the head baseball coach. Vukovich has a BA in history education from Southern Illinois University and a M.Ed.
in educational leadership from Iowa State University.
During Vukovich's time at North High, students made academic gains in several areas including an increase in
proficiency and an increase in the graduation rate, and for the first time ever North was ranked as a Top 50
school (28th) on the Iowa AP Index. He also helped oversee the school's implementation of a 1:1 technology
program, making North High the largest school in Iowa where each student was provided with a laptop
computer. North High has recently been selected as one of the College Board's "Spotlight on Schools" for their
efforts in increasing Advanced Placement courses, and has also just been named by the U.S. Department of
Education as a "School of Focus" for its innovative use of School Improvement Grant funds for professional
development.
Phil Roeder
-30-
21
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
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From:
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To:
Subject:
Wednesday, June 12, 2013 12:06 PM
Roeder, Phillip
Out of Office: DMPS-TV Airs All Eight Commencement Ceremonies Next Week
Mary Stegmeir is out of the office until Monday, June 17. If your message needs to be addressed sooner than that,
please contact Metro Editor Kathy Bolten at kbolten@dmreg.com or 515-284-8383. Thanks!
23

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Roeder, Phillip
Roeder, Phillip
DMPS-TV Airs All Eight Commencement Ceremonies Next Week
NEWS RELEASE
DMPS-TV AIRS ALL EIGHT COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES NEXT WEEK
DES MOINES (June 12, 2013)- A couple of weeks ago, nearly 1,800 students received their high school
diplomas at eight separate commencements throughout Des Moines.
Next week, DMPS-TV, the cable television station of Des Moines Public Schools, will broadcast a replay of
each graduation ceremony.
The commencements will air at Noon and again at 8:00 PM as follows:
Sunday, June 16th -Scavo, Ruby Van Meter, and District-Wide Programs
Monday, June 17th - North High School
Wednesday, June 19th -Hoover High School
Thursday, June 20th- Lincoln High School
Friday, June 21st -Roosevelt High School
Saturday, June 22nd - East High School
DMPS-TV can be viewed on Mediacom channel 85 or 97.3.
In addition, starting Monday, all eight graduation ceremonies will be available for viewing at any time on the
DMPS-TV YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/dmpstv.
Finally, a DVD of any of the graduation ceremonies is available for $20 each. To place an order, visit the
DMPS-TVweb page.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
-30-
24
25

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thanks!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Information request
Sent: Friday, June 07, 2013 1:14PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: Information request
Hi Mary:
The attached spread sheet contains the enrollment information in response to your request below.
Talk soon,
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153 - 0
www.dmschools.org
Sent: Wednesday, June 05, 2013 12:39 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Information request
June 5, 2013
Mr. Roeder:
Please consider this a formal request, made under the Iowa Open Records Law, for access to records in the possession of
the Des Moines school district.
26
Specifically, this request is for enrollment totals, by grade, at Hoover, Scavo, Roosevelt, North, Lincoln and East high
schools on each of the following days:
March 22, 2013; March 25, 2013; March 29, 2013; Aprill, 2013; April 5, 2013; April8, 2013; and April12, 2013.
If this request is denied, please cite the specific Open Records Law exemption on which the denial is based.
If there are fees associated with compliance of this request, please notify me in advance of the work being done and
provide an itemized, detailed breakdown of those proposed fees. I respectfully ask that any fees be waived as disclosure
is in the public interest.
To save on copying costs, I will supply a thumb drive or the documents can be emailed to mstegmeir@dmreg.com.
Thank you for your help in this matter. Please call or email with any questions.
Sincerely,
Mary Stegmeir
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
27

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
Hi Mary:
Roeder, Phillip
Stegmeir, Mary
HSenrollmentStegmeirRequest.xlsx
The attached spread sheet contains the enrollment information in response to your request below.
Talk soon,
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, Phillip
June 5, 2013
Mr. Roeder:
Please consider this a formal request, made under the Iowa Open Records law, for access to records in the possession of
Specifically, this request is for enrollment totals, by grade, at Hoover, Scavo, Roosevelt, North, lincoln and East high
March 22, 2013; March 25, 2013; March 29, 2013; Aprill, 2013; AprilS, 2013; AprilS, 2013; and April12, 2013.
28
Sincerely,
Mary Stegmeir
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
29

From:
Sent:
Stegmeir, Mary <mstegmeir@desmoine:gannett.com>
Wednesday, June OS, 2013 3:32 PM
To:
Subject:
Thanks!
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
Roeder, Phillip
Re: Information request
mstegmeir@dmreg.com<mailto:mstegmeir@dmreg.com>
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
Twitter: @marystegmeir
Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse typos/brevity.
On Jun 5, 2013, at 3:19 PM, "Roeder, Phillip" <phillip.roeder@dmschools.org<mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org
wrote:
Mary:
I just wanted to acknowledge receipt of your request. I should have this information to you by tomorrow or no later than
the end of the week.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org<http://www.dmps.k12.ia.us/>
www.twitter.com/DMschools<http://www.twitter.com/DMschools>
www.facebook.com/DMschools<http://www.facebook.com/DMschools>
To: Roeder, Phillip
June 5, 2013
Mr. Roeder:
March 22, 2013; March 25, 2013; March 29, 2013; April1, 2013; April 5, 2013; April 8, 2013; and April12, 2013.
30
To save on copying costs, I will supply a thumb drive or the documents can be emailed to
mstegmeir@dmreg.com<mailto:mstegmeir@dmreg.com>.
Sincerely,
Mary Stegmeir
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o}
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
31

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Mary:
Roeder, Phillip
Stegmeir, Mary
I just wanted to acknowledge receipt of your request. I should have this information to you by tomorrow or no later than
the end of the week.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153- 0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, Phillip
June 5, 2013
Mr. Roeder:
March 22, 2013; March 25, 2013; March 29, 2013; Aprill, 2013; AprilS, 2013; April8, 2013; and April12, 2013.
Sincerely,
32
Mary Stegmeir
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
33

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thanks I
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Roeder, Phillip
RE: K-12 enrollment by race
From: Roeder, Phillip [mallto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org]
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: K-12 enrollment by race
Hi again:
See below ... here's the district-wide count by race by grade level for 2011-12.
Phil Roeder
416
384
402
425
401
406
373
359
361
434
456
34
5
7
8
10
10 134
13 142
13 124
14 151
8 165
10 141
8 157
634
543
555
517
532
472
458
482
398
421
393
712
170
144
160
147
138
154
145
149
151
121
115
171
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2013 1:29PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: K-12 enrollment by race
Hi Phil,
I left a message on your work phone earlier today, but wanted to follow up by email.
I'm looking for the district's K-12 enrollment figures by race by 2011-12 for a story I'm working on about the
demographic study. Specifically, I'm looking for the number of students in each racial category for that school year.
Are you able to provide that data?
The state's data includes preschool students, but I'm looking specifically for K-12 numbers. I need the info for a story I'm
working on for tomorrow's paper.
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
35

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
Hi:
Roeder, Phillip
Stegmeir, Mary
RE: K-12 enrollment by race
2011-12 DMPS Enrollment Report.xls
Yes, the reports we submit do include preschool students (see the third tab on the attached spread sheet for the 2011-
12 overall numbers by school and by race}. I left a message with one of our data people to see if she can do a quick run
for that year minus preschoolers.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2013 1:29PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: K-12 enrollment by race
Hi Phil,
!left a message on your work phone earlier today, but wanted to follow up by email.
I'm looking for the district's K-12 enrollment figures by race by 2011-12 for a story I'm working on about the
demographic study. Specifically, I'm looking for the number of students in each racial category for that school year.
Are you able to provide that data?
The state's data includes preschool students, but I'm looking specifically for K-12 numbers. I need the info for a story I'm
working on for tomorrow's paper.
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
36
37

