Daniel Carrillo

Three candidates have filed to run in the school board elections this year. Candidates are running for two three-year term positions.

Three Rockwood residents have filed their candidacy for two positions on the Rockwood Board of Education.  The filing for candidates for the Rockwood School District Board of Education closed Dec. 26, at 5 p.m. The positions are for three-year terms, and Election Day is April 2, 2024. The three members are Tamara Jo Rhomberg, Thomas Dunn and Phillip Milligan. The League of Women Voters will be hosting a “Meet the Candidates” event on Wednesday, March 6, from 6-8 p.m. at the Administrative Annex in Eureka.

Tamara Jo Rhomberg stated in her RSD Meet the Candidates bio that she has been a RSD resident for over 40 years. She was a staff member and an administrator for 23 years in the district, an adjunct professor at Webster University for 30 years and is an incumbent member of the Board of Directors for seven years. Rhomberg served on the The Way Forward, the RAP and the COPE Committees.

Rhomberg’s quote in her bio said, “I have been an active leader in both the local and state literacy associations and was awarded the 2012 Celebrate Literacy Award of the Missouri Council of the International Literacy Association.  As a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, I regularly volunteer at Rockwood Gives Back. My years of education and leadership provide me with the experience to handle district issues.  My volunteer experiences give me a unique perspective on leadership and prepare me to have an active and objective voice as a board member. I am a good listener allowing me to hear alternative sides to issues and then work toward a compatible compromise with all stakeholders.”

Thomas Dunn stated in his Meet the Candidates bio that he has been a RSD resident since 2011. He was a Board of Education Director from 2019-2022 and founded the Eureka Aquatics Booster Club serving as Vice President and President of the Rockwood Swim Club. Dunn has been in sales for the past twenty years, primarily in the safety and security industry. He was first elected to the Board in 2019 and ran again in 2023.

Dunn’s statement in his bio said, “The Board of Education has a responsibility to all that live within the district.  West County is always changing, and with it, so is Rockwood School District.  If elected, my focus would be on student achievement and programs, teacher support, safety and security, facilities and with the passage of Prop 3 tax reallocation, ensuring that the district continues to be fiscally responsible.”

Phillip Milligan stated in his Meet the Candidates bio that he has been a RSD resident for over 35 years and was a Lafayette High School band director for 11 years (1989 – 2000). He also spent 12 years as a middle school administrator in the Francis Howell and Mehlville school districts. He has since done part-time work as an administrator in elementary schools as well as teaching and supervising student teachers for Lindenwood and Missouri State. Milligan holds a BME from Southeast Missouri State University, an MS in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MA in Educational Administration from Lindenwood University and an EdS from the University of Missouri St. Louis.

Milligan’s statement in his bio said, “To say that the Rockwood School District has been good to the Milligan family is an understatement. Phil is excited about the opportunity to give back to the district that has given him so much.”

More updated bios will be uploaded to the Rockwood website as the candidates send in more information about themselves.