By Antonio D. French
Filed Tuesday, July 18 at 4:00 PM
The St. Louis Board of Education will be meeting for their regular monthly meeting tonight at Carr Lane VPA Middle School, 1004 N. Jefferson Ave. The Executive Session will begin at 5:00 p.m. and is closed to the public. The Open Session will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the school auditorium.
When asked about a report last night on KSDK, a district official confirmed this morning that Dr. Diana Bourisaw, the new superintendent, will not be at tonight's meeting. We were told she has "prior commitments." But later, district spokesman Tony Sanders and the same district official told The Watch that Bourisaw WILL be at tonight's meeting.
One thing is for sure, she and the school board will be greeted by hundreds of district parents, employees and watchers who are all lining up on different sides of the debate on the firing of Coach Floyd Irons, the forced resignation of Superintendent Creg Williams, and the possibility of a state takeover of St. Louis Public Schools.
24 Comments:
I'm sure many will try to discredit the new supt for not being at the meeting. The fact that she is responsible to her previous commitments speaks volumes concerning her priorities and scheduling. Thank goodness she is not starting out in a panic-kneejerk-reactionary manner like her predecessors.
To all the people that plan being at the meeting tonight: Skip the meeting, get a good nights sleep and go to your local school to help out tommorrow even if it is only helping to clean up after lunch or picking up trash. I'm sure your concern and passion for the children will be appreciated by the principal and staff while helping to enchance the educational enviroment for our children. Maybe you'll see Floyd Irons out there because he cares so much for the children and he doesn't have to be at work.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:11:00 AM
Since she was hired by the district a few weeks ago, shouldn't she have been required to attend the district meetings even if she wasn't superintendant yet?
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:17:00 AM
She is the interim superintendant. She should come and blow the whistle on the so-call gang of 2 and the Irons group and tell all especially about the big contracts to friends on the back of our children!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:32:00 AM
A lot has been said about how Creg Williams disrespected and ignored Veronica O'Brien and Bill Purdy when they were the board minority and Darnetta Clinkscale and Vince Schoemehl had control. Respect is a two-way street. Have any of you been attending these meetings long enough to watch Veronica get up and walk out into the audience to whisper with people or get up and walk around the stage, and chime in with, "yeah right" and worse things whenever another board member or Williams was talking? She never showed any respect, yet she expects to be given it without question.
Has anyone heard Bill Purdy write off his involvement in driving up district debt as a non-issue, while placing the blame for everything that happened in his term and after at the feet of the Clinkscale board and past superintendents?
I was not a fan of the Clinkscale board. They were secretive and did a poor job of justifying their actions to the public.
Now comes the O'Brien board. If Friday was any indication, they're secretive and do a poor job of justifying their actions to the public.
I guess my only real point is, never give anyone a free ride on accountability. If you demanded accountability from Clinkscale and her gang and tossed them out when they didn't give it, you should demand that same accountability from the new board.
Don't become hypocrites.
-- Cletus
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 12:48:00 PM
Cletus,
Accountability might have been demanded, but it was never given. So don't go there.
And Anonymous #2, the interim superintendent wasn't hired weeks ago. She was hired last Friday. Bob Archibald has missed many board meetings because he had other commitments. Some commitments are just that commitments; and a person of integrity will keep his or her commitments.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 12:55:00 PM
PT,
Accountability was never given, but Clinkscale and Buford, who replaced Schoemehl, paid for it when the were voted out. "Don't go there?" What is that? Some kind of juvenile attempt to say we should get over wanting acocuntability from school board members?
If Bill Purdy doesn't question agenda items from this superintendent as much as he questioned those from Creg Williams, then he is showing hypocracy. It is my hope he will continue to get as much information as possibily in the public eye. If he doesn't, he should be called on it.
Veronica O'Brien has acted like a child throwing fits for the past two years. I had hoped when she became board president she would act in a more dignified way. She continues to show her immaturity.
Just like the board demanded that Creg Williams work for them, we must demand the board we elected work for us. Our only agenda should be that children in this district receive the education they need to be successful adults.
-- Cletus
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 1:15:00 PM
I will be speaking tonight at the board meeting, Im not on the list but I got shit to say. Watch for us because were going to get loose, its going to be a show
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 2:18:00 PM
I hear sodexo is loosing there contract. anyone heard anything?
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 2:37:00 PM
Philo-Teknos, Ms. Bourisaw was hired by the district weeks ago, as the auditor. And as for Archibald, I don't condone missing things that you say you will be at, but the School system isn't his only commitment or his only "job", the new interm-super had the job of auditing the district, which in the interview I saw on Pub Def she admits she hadn't even started to do when they Williams was replaced.
As for the accountability thing, if the the previous board was removed because they didn't involve the public and didn't take responsibility for mistakes, why can't the new board which ran on accountability be called on it. Peter Downs has done a marvelous job of doing the exact opposite of his campaign promises. That should be brought to light.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 2:55:00 PM
Antonio,
This is off topic, but I hope you're working on a new masthead for this site. Instead of Slay behind the super and Robbyn Wahby behind him, you need to have O'Brien and Purdy standing behind Bourisaw. They can be whispering in her ear. Downs and Jones can stand behind them and Mary Armstrong could be the puppeteer. Maybe you could have the mayor trying to talk from the side with O'Brien making him "talk to the hand."