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thank you!!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Friday, May 31, 2013 4:55 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Jamie Gilley
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2013 4:45 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Jamie Gilley
Hi:
Here's a shot of Jamie ...
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
38

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
Hi:
Here's a shot of Jamie ...
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
www.facebook.com/DMschoois
Roeder, Phillip
Friday, May 31, 2013 4:45 PM
Mary Stegmeier (mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com)
Jamie Gilley
_MG_8420Jpg
39

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Roeder, Phillip
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 2:51 PM
Roeder, Phillip
DMPS Names New Principals at McKinley, Morris and Moulton Schools
NEWS RELEASE
DMPS NAMES NEW PRINCIPALS AT MCKINLEY, MORRIS AND MOULTON SCHOOLS
DES MOINES (May 28, 2013)- Des Moines Public Schools is pleased to announce the appointment of three
new educational leaders as school principals in Iowa's largest district: Lois Brass at McKinley Elementary
School, Sherry Amos at Morris Elementary School, and Cheri Dixon at Moulton Extended Learning Center.
"Lois, Sherry and Cheri bring a record of experience and success in being educational leaders at schools," said
Superintendent Tom Ahart. "I know they share the goals of our teachers and families in helping every student
succeed."
All three principals will officially begiri their new roles on July 1. Additional information on each new principal
and school is as follows:
MCKINLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
McKinley Elementary, located 1610 SE 6th Street, is home to more than 300 students in grades K-5. Lois Brass
replaces Sherry Amos, who is becoming the principal of Morris Elementary School. Brass is currently the K-12
Counseling and Destination Graduation Coordinator for Des Moines Public Schools. Prior to that she was
principal of Findley Elementary School from 2007-11, after serving as assistant principal at the school, and was
also dean of students at River Woods Elementary School. In addition to having worked as an elementary
school teacher and counselor earlier in her career, she spent nearly nine years as the Student Services
Coordinator at the Drake University School of Education. Brass has a BS in secondary education, a MS in
elementary school counseling, and an Ed.S in educational leadership, all from Drake University.
MORRIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Morris Elementary, located 1401 Geil Avenue, is home to 610 students in grades K-5. Sherry Amos replaces
Todd Martin, who has accepted a position in another school district. Amos has spent much of her education
career in Houston, TX, as a teacher and assistant principal. She joined Des Moines Public Schools 5 years
ago, and has been the principal at McKinley Elementary for the past 3 years. Amos has BA degrees in
elementary education and early childhood education, both from the University of Northern Iowa, and a
Masters in Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston.
MOULTON EXTENDED LEARNING CENTER
Moulton Extended Learning Center, located at 1541 8th Street, is home to more than 420 students in grades K-
5 and 8
1
h grade. Cheri Dixon is replacing Craig Saddler, who has accepted a position in another school district.
Dixon has spent much of her career as a teacher and administrator in Texas. Since 2006; she has been
principal of Green Valley Elementary School in the Galena Park (TX) school district, a school with 750 pupils
and a student body that is 95% minority, 90%+ free/reduced meals, and 40% ELL. She was a 2011 finalist for
Texas School Administrator of the Year. Dixon is a graduate of Mason City (lA) High School and has an AA in
40
physical education from NIACC, a BA in elementary education from Buena Vista University, and a M.Ed in
administration and supervision from the University of Houston.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
-30-
41

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Roeder, Phillip
Friday, May 24, 2013 12:24 PM
Roeder, Phillip
DMPS Observes Memorial Day
As we head into the Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to share with you a couple of items about Des Moines Public
Schools observing this occasion.
First, we honored the namesakes of thirty of our schools, past and present, with a photo essay of their final resting
places in the Des Moines metro. You may see these photographs on our Flickr page at http://flic.kr/s/aHsjFkuaPJ. With
each photo is a brief biographical note about the individual and where they are buried. Any school namesakes not
included in this photo essay are either buried outside of Iowa or we were unable to yet confirm the location of their
grave.
Second, after 71 years, a WWII veteran was presented with a well-deserved diploma this morning. Vernon "Paul" Young
was supposed to be a member of the Class of 1942 at North High School. But on December 8, 1941- a day after Pearl
Harbor- he left school and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Today, during North's Class Day, to recognize the Class of 2013, Paul
Young was among those in a green cap and gown and presented with an honorary diploma. Read and see more about
this very special event on our For the Record blog at http://www.dmschools.org/2013/05/71-years-Jater-a-well-
deserved-diploma-for-wwii-veteran/.
And a reminder that DMPS is in the midst of high school graduations, with all five comprehensive high schools holding
commencement ceremonies this weekend. For a complete Jist of graduation events, please visit
http://www. d mschoo Is .o rg/ about/district -calendars/.
All the best,
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
42

From:
Sent:
Monday, May 13, 2013 2:04 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: RE: Gillette v. DSM School Board Members
Thanks.
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2013 2:03 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: Gillette v. DSM School Board Members
Yes, it was done sometime mid-week.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2013 2:02 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Gillette v. DSM School Board Members
Phil,
I just wanted to check in re: Gillette v. DSM School Board.
Has the district turned over the tape/transcript yet?
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
43
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
44

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Phil,
Friday, May 03, 2013 3:13 PM
Roeder, Phillip
Graham Gillette ruling
I tried to leave a message on your work phone, but was told the voice mail system is down over there.
I'm working on a story about today's ruling in Graham Gillette v. the board.
Can you tell me: when does the district intend to turn over the tape/transcript?
Any other comments you'd like to add?
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
45

From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Attachments:
Pendleton, Debra
Monday, April 29, 2013 1:24 PM
mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com
Roeder, Phillip; Lantz, Patricia; Sanny, Linda
RE: Materials for tonight's board meeting
Open Enrollment 42913.docx
Hi Mary - I believe the attached document is in progress, so be sure to check when you come tonight for the
final version.
Deb Pendleton
242-7713
From: Roeder, Phillip
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 12:09 PM
To: Pendleton, Debra
Subject: Fwd: Materials for tonight's board meeting
Deb:
See below. Are their any handouts or materials?
Phil Roeder
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Stegmeir, Mary" <mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com>
Date: April 29, 2013, 11:51:29 AM CDT
To: "Roeder, Phillip" <phillip.roeder@dmschools.org>
Subject: Materials for tonight's board meeting
Phil,
I'll be covering tonight's board meeting. Can you please email me copies of whatever materials the
board will be reviewing?
Thanks,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
46

From:
Sent:
Monday, April15, 2013 9:34 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Re: Trying to get in touch with Mr. Ahart
He got back to me. Thanks.
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
On Apr 15, 2013, at 9:29 PM, "Roeder, Phillip" <phillip.roeder@dmschools.org<mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org
wrote:
Hi:
Sorry but for some reason your email just popped up in my in box a couple of minutes ago. I don't know if Tom got in
touch; I just left him a message and forwarded your email to him, too.
Phil Roeder
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 15, 2013, at 7:53 PM, "Stegmeir, Mary"
<mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com<mailto:mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com>> wrote:
Hey Phil,
I'm working on a story for tomorrow's paper about the proposal to add central administration positions.
I'm on a tight deadline, and left a message and email for Mr. Ahart about 45 minutes ago but haven't yet heard back.
If you're still at the office, would you please mind asking him to give me a call on my cell phone 515-803-0245?
My deadline is 8:30p.m.
Thanks,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
47
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
48

