The Webb City School District is excited to announce that we are changing the name of our Bright Futures program.
Although our name is changing, our programs and how we do business and our mission to help kids will remain the same.
Over the next couple of weeks we will be rolling out new materials with our new name, as we will no longer be a Bright Futures affiliate.
We are thankful to be in a community that cares and has a heart for kids and invests in their futures. We are excited for this opportunity to continue with the great partnerships we have developed over the years in order to help our students and our schools.
The lowdown on why Webb City severed ties with Bright Futures
It's time to shut down Bright Futures USA
Yay!!!
ReplyDeleteGood for them - originally succumb to the pressure of the CJ Huff propaganda machine on how BF was the newest and greatest program every thought up.....and now able to rid themselves of the unneeded association of the name BF - for programs that they were already doing.
ReplyDeleteAll BF's is and was is a branding of services the schools were already engaged in with the public. Never at any point was it innovative - just a name to call it.
In my opinion - in Joplin at least - BF's actually has hurt the relationships of the schools with their surrounding neighborhoods (this includes Churches) as it centralized the giving and took away the ability of the local entities to help their neighborhood school quickly and quietly.
That there is one monumental slap in the face to CJ and to BFUSA. It's tough to imagine anything more embarrassing. I wonder if other districts will follow.
ReplyDeleteAnd the reign of terror and madness ends... Thank you Webb City for doing what's right for our kids! Dr. Rossetti is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteReally makes no difference what you call it. It remains a slush find for public employees to spend as they want away from the eye of publicly elected officials. And feeding over the week end is enabling parents and if care givers know children are not being taken care of, i.e. being fed, they have a legal obligation to report it to social services...
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOSH!! THANK YOU SOMEONE FOR FINALLY SAYING IT OUT LOUD! SO GLAD TO SEE PEOPLE WAKING UP OR SPEAKING UP! HALLELUJAH !!!
DeleteI am a Webb City citizen, my child was a WC student, and I can tell you that Dr. Rosetti is held in the highest regard in our community. He is a wonderful administrator, is truly devoted to what is best for our children, and is of the finest moral fiber. I believe D. Rosetti's decision will way heavily with all other schools and will lead the way to the demise of BFUSA.
ReplyDelete2:44 PM You obviously have not worked in a Title 1 School to see the amount of generational poverty to have an understanding of what kids of poverty face. School districts and communities all across the country address child hunger and will continue to do so with or without a Bright Futures name. Are most of these kids being intentionally starved by parents at home? I highly doubt it or yes they should be reported to social services. Children living in poverty don't always have the security of regular meals while away from school meals. Providing a little extra on the weekend helps them feel like school is a secure place they want to come back and learn. Also, you would be very surprised how hard it is to get children removed from homes. Just ask the school counselor how many times they've hot lined kids that are still in their homes. The bottom line is that a large percentage of kids are raised in general poverty which is beyond their control. They did not ask to be born into their situations. I'm proud to live in a community that shows compassion and embraces kids to make their lives better.
ReplyDelete".....Also, you would be very surprised how hard it is to get children removed from homes. Just ask the school counselor how many times they've hot lined kids that are still in their homes....."
ReplyDeleteBoy, boy, boy.
Why even bother letting em have a home? just come and get em at the hospital when they're born. That's where you're headin ain't it? kids spend more time now in or to and from school than they ever have. scientists just now saying too much aint good for em. didnt take a scientist to know that.
2:44- Along with 7:50 comments, you have not dealt with poverty. You may be right about the parents, but should the kids be punished? Seriously, research sometime Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. You will find people who struggle with getting the basic necessities do not learn as well. Is it the parents' fault? Maybe. Are they struggling to make ends meet like most people, probably. So we should let their kids continue to struggle and fail, and not give them a chance? Well, let's trash the whole public education, let the parents take on private tutors! You can't afford it. Well dang, have stupid kids.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, look at other school districts and you will not find the mismanagement like Joplin. Webb City is an amazing school district, their slush funds helps kids. I personally have seen kids given shoes, clothes, food, etc. EVERY KID IS VALUABLE! I am a teacher at WC, and I consider it privilege to work for Dr. Rosetti and the rest of the administration. They do not operate a slush fund for employees (seriously, WC teachers contribute a lot to the program. We would not if we did not believe in it), it takes care of kids.
2:44 get off your seat if judgement and change the world, one person at a time. If you are too lazy for it, shut up and let those who are do it.
8:54 dramatic much? I think the point 2:44 was getting at is that parents need to be held to some level of accountability. Nobody on here said anything about wanting to see children suffer or go without. Like Eric at 8:47 mentions there are plenty of oulets, other than schools, available to help families in need. As for what 7:50 said about generational poverty, generational is the key word. Where does the cycle end? Where do these families receive the motivation to get off the assistance if it's so readily available year after year? These are valid questions, but society has become so p.c. that you're instantly vilanized for saying anything, hell for even thinking it. I guess that we're just hoping for kids to look at other successful role models in their community to emulate so that the cycle does end?
DeleteMany people here seem to think that the public school is the only way an impoverished child can eat on the weekend. Have we forgotten that there are many private entities (i.e. churches, food pantries, etc.) that provide this service EVERY day, not just weekends. I am highly in favor of helping others less fortunate than myself, but it's high time the government got out of the charity business...
ReplyDeleteThis was my reaction after the events surrounding recent Bright Futures activity, posted on my Facebook page on September 8.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded today of how great a community I live in. The name on the sign, door, or shirt doesn't define the heart, mind, and purpose behind the knob or the logo displayed. That is especially true within the Webb City School District where I have the pleasure of spending a lot of my time with people behind that logo. Our School District Leadership, Webb City Foundation, Bright Futures Advisory Council, School Staffs, Parent Supporters, Business Community, Faith-Based Organizations, and so on are the boots on the ground ensuring our kids get everything they need. While I may not know everything that goes on behind the scenes, I do have first-hand knowledge of some of the processes and relationships with some of the very people entrusted with providing for every known need of the children and their families in this community. They will not be stopped even in the face of adversity. Because that adversity is nothing compared to what some of our kids face every hour of every day.
There will always be agendas that affect the fabric of educating kids, meeting their needs, and fostering their growth. I personally stand on the side of those agendas that have built the Webb City Bright Futures program to be the success that it is. The efforts by all those involved have been an example for many programs launched throughout the region and across the United States. All of the people I mentioned previously ensure that all types of support that is given to the Webb City Bright Futures program for our kids stays here. If that means going against the grain in some instances or standing up for the kids by making bold decisions and saying no, then I will firmly stand on that solid ground with them. I encourage you to stand with them as well. I applaud the efforts of people like Jesse DeGonia, Dr. Anthony Rosetti, The Webb City Bright Futures Advisory Council, and those involved in the direction of its' mission. The events surrounding this story, those in the past, and those certainly to come will affect our kids-and I am not talking just about Webb City this time. I urge you to educate yourself about the programs involved within your own district and ensure that the decisions you make in support of those programs is done with knowledge and prayer. No matter what lies ahead in this rocky path, I am certain that I will unconditionally support Jesse, Dr. Rosetti, the school board, and advisory council until they give me a reason not to. I believe that is unlikely to happen.
Thank you to my school district leadership for taking up the paddle in what may seem like a roaring river ready to push our boat down stream. I will take up my paddle and get in the boat with you. It is about the kids and your decisions over the past several years, weeks, months, and especially days have demonstrated we will not tolerate anything less.