-- Cletus
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 3:23:00 PM
The city of St. Louis will never have a good School District until the children of St. Louis are the first prioirty. For the last five years, the emphasis has been on who has control of the finances (not responsibility - just control), restructuring to free up large amounts of real estate for purchase at really good prices and pushing the childresn needs to the bottom of the barrel. Are these schools safe? No. Are they accredited? No. Do they have a good graduation rate throught eh 12th grade? No. Is there any reason any parent would willingly send their children to a substandard school? No. In order for these probelms to be rsoleved, you need cooperation of everyone instead of several politcal groups fighting it out over who is to blame. Lots of luck with that! Sorry of the kids of St. Louis.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 4:17:00 PM
in response to MFers for change--This is the exact attitude that I expected to be exposed. And folks wonder why our schools are troubled
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 4:45:00 PM
This can be a great school district if YOU want it to be. As I have said in other blogs before are you willing to work with the teachers and administrators of the district. Are you willing to run for a school board office or become active in your child’s school PTO? And, most of all are you going to hold your child responsible for doing their part in the education process (i.e. completing homework on time, getting to class on time, being in class, paying attention in class)? Otherwise the mothers for change and some fat guy who dreams a lot will run the school the same way they run around in the streets.
I consider myself a good teacher and will do anything (within reason) to help a child learn. However, I cannot make a child learn or make them do their homework. Then the student wonders why they fail a class when they only do half of the work (50% of 100%=F). But I am the one who gets in trouble when students fail. Students as well as teachers are to be held accountable. For the students it will show up on the ACT and SAT tests. Do not use the MAP test because in this district there are no consequences to the student if they do good or bad on the test. I am willing to work with you and your child but are you willing to the same? If not just remember the schools will continue to be administrator by people like Irons who is trying to put sports before class work, or mothers who will force their change or some fat dreamer who rather complain about education instead of trying to offer up a solution.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 4:53:00 PM
Muthers "F" Of Change-That was the most ridiculous statement that I've read yet. I really hope that you are not an educator or a parent. Clowning at a board meeting does not bring about change but exposes your ignorance even more.
Please do better for the kid's sake.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:04:00 PM
This is not about making a show or saying erroneous information from your seat. It about the children, 35,000 of them.
And if you cannot use a better name for yourself-click the anonymous icon!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:08:00 PM
I can't wait until the $50 million (or more) budget trainwreck comes. Jobs will be lot, schools will have to be closed. And we all know that everyone will blame everyone else.
I support the type of state takeover that was done in Wellston. The City, and all those in it, must do some long range planning around education, not just about the public schools, but education for all.
I would love to see Creg Williams be hired by Mayor Slay to do just that.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 2:18:00 AM
I am calling for all intelligent people to stop the bickering, the grandstanding, the jeering, the threats to the board members, the insults to the students and teachers who work hard in less than perfect conditions, and the use of the media to further their own agenda. Floyd Irons might have been removed as coach and athletic director, but he has not been fired as a teacher. Many of us as teachers have been "forced to make grade level changes as directed by the principal" over the years. We accepted the decision, prepared for a new grade level, set up our classrooms, and taught the students. Mr. Irons can find the same self gratification that he had as a winning coach on the basketball court by being a dynamic teacher in the classroom. He just won't be in the public eye, networking with the movers and shakers, or the famous, or handling thousands of dollars.
Many of us teachers have had our own academic championships with our students. We have just been quiet and dignified about it. Floy Irons needs to examine his motives for these outrageous actions. Remember, Floyd Irons, you have not been fired as a district employee. You became part of the reconstituted process that your buddy Williams initiated. I don't think that you had to submit a resume and interview for a teaching position after many years of educating students like the 1,000 or so of your fellow educators in the reconstituted high schools and middle schools. This happen for a reason. Move on! All intelligent people need to allow schools to open and teachers to teach our future, the students.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 7:06:00 AM
In my opinion, Floyd Irons need to be fired from the district altogether at this point. This behavior is outrageous. He is insubordinate and ignorant to say the least. Does he think acting like this, threatening people, stomping on folks lawns and yelling obsenities will make them considered giving him the coaching job back?
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 7:56:00 AM
MF's for change...that's exactly what you acted like a bunch of stupid mf's. To the former Floyd Irons student who was interviewed on KSDK last night. You indicated that because of Irons you are now a "successful cosmotologist"...I think successful is not the word to use. Take this word of advice, "SUCCESSFULLY do your own hair before making an appearance on the news". And if by chance she does not read the SLW would one of the MF's pass this on to her.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:02:00 AM
Last post...ouch. Anyway, is there any truth to the rumor that Dr. Williams' buyout includes him being paid the remainder of his ludacris salary???
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:15:00 AM
Posting #7 M'fas for change? Are you serious? Because you can't possibly be serious. Is this what you want us to change TO? If you believe by speaking (writing) this way that you will intimidate anyone or get many people to take your "show" seriously, you're not very intelligent. Therefore, suffice it to say, most of us are laughing at your "show", because no one in their RIGHT mind would ever take what you have to say seriously.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 4:22:00 PM
Get the trash off this website, M'fas for change. Students log on to this site! Do we really want our students following a clown like this?
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 5:18:00 PM
Hey, You may not like what I have to say, but Hey, I got in that ass at the meeting,,,, yeahhhhh
Thursday, July 20, 2006 3:25:00 PM
The majority of the people were disgusted with you.
Thursday, July 20, 2006 3:39:00 PM
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