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Hey Phil,
Monday, AprillS, 2013 7:53 PM
Roeder, Phillip
Trying to get in touch with Mr. Ahart
I'm working on a story for tomorrow's paper about the proposal to add central administration positions.
I'm on a tight deadline, and left a message and email for Mr. Ahart about 45 minutes ago but haven't yet heard back.
If you're still at the office, would you please mind asking him to give me a call on my cell phone 515-803-0245?
My deadline is 8:30p.m.
Thanks,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
49

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
OK, thank you!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Wednesday, AprillO, 2013 5:13 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Follow-up on bus driver questions
Sent: Wednesday, April10, 2013 5:11PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: Follow-up on bus driver questions
Hi:
I'm running the video question past our attorney. I don't know if there are any issues relating to its release, but I just
want to be certain.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 4:06 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Thanks for the update.
What about the bus security tape? Will you be able to release that?
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
50
mstegmeir@dmreq.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Hi:
Sorry, I seem to be swinging and missing, but I'll see what I can still get. There was not a photo of Mr. Lubbert in Infinite
Campus, but our transportation staff is seeing what, if anything, they might have. And I've talked to two secretaries at
East, who were both in the office when the students and mother got to school this morning, and neither could recall her
name (although both said she did a great job}; one of them was going to go back and see if she could figure out the
student that belonged to the parent to identify her.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
www. facebook.com/DMschools
Sent: Wednesday, April10, 2013 2:26 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Follow-up on bus driver questions
Hey Phil,
I just wanted to check back and see if you would be able to release:
a} A photo of Mr. Lubber!
b) A security tape from the bus
c) The name of the parent who assisted in CPR
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
51

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thank you.
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreq.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Wednesday, AprillO, 2013 12:35 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Bus Driver
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Bus Driver
Mary:
A few more details as we know them. When the driver pulled over and was clearly suffering from a medical situation, a
student on the bus called 911. A parent who was at a bus stop saw that there was a problem and entered to bus to try
and assist. Another DMPS school bus was passing nearby, also saw that there appeared to be a problem and pulled up to
the scene; they radioed into our dispatch to report the emergency; that driver escorted students from Art Lubbert's bus
to their own bus and took them to school as the paramedics arrived.
Hope that helps fill in a few details ...
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
52

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thank you!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Tuesday, March 26, 2013 3:22 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: SIG
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 3:22 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: SIG
Hi Mary:
Wilma was in a meeting but !left her a message to give you a call.
In regard to work being done at the SIG schools which may help at other schools, one example is the one to-one laptop
experience at North High. While we do not have another one-to-one school in the district, that experience is helping
with a "bring your own device" pilot project we have at Lincoln and Merrill (students being able to use their own
laptops/tablets/smart phones at school), both in best practices on using devices in the classroom as well as technology-
related issues to implement.
Another example that could be down the road is Harding Middle School. One aspect of their turnaround plan is a later
starting time: they have the district's latest school start time at 8:45AM. That part of their experience during the three
years of the SIG program will provide some data on whether or not a later start time is something to be considered for
other schools.
Finally, the test results for elementary schools is grades 3-5, middle schools is grades 6-8, and high school is only grade
11 (that's the only grade required to be reported to the federal government under SIG).
Hope that helps ...
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
53
54

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thanks!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Roeder, Phillip
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Mary:
The attached PDF includes the correspondence in response to your request below.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 11:56 AM
To: Roeder, Phillip
March 11, 2013
Mr. Roeder,
Des Moines Public Schools.
Specifically, this request is for any written or electronic communication:
55
between Tom Ahart and school board members Dick Murphy, Cindy Elsbernd, Teree Caldwell-Johnson, Connie
Boesen, Pat Sweeney, Bill Howard and Joe Jongewaard from Feb. 21, 2013 to March 11, 2013;
between yourself and board president Dick Murphy from Feb. 21, 2013 to March 11, 2013;
and between attorney Pat Lantz and board members Dick Murphy, Cindy Elsbernd, Teree Caldwell-Johnson,
Connie Boesen, Pat Sweeney, Bill Howard and Joe Jongewaard from Feb. 21, 2013 to March 11, 2013.
Sincerely,
Mary Stegmeir
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
msteqmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
56

From:
Sent:
Monday, March 18, 2013 8:33 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Re: Good and bad (or bad and good)
Thanks for the update.
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
515-284-8525 {office)
515-803-0245 {mobile)
On Mar 18, 2013, at 8:05PM, "Roeder, Phillip" <phillip.roeder@dmschools.org<mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org
wrote:
Hi:
Just wanted to follow up on the ELL bill ... it was approved on the Senate floor 48-0 tonight.
Phil
From: Stegmeir, Mary [mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com<mailto:mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com>]
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2013 2:06PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Cc: Bolten, Kathy; Hunter, Carol
Subject: RE: Good and bad {or bad and good)
Phil,
Thanks so much for your email.
I will talk to my editors about getting a correction into Sunday's paper.
I think the issue was that some sentences got jumbled when making additions to the article between press time for the
state and metro editions.
The sentence included the word "later" because it had been originally followed an explanation of what happened at
Friday's board meeting.
Just to be clear, the proposed contract would extend through June 30, 2015, correct?
And thanks for the additional information about the ELL bill. I know Mr. Ahart talked about at on Monday and was
hoping to follow up with him for more information.
57
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2013 1:20 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Good and bad (or bad and good)
Mary:
I wanted to touch base on two things.
I was debating whether to send an email but, since you asked for us to let you know of mistakes, I thought I'd drop a
note. I'll let Dick Murphy address if he has any concerns about how the Board's work was reported, but there was one
thing that directly pertained to my work.
In the lede of this morning's story you wrote, "The district later issued a news release saying he would be awarded a
two-year contract at a salary of $260,000 annually, subject to approval by the board." I'm not going to speculate on
what was being implied by writing "later," but it's simply not accurate. The press release was posted to our web site at
2:34, was emailed out at 2:40, and me being "old school" a print version was given to you and other reporters
immediately at the end of the Murphy/ Ahart remarks. The web posting actually happened a minute or two before Dick
Murphy even announced that Tom Ahart was being offered a contract and the email was sent while the event was still in
progress. Also, while the press release twice noted that the contract would be voted on by the Board on Tuesday and
with a salary of $260,000, it didn't say anything about the length (it's my understanding that it's a little longer than 2
years).
On something completely unrelated (the "good" of the subject line, IMO), I just wanted to give you a heads up on a
piece of legislation you might be interested in taking a look at: SF 266. With everything else going on last week, this got a
little overlooked in the shuffle. This is a bill that Senator Janet Petersen introduced, which would extend the weighted
formula for ELL students from the current 4 years to up to 7 years. The bill was approved with no opposition by the
Senate Education Committee on Thursday afternoon (and so made the funnel deadline), and appears to have bipartisan
support heading to the Senate floor. This is a priority of ours and the UEN as well as a number of smaller districts that
have large ELL populations (i.e. Storm Lake or Denison, which both have around 50% of their enrollment being ELL
students). With the increasing number of refugee students coming to Des Moines and elsewhere in Iowa, this bill would
provide districts with additional support for a longer period of time for those students who need it. Even though we see
roughly 15-20% of our students actually become proficient and leave ELL before four years, many of the students
arriving today are not literate in their home language and so additional time and support is needed to help them learn
English and acclimate to school. Vinh Nguyen is, of course, our expert in Des Moines on ELL and there are others (the
superintendent in Denison, the high school principal in Marshalltown) who are very knowledgeable about the need for
this change. Anyway, just wanted to give you a heads up on something that could make a difference for a growing
number of students here and across the state.
Talk soon ... Phil
58

From:
Sent:
Wednesday, March 13, 2013 12:37 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Re: Superintendent contract
Sorry for the confusion. I wrote that email at last night's meeting, but my outlook didn't send it until this morning.
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
On Mar 13, 2013, at 11:43 AM, "Roeder, Phillip"
<Phillip.roeder@dmschools.org<mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org>> wrote:
Mary:
Sorry, I'm unclear what you mean by proposed. I have a signed copy of the contract, which is attached.
Also, I know you're talking with Bill Good a little later about the proposed new facility at Casady, and have called Randi
Oleson. She was a little timid to talk about this, but I told her it'd be good to talk with you about what this will mean for
the middle school program that is a part of her department. I've traded calls with her this morning, but feel free to give
her another try after you talk with Bill.
Talk soon,
Phil Roeder
901 Street
515-242-8153-0
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 8:12AM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Superintendent contract
Phil,
Can I please get a copy of the proposed superintendent contract?
59
Thank you,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 {o}
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
<Supt. contract 2013 0312.pdf>
60

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Phil,
Wednesday, March 13, 2013 8:12AM
Roeder, Phillip
Superintendent contract
Can I please get a copy of the proposed superintendent contract?
Thank you,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
61

From:
Sent:
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Re: Presentation for tonight
Thank you. Can you please tell me what Mr. Ahart's annual annuity is?
Thanks,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
On Mar 12, 2013, at 6:37 PM, "Roeder, Phillip" <phillip.roeder@dmschools.org<mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org
wrote:
And here's the presentation on the revenue bond sale.
Phil Roeder
www.dmschools.org<http://www.dmschools.org>
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Good, Harold" <harold.good@dmschools.org<mailto:harold.good@dmschools.org>>
Date: March 12, 2013, 1:31:36 PM CDT
To: "Roeder, Phillip" <phillip.roeder@dmschools.org<mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org, "Taylor, Sarah"
<sarah.taylor2@dmschools.org<mailto:sarah.taylor2@dmschools.org>>
Subject: Presentation for tonight
Please confirm this will be loaded for tonight. Thanks
Bill Good
Chief Operations Officer
<image002.jpg>
62
P Please consider your environmental responsibility before printing this e-mail CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email,
and any attachments hereto, contains information which may be CONFIDENTIAL and/or ATIORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGED.
The information is intended to be for the use of the individual or entity named above. If you are not the intended
recipient, please note that any unauthorized disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the information is prohibited. If
you have received this electronic transmission in error, please return the e-mail to the sender, delete it from your
computer and destroy all copies.
<Phase 3 bonding ahead 3.13.pptx>
63

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thank you!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Stegmeir, Mary <mstegmeir@desmoine.gannettcom>
Roeder, Phillip
From: Roeder, Phillip [mallto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org]
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Mary:
I meant to let you know that I received your request below. Our person who pulls electronic records is out until
tomorrow. I'll let you know when this is ready, and in advance if there are any fees involved.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153- 0
www.dmschools.org
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 11:56 AM
To: Roeder, Phillip
March 11, 2013
Mr. Roeder,
Des Moines Public Schools.
Specifically, this request is for any written or electronic communication:
64
between Tom Ahart and school board members Dick Murphy, Cindy Elsbernd, Teree Caldwell-Johnson, Connie
Boesen, Pat Sweeney, Bill Howard and Joe Jongewaard from Feb. 21, 2013 to March 11, 2013;
between yourself and board president Dick Murphy from Feb. 21, 2013 to March 11, 2013;
and between attorney Pat Lantz and board members Dick Murphy, Cindy Elsbernd, Teree Caldwell-Johnson,
Connie Boesen, Pat Sweeney, Bill Howard and Joe Jongewaard from Feb. 21, 2013 to March 11, 2013.
Sincerely,
Mary Stegmeir
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreq.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
65

From:
Sent:
Hunter, Carol <CHUNTER@desmoine.gannett.com>
Saturday, March 09, 2013 8:51 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Cc: Bolten, Kathy; Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: FW: Good and bad (or bad and good)
Phil:
I finally got time to go back through versions of the story and, sigh, the error with "later" was mine.
It happened in the rewrite, as Mary explained. I had been concerned in the story with establishing sequence.
Unfortunately, I somehow bollixed it. I wasn't intending to imply anything; I just wanted to get the sequence right.
From her first draft posted Friday afternoon, Mary had it clear. Her initial paragraph: "A press release issued while the
announcement was being made said that Ahart will be paid $260,000 a year and that the board would vote on his
contract Tuesday."
I apologize for the error and any confusion it caused.
Carol Hunter
From: Stegmeir, Mary
To: Roeder, Phillip
Cc: Bolten, Kathy; Hunter, Carol
Subject: RE: Good and bad (or bad and good)
Phil,
Thanks so much for your email.
I will talk to my editors about getting a correction into Sunday's paper.
I think the issue was that some sentences got jumbled when making additions to the article between press time for the
state and metro editions.
The sentence included the word "later'' because it had been originally followed an explanation of what happened at
Friday's board meeting.
Just to be clear, the proposed contract would extend through June 30, 2015, correct?
And thanks for the additional information about the ELL bill. I know Mr. Ahart talked about at on Monday and was
hoping to follow up with him for more information.
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
66
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2013 1:20PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Mary:
In the lede of this morning's story you wrote, "The district later issued a news release saying he would be
awarded a two-year contract at a salary of $260,000 annually, subject to approval by the board." I'm
not going to speculate on what was being implied by writing "later," but it's simply not accurate. The
press release was posted to our web site at 2:34, was emailed out at 2:40, and me being "old school"
a print version was given to you and other reporters immediately at the end of the Murphy/Ahart
remarks. The web posting actually happened a minute or two before Dick Murphy even announced
that Tom Ahart was being offered a contract and the email was sent while the event was still in
progress. Also, while the press release twice noted that the contract would be voted on by the Board
on Tuesday and with a salary of $260,000, it didn't say anything about the length (it's my
understanding that it's a little longer than 2 years).
On something completely unrelated (the "good" of the subject line, IMO), I just wanted to give you a
heads up on a piece of legislation you might be interested in taking a look at: SF 266. With
everything else going on last week, this got a little overlooked in the shuffle. This is a bill that
Senator Janet Petersen introduced, which would extend the weighted formula for ELL students from
the current 4 years to up to 7 years. The bill was approved with no opposition by the Senate
Education Committee on Thursday afternoon (and so made the funnel deadline), and appears to
have bipartisan support heading to the Senate floor. This is a priority of ours and the UEN as well as
a number of smaller districts that have large ELL populations (i.e. Storm Lake or Denison, which both
have around 50% of their enrollment being ELL students). With the increasing number of refugee
students coming to Des Moines and elsewhere in Iowa, this bill would provide districts with additional
support for a longer period of time for those students who need it. Even though we see roughly 15-
20% of our students actually become proficient and leave ELL before four years, many of the
students arriving today are not literate in their home language and so additional time and support is
needed to help them learn English and acclimate to school. Vinh Nguyen is, of course, our expert in
Des Moines on ELL and there are others (the superintendent in Denison, the high school principal in
Marshalltown) who are very knowledgeable about the need for this change. Anyway, just wanted to
give you a heads up on something that could make a difference for a growing number of students
here and across the state.
Talk soon ... Phil
67

From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Murphy, Richard
Stegmeir, Mary; Roeder, Phillip
Re: Length of Contract
Thank you for the information. I will be sure to include the contract end date in our correction.
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
Sent from my !Phone. Please excuse typos/brevity.
On Mar 9, 2013, at 6:02PM, "richard murphy" <rmurphyia@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>
>Hi Mary,
>The contract that will be presented and acted upon on Tuesday, March 12 calls for a little longer term than two years.
It will go into effect March 12, 2013 and run until June 30, 2015. The reason for this is that the current contract for the
Interim Superintendent expires on the appointment of the new Superintendent. So, if the contract were to begin on July
1, 2013, and the current Interim contract expires on March 12, we would be without a school leader from March 12,
2013 through June 30, 2013.
>
>You may ask, "Why don't you just extend the interim contract until June 30, 2013?" That would require re-negotiating
the interim contract and negotiating the superintendent contract. It is more efficient and, I believe, more economical to
offer the proposed contract.
>
> Dick Murphy
68

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Good and bad (or bad and good)
The online version of the story should be corrected momentarily.
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
From: Roeder, Phillip [mailto:phlllip.roeder@dmschools.org]
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Mary:
In the lede of this morning's story you wrote, "The district later issued a news release saying he would be
awarded a two-year contract at a salary of $260
1
000 annually
1
subject to approval by the board." I'm
not going to speculate on what was being implied by writing "later," but it's simply not accurate. The
press release was posted to our web site at 2:34
1
was emailed out at 2:40, and me being "old school"
a print version was given to you and other reporters immediately at the end of the Murphy/Ahart
remarks. The web posting actually happened a minute or two before Dick Murphy even announced
that Tom Ahart was being offered a contract and the email was sent while the event was still in
progress. Also, while the press release twice noted that the contract would be voted on by the Board
on Tuesday and with a salary of $260,000, it didn't say anything about the length (it's my
understanding that it's a little longer than 2 years).
On something completely unrelated (the "good" of the subject line, IMO), I just wanted to give you a
heads up on a piece of legislation you might be interested in taking a look at: SF 266. With
everything else going on last week/ this got a little overlooked in the shuffle. This is a bill that
Senator Janet Petersen introduced/ which would extend the weighted formula for ELL students from
the current 4 years to up to 7 years. The bill was approved with no opposition by the Senate
Education Committee on Thursday afternoon (and so made the funnel deadline), and appears to
have bipartisan support heading to the Senate floor. This is a priority of ours and the UEN as well as
a number of smaller districts that have large ELL populations (i.e. Storm Lake or Denison, which both
have around 50% of their enrollment being ELL students). With the increasing number of refugee
69
students coming to Des Moines and elsewhere in Iowa, this bill would provide districts with additional
support for a longer period of time for those students who need it. Even though we see roughly 15-
20% of our students actually become proficient and leave ELL before four years, many of the
students arriving today are not literate in their home language and so additional time and support is
needed to help them learn English and acclimate to school. Vinh Nguyen is, of course, our expert in
Des Moines on ELL and there are others (the superintendent in Denison, the high school principal in
Marshalltown) who are very knowledgeable about the need for this change. Anyway, just wanted to
give you a heads up on something that could make a difference for a growing number of students
here and across the state.
Talk soon ... Phil
70

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thank you!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
-----Original Message-----
Friday, March 08, 2013 1:08 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Press conference
Sent: Friday, March 08, 2013 1:07 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: Press conference
It'll be 2:30 in room 6A on the 6th floor.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153- 0
www.dmschools.org
Sent: Friday, March 08, 2013 12:51 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Press conference
Hey Phil,
Please call my cell or email w details about the press conference.
I'm waiting downtaira at 901 walnut, but we still need to be able to get our photo dept here.
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
71
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
72

From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Taylor, Sarah
Thursday, March 07, 2013 3:39 PM
Roeder, Phillip
Harding Data
Hi Mary- here is the data you requested for the 2010-11 school year. This is the percent proficient on the IBTS for
reading and math at Harding.
6'h Grade
Reading 42.5%
Math 41.3%
Sarah Taylor
Communications Specialist, Des Moines Public Schools
90 I Walnut Street, Des Moines \A S0309
PH (SIS) 242-8162
www.dmschools.org
www.facebook,com/DMschools
7'h Grade a'h Grade
50.5% 44.4%
57.5% 45.1%
73

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thursday, March 07, 2013 12:51 AM
Roeder, Phillip
Closed meeting
http ://blogs.desmo i nesregiste r .com/ d m r /index. ph p/2013/03/07/ no-wo rd-on-whe n-d m ps-boa rd-will-resume-closed-
session-meeting/article
Can you please tell me when this meeting will resume?
Thank you,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
74

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Phil,
Wednesday, March 06, 2013 3:31 PM
Roeder, Phillip
Superintendent announcement
I just left you a voice mail, but thought I'd also send an email... I imagine it's another busy day over there.
I'm planning out our coverage for the rest of the week.
Do you have an estimation of when the board will announce its superintendent selection?
Will that announcement be made during a board meeting; via a press release or through a press conference?
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
75

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
OK, thanks.
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Monday, March 04, 2013 7:48 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Resume from Ahart
From: Roeder, Phillip [mailto:philllp.roeder@dmschools.org]
Sent: Monday, March 04, 2013 7:48 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Re: Resume from Ahart
I don't have anything beyond the bios from the search firm. You'll need to ask Tom when this is over to get you a copy
(or Dick).
Phil Roeder
www.dmschools.org
Sent from my iPad
On Mar 4, 2013, at 7:37PM, "Stegmeir, Mary" <mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com> wrote:
Hey Phil,
I'm still getting questions from my editors about whether I will have employment dates, details for
Ahart.
Are you able to get me his resume yet tonight?
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
76
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
77

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Hey Phil,
Monday, March 04, 2013 6:47AM
Roeder, Phillip
Resumes, cover letters
Will the district be releasing the candidate's cover letters and resumes?
I found old versions from Wright and Browder online, but nothing from Ahart.
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
78

From:
Sent:
Saturday, March 02, 2013 10:58 AM
To:
Subject:
Thanks.
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
Roeder, Phillip
Re: Finalist photos
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
On Mar 2, 2013, at 10:50 AM, "Roeder, Phillip" <phillip.roeder@dmschools.org<mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org
wrote:
Hi Mary:
There are photos posted of the finalists at http://www.dmschools.org/board/superintendent-search/finalists/. If you
click on the image you can download a larger version. The one of Tom Ahart is high-res. Unfortunately, the search firm
did not pass along very good quality photos of the other two (I've asked them to get me something better), but in the
meantime hopefully this is helpful.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
79

From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Hi Mary,
richard murphy <rmurphyia@earthlink.net>
Friday, March 01, 2013 4:38 PM
Stegmeir, Mary
Roeder, Phillip; _Board
Re: Request for time with superintendent candidates
Good idea. How about spending 1 0-15 minutes with each candidate after the meet and greet? We might end
the sessions a little early and either find a location in the library or at neighboring Starbucks. My only
suggestion would be that you follow a consistent format in your interviews. We are striving for fairness and
equity. I know you can be relied on for this.
Thanks for you suggestion.
Dick Murphy
Dick Murphy
On Mar 1, 2013, at 12:18 PM, Stegmeir, Mary wrote:
Hello all,
I know the district is busy putting together the superintendent candidate schedules for next week.
I wanted to ask if you could please include a short window -10 minutes- in each candidate's schedule for an interview
with The Register.
Perhaps before or after the meet-and-greets?
Thanks for your consideration,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
80

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Phil,
Thursday, February 28, 2013 10:40 AM
Roeder, Phillip
SB tapes
Just wanted to check in and see if you had an ETA of when the CD would be available today ...
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
81

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thanks!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 3:18 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Report
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 3:17PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: Report
Hi Mary:
Thanks for passing this along. As you can probably guess there is not a lot I can add given the age of the student. I can
say that, while the student will face disciplinary action at school, our first priority right now has been working with the
family to find the best program to support the student moving forward.
Talk soon,
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: FW: Report
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
82
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
From: Zilbermints, Regina
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Report
The handwriting on this report is awful ... l can barely read it on the actual page, let alone in a photo. But it's a pretty
short report, so here's the text. Let me know if you need anything else I
Reporting person and victim: Michelle McClure, WF25. McClure lives at 309 Caulder Ave in Des Moines and works at
Jackson Elementary.
Date/time: Occured Feb. 25, 2013 at 8:15-8:35 a.m., reported Feb. 25 at 11:50 a.m.
Location: 3825 Indianola Ave.
Witnesses: Sandy Mortale, 3825 Indianola Ave. and Vicke Halverson, 1825 E. Glendwood
Summary: Tripped by dispatch to Jackson Elementary on an assault. Upon my arrival I spoke to a Ms. Michelle McClure
who stated that she was dealing with another student when [redacted] started to argue with his mother, strike his
mother and knocked over a desk. When Ms. McClure got done dealing with her student, she went back to where
[redacted] was at. [Redacted] then slapped Ms. McClure across the face (left side.) I was informed by school employees
that [redacted] mother took him to Mercy Franklin.
Type of injury: Redness to left cheek
Suspect's name was redacted (meaning he either wasn't charged when the report was made or because he's so young)
but he's listed as a white male, age 10.
Regina Zilbermints
Work: (515) 284-8088
Cell: (515) 771-1385
Twitter: @RZilbermints
www.DesMoinesRegister.com
83

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Hey Phil,
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 1:01 PM
Roeder, Phillip
Meeting tapes, grad rates
I left you a couple of messages on your office phone, but thought I'd check in via email as well.
First off, I wanted to see when I would be able to listen to the audio tapes from Monday and Tuesday's open session of
the school board.
Secondly, I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about graduation rates.
Can you please give me a call when you have a sec?
Thanks,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
84

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thanks! I got it.
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Friday, February 22, 2013 5:39 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Clarification
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2013 5:38 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Clarification
Hi Mary:
I just want to clarify one thir\g I told you about the Board's meetings next week. I think I said they adjourn each night
between closed sessions but they actually recess between each night. Technicality, but just want to be clear.
Thanks,
Phil Roeder
Sent from my !Phone
85

From:
Sent:
Monday, February 18, 2013 11:32 AM
To:
Subject:
Thank you!
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
Roeder, Phillip
Re: IB schools
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
On Feb 18, 2013, at 11:01 AM, "Roeder, Phillip" <phillip.roeder@dmschools.org<mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org
wrote:
Hi:
No, Lincoln is not an IB school. Some people have recently raised the idea, since Brody Middle School feeds into Lincoln,
but there hasn't been a decision made about beginning that process.
Here's a link to a page on our web site that includes a list of the authorized and pending IB schools in the district:
http://www.dmschools.org/academics/programs/international-baccalaureate/
Talk soon,
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2013 10:47 AM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: IB schools
Phil,
I had a parent call me this morning and say that Lincoln was an IB school.
86
I had only seen Hoover mentioned in the past as a high school pursuing IB status.
Can you please send me an updated list of all the DM schools that are either certified as IB or pursing certification?
Thank you,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
87

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Phil,
Monday, February 18, 2013 10:47 AM
Roeder, Phillip
IB schools
I had a parent call me this morning and say that Lincoln was an IB school.
I had only seen Hoover mentioned in the past as a high school pursuing IB status.
Can you please send me an updated list of all the DM schools that are either certified as IB or pursing certification?
Thank you,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreq.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
88

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
OK! Thanks!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Friday, February 08, 2013 3:24 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Superintendent applications
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: Superintendent applications
Hi Mary:
I'm going to forward your note to Dick Murphy and ask that he talk with you on Monday. The Board is really the "flack"
on the search process.
Have a good weekend ...
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153 - 0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, phillip
Subject: Superintendent applications
Hey Phil,
Can I give you a call Monday afternoon? I want to do a blog update that evening about how many applications the
district has received for the superintendent position.
89
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
90

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thanks so much!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Tuesday, February 05, 2013 2:17 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Tonight's work session
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2013 2:17 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: Tonight's work session
Hi:
There will be, but it's still being worked on. I should have a copy before the meeting and, if so, will pass it along.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2013 10:17 AM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Tonight's work session
Hey Phil,
Will there be any handouts or powerpoint presentations at tonight's budget workshop.
If so, can I get a copy of those materials?
Thank you,
Mary
91
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
92

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thanks!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreq.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Monday, February 04, 2013 9:07AM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Work session
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2013 8:25AM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Re: Work session
Hi:
Yes, at noon today at 901. They are discussing the early retirement change that's on tomorrow night's agenda.
Phil Roeder
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 3, 2013, at 7:04 PM, "Stegmeir, Mary" <mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com> wrote:
Is a board work session scheduled for tomorrow (Monday, Feb. 4)?
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
93

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Saturday, February 02, 2013 8:12 AM
Roeder, Phillip
Out of Office: Central Campus Closed Today
Mary Stegmeir is out of the office through Monday, Feb. 5. If your message needs to be addressed sooner than that,
please contact Metro Editor Kathy Bolten at kbolten@dmreg.com or 515-284-8383. Thanks!
94

From: Taylor, Sarah
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 2:34 PM
Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Class Size
Mary -I think these are probably the figures you noticed that were off. I checked with our data person and the numbers
on both of these somehow got doubled.
Hillis 4'h grade should be 20 instead of 40
Willard Kindergarten should be 19 instead of 38
Thanks,
Sarah
Sarah Taylor
90 I Walnut Street, Des Moines lA 50309
PH (5 15) 242-8162
www.dmschools.ore
95

From:
Sent:
Sunday, January 27, 2013 6:48 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Re: Class size ratios
Yes, very much so, thank you.
I may give you a call tomorrow if I want a confirmation on any particular lines.
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
On Jan 27, 2013, at 5:58 PM, "Roeder, Phillip" <phillip.roeder@dmschools.org<mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org
wrote:
Hi:
I think this answers your questions. First, all of the elementary schools should be included on this list. It is mostly but not.
entirely in alphabetical order; it's ordered by a numeric code that's assigned to each school and is listed in column A (i.e.
Capitol View is 0427). It's mostly alpha but because of the numeric code some schools {Brubaker and Downtown are a
couple I've noticed) appear out of order.
Yes, most schools uses the same code for their classrooms {"00" is kindergarten, "01" is 1st grade, etc.), with the second
number representing the classroom's section at that school ... our schools mostly range from 2 to 4 sections per grade.
There are some schools that include other codes (ie. HR08 or MIS0999) which are students in individualized special
education or intensive Ell programs. Also, the Downtown School and Cowles have combined grades and so their codes
are a little different.
The total enrollment for each school is then the last item listed in its section of the spreadsheet. For example, figures for
Capitol View begin on row 3; row 30 lists the total count for each grade (columns D thru J) and the school's total
enrollment of 533 in column K, row 30. Carver Elementary then begins on row 31.
Does that make sense and/or what you're looking for?
Phil
From: Stegmeir, Mary [mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com<mailto:mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com>]
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2013 4:36PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: RE: Class size ratios
96
Phil,
Can you please tell me which schools are represented on the elementary homeroom document?
It appears to me that each school uses the same coding. (I.E. HR00-1 =one section of kindergarten).
So, can you please tell me where each school's enrollment figures begin on the document. I.E. which school's totals start
at line 31, line 56, etc.
Thanks!
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 10:09 AM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Hi:
Attached is a report on elementary school class size for grades K-5. This is current as of yesterday. The spreadsheet lists
each comprehensive elementary school and then each classroom within the school with a student count.
As I mentioned below, the state only requires that this be compiled for grades K-3, but we track for all of elementary.
Homeroom sizes in middle and high schools average around 25 students, but there is not a comparable class size report
for secondary schools.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www .dmschools.org<http :/ /www .d m ps. k12. ia. us/>
www. face boo k.com/DMschoo ls<http:/ /www. facebook. com/DM schoo Is>
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 1:30 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Thank you!
97
Mary,Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (a)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 1:28PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Hi:
I'll have a rundown of all elementary class sizes for you in the morning (it will be current as of today). The State only
requires that this data be collected for grades K-3 but we do a K-5 report. The secondary school class size is not tracked
the same way so it will only be an estimate.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www .dmschoo ls.org<http :/ /www .d m ps. k12. ia. us/>
www.twitter.com/DMschools<http:/ /www.twitter.com/DMschools>
www. facebook.co m/D M schoo Is< http://www. facebook.com/DMschoo Is>
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 10:37 AM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Thanks,
I just talked to my editors and they pushed back by deadline for the story.
But, they also want to get me to include more specific class size information with the article.
By the end of the day Friday, can you please provide me with class size data by building and by class for each school in
the district?
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (a)
98
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Hi Mary:
Let me see what I can get from people here ...
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www .dmschools.o rg<http :/ /www .d m ps. k12. ia. us/>
www. face boo k.com/DM schoo ls<http:/ /www. facebook. com/DM schools>
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Class size ratios
Hey Phil,
I'm working on a story about the budget for tomorrow's paper.
Can you tell me what the average class sizes are for elementary, middle and high school students are this year?
Thanks!
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
99

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Phil,
Sunday, January 27, 2013 4:36 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Class size ratios
Can you please tell me which schools are represented on the elementary homeroom document?
It appears to me that each school uses the same coding. (I.E. HR00-1 =one section of kindergarten).
So, can you please tell me where each school's enrollment figures begin on the document. I.E. which school's totals start
at line 31, line 56, etc.
Thanks!
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Hi:
each comprehensive elementary school and then each classroom within the school. with a student count.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
www. facebook.com/DMschools
100
To: Roeder, Phillip
Thank you I
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 1:28 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Hi:
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, Phillip
Thanks,
the district?
Mary
101
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Hi Mary:
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153- 0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, Phillip
Hey Phil,
Thanks I
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
102

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thank you.
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Friday, January 25, 2013 10:10 AM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Class size ratios
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Hi:
each comprehensive elementary school and then each classroom within the school with a student count.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-2428153- 0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, Phillip
Thank you!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
103
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Hi:
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
www. twitter.com/DMschools
To: Roeder, Phillip
Thanks,
the district?
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
104
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Hi Mary:
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, Phillip
Hey Phil,
Thanks I
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
msteqmeir@dmreq.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
105

From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Taylor, Sarah
_DMPSTV; Roeder, Phillip; Wellman, Michael
DM PS Art Show
Here's some information about the upcoming DMPS Art Show featuring artists from all across the school
d ~ r i c t .
The DMPS art show will run from February 7-14. The show will be in the Capital Square Mall Lobby located at
400 Locust Street downtown. An opening reception is at 5:30-7:30 PM February 7 with comments by the
Interim Superintendent starting at 5:45 on the evening of Feb. 7.
Thanks,
Sarah
Sarah Taylor
90 I Walnut Street, Des Moines lA 50309
PH (515) 242-8162
www.dmschools.org
106

From:
Sent:
Friday, January 11, 2013 4:15 PM
To:
Subject:
Thank you!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Link to the story
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 3:47PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: Link to the story
No problem. Also, the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee meets again next week: Thursday at 6:30 here at 901 Walnut.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 3:02 PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Re: Link to the story
Okl Thanks for taking a look!
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
107
Sent from my !Phone. Please excuse typos/brevity.
On Jan 11, 2013, at 2:24PM, "Roeder, Phillip" <phillip.roeder@dmschools.org<mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org
wrote:
Thanks. At this point there's really nothing new for us to add beyond what was filed and argued in court.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www .d mschools.o rg< http:/ fwww .d m ps. k12. ia. us/>
www.facebook.com/DMschools<http:/ /www.facebook.com/DMschools>
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 2:20PM
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Link to the story
http:/ /blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2013/01/11/judge-hears-arguments-in-public-records-
lawsuit/article
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@ma,rystegmeir
108

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Okl Thanks for taking a look!
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
Roeder, Phillip
Re: Link to the story
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
On Jan 11, 2013, at 2:24PM, "Roeder, Phillip" <phillip.roeder@dmschools.org<mailto:phillip.roeder@dmschools.org
wrote:
Thanks. At this point there's really nothing new for us to add beyond what was filed and argued in court.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www. d mschoo ls.org<http :/ /www .d m ps. k12. ia. us/>
www. twitter .com/DMschoo Is< http://www. twitter .com/DMschoo Is>
www. facebook.com/DMschools<http :/ /www. facebook.com/DM schoo Is>
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Link to the story
http:/ /blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2013/01/11/judge-hears-arguments-in-public-records-
lawsuit/article
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
109

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Roeder, Phillip
Link to the story
http ://blogs. d esmoi nesregiste r .com/ d m r /index. ph p/20 13/0 1/11/j ud ge-hea rs-a rgu me nts-i n-pu b lic-reco rd s-
lawsuit/article
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
110

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Hey Phil,
Friday, January 11, 2013 11:47 AM
Roeder, Phillip
Citizen's Budget Committee meetings
I'm looking on the website, but I can't find any information stating when the Citizen's Budget Committee meets.
Can you please forward me that info?
Thank you,
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 {o)
515-803-0245 {c)
@marystegmeir
111

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thank you!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Wednesday, January 09, 2013 4:20 PM
Roeder, Phillip
RE: One last weapons follow-up question
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2013 4:19 PM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: One last weapons follow-up question
I'm still waiting to confirm. Looking at our expulsion Jist, there was a "dangerous weapon" in early January of last year at
North that Jed to a student being expelled but it doesn't indicate on my Jist what type of weapon it was. Hopefully I'll
have an answer for you soon.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153- 0
www.dmschools.org
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Re: One last weapons follow-up question
Sorry, I was not clear. I meant the last time a loaded gun was confiscated prior to the November 30 incident. (The gun
confiscated outside north was not loaded).
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
112
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
wrote:
We've had two handgun confiscations this year. The last time a loaded gun was confiscated by a school official would
have been on November 30 at Hoover. The last time by a police officer would have been on the night of December 14
outside of North (you'd need to check with DMPD if it was loaded or not; the report we have didn't indicate if it was or
not).
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www .d mschoo ls.o rg<http:/ /www .d m ps. k12. ia. us/>
From: Stegmeir, Mary [mailto:mstegmeir@desmoine.gannett.com)
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: One last weapons follow-up question
Can you tell me when was the last time a loaded gun was confiscated by school officials? At what school?
Thanks!
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
113

From:
Sent:
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: Re: One last weapons follow-up question
Sorry, I was not clear. I meant the last time a loaded gun was confiscated prior to the November 30 incident. (The gun
confiscated outside north was not loaded).
Mary Stegmeir
Reporter
515-284-8525 (office)
515-803-0245 (mobile)
wrote:
We've had two handgun confiscations this year. The last time a loaded gun was confiscated by a school official would
have been on November 30 at Hoover. The last time by a police officer would have been on the night of December 14
outside of North (you'd need to check with DMPD if it was loaded or not; the report we have didn't indicate if it was or
not).
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153- 0
www .d mschools.o rg<http:/ /www .d m ps. k12. ia. us/>
www. twitter .com/D Mschoo ls<http :/ /www. twitter .com/DMschoo Is>
www.facebook.com/DMschools<http:/ /www.facebook.com/DMschools>
To: Roeder, Phillip
Subject: One last weapons follow-up question
Thanks!
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
114
515-284-8525 (a)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
115

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Roeder, Phillip
One last weapons follow-up question
Thanks!
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
116

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thanks!
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Expulsions
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2013 3:29 RM
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Expulsions
Mary:
Yes, the expulsion of a student was approved last night and another hearing is set for tomorrow evening.
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
5152428153 - 0
www.dmschools.org
117

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Thanks Phil,
I did hear from Todd, thanks.
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Questions about weapons in DMPS buildings
As for today's story, I'm pretty sure that it was written during our night cops beat. Most of those stories are written off
police reports. That's why I'm following up.
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
To: Stegmeir, Mary; Taylor, Sarah
Subject: RE: Questions about weapons in DMPS buildings
Mary:
I just wanted to follow up on some of your questions below. I am curious why the Register didn't contact the district
about this story yesterday? And why no one from DMPD was quoted in this morning's story? I spoke with my
counterpart at DMPD and have a copy of the police report you sent over as well as one pertaining to an arrest outside of
a school on the night of a basketball game (which happened outside of North, not Roosevelt as was reported).
I've put my responses in CAPS below in your email.
Also, just listened to your message about your call to Todd Liston. He called me, and hopefully you've heard back from
him by now?
Hope this helps. let me know if you need anything else ...
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153 - 0
www.dmschools.org
118
To: Taylor, Sarah
Cc: Roeder, Phillip; Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Questions about weapons in DMPS buildings
Hi Sarah,
As we discussed on the phone, I'm working on a story about weapons in schools following today's article regarding guns
found inside DMPS high schools. (http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013301040044)
Here's the data I'm looking for:
1: How many weapons were confiscated in the first semester? OUR SEMESTERS DO NOT ACTUALLY CHANGE UNTIL MID-
JANUARY, BUT SO FAR THIS SCHOOL YEAR WE HAVE HAD SIX WEAPONS-RELATED OFFENSES (WHICH RESULTED IN THE
CONFISCATION OF 3 KNIVES, 2 GUNS, AND A TASER). HERE ARE THE NUMBER OF WEAPONS-RELATED OFFENSES DURING
THE PREVIOUS FOUR SCHOOL YEARS:
2008-09:9
2009-10: 2
2010-11: 7
2011-12: 7
2: What kinds of weapons were confiscated? SEE ABOVE
3: Were the students fo6nd in possession of the weapons arrested or suspended? Are they back in school now? THE
STUDENTS WHO HAD A DANGEROUS WEAPON CONFISCATED AT SCHOOL WERE ARRESTED. OF THE STUDENTS WHO
HAVE WEAPONS CONFISCATED THIS YEAR, TWO ARE BEING RECOMMENDED FOR EXPULSION, WITH THEIR HEARINGS
BEING HELD NEXT WEEK, AND THE OTHERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN EXPELLED. YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE THIS, BUT HERE'S
A COPY OF THE SECTION OF OUR DISCIPLINE CODE IN REGARD TO DANGEROUS WEAPONS:
Firearm/Dangerous weapon. A dangerous weapon includes any instrument designed primarily to use in inflicting death
or injury upon a human being or animal, and which is capable of inflicting death upon a human being when used in the
manner for that it was designed. This also includes any instrument of any sort whatsoever which is actually used in such
a manner as to indicate that the person using it intends to inflict death or serious injury upon another, and which is
capable of inflicting death upon a human being. Dangerous weapons include, but are not limited to, any dangerous
weapon as described in Iowa Code Section 702.7 (2007), pistol, revolver, or other firearm, dagger, razor, stiletto,
switchblade knife, knife having a blade exceeding five (5) inches in length, or any portable device or weapon directing an
electric current, impulse, wave, or beam that produces a high-voltage pulse designed to immobilize a person. (The
complete discipline code is at http://www.dmschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Secondary-Discipline-Code-
Procedures-Revised-May-2012.pdf)
I'd also like to do a phone interview with someone in the district about the issue. Below are three of my main questions,
but I'll likely have more once I review the data.
1: How do the number of weapons Confiscated in the first semester compare to those found on students in previous
semesters? SEE #1 ABOVE
'
2: A Dec. 18 police report regarding a Hoover student found to be in possession of an "auto knife attached to a set of
make-shift brass knuckles" cites gang activity. Do Des Moines school officials believe any of the weapons confiscated on
school grounds were in the possession of gang members? OUR EXPERIENCE IS THAT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT,
WEAPONS-RELATED OFFENSES ARE RELATED IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER TO GANG INVOLVEMENT. IN FACT, OF THE SIX
WEAPONS CONFISCATIONS THIS SCHOOL YEAR, IT APPEARS THAT FIVE ARE OR MAY BE GANG-RELATED.
3: Did any gang violence occur on school grounds in the first semester? NO. THANKFULLY, NONE OF THE WEAPONS
CONFISCATED WERE USED OR DISPLAYED AT A SCHOOL AND TO DATE THIS YEAR WE HAVE HAD NO EXPULSIONS
119
RELATED TO ASSAULTS. I'D ADD THAT, IN ADDITION TO THE WORK OF THE SROs, IT IS OFTEN TIMES SCHOOL STAFF AND
STUDENTS WHO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN BRINGING ISSUES TO THE ATIENTION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATORS (SUCH WAS THE CASE WITH A GUN CONFISCATION AT HOOVER), AND HELP PREVENT A POTENTIALLY
DANGEROUS SITUATION FROM ESCALATING.
Thanks in advance for your help on this!
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
120

From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
Here's the police report.
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
Roeder, Phillip
RE: Questions about weapons in DMPS buildings
HooverPoliceReport.pdf
To: Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: RE: Questions about weapons in DMPS buildings
Mary:
Can you provide us with a copy of whatever it is DMPS provided?
Thanks,
Phil Roeder
901 Walnut Street
515-242-8153-0
www.dmschools.org
To: Taylor, Sarah
Cc: Roeder, Phillip; Stegmeir, Mary
Subject: Questions about weapons in DMPS buildings
Hi Sarah,
As we discussed on the phone, I'm working on a story about weapons in schools following today's article regarding guns
found inside DMPS high schools. (http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013301040044)
121
Here's the data I'm looking for:
1: How many weapons were confiscated in the first semester?
2: What kinds of weapons were confiscated?
3: Were the students found in possession of the weapons arrested or suspended? Are they back in school now?
I'd also like to do a phone interview with someone in the district about the issue. Below are three of my main questions,
but I'll likely have more once I review the data.
1: How do the number of weapons confiscated in the first semester compare to those found on students in previous
semesters?
2: A Dec. 18 police report regarding a Hoover student found to be in possession of an "auto knife attached to a set of
make-shift brass knuckles" cites gang activity. Do Des Moines school officials believe any of the weapons confiscated on
school grounds were in the possession of gang members?
3: Did any gang violence occur on school grounds in the first semester?
Thanks in-advance for your help on this!
Mary
Mary Stegmeir
Education Reporter
mstegmeir@dmreg.com
515-284-8525 (o)
515-803-0245 (c)
@marystegmeir
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