St. Louis Schools Watch

SORRY, THIS SITE IS DEAD

2006-12-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

After one year and one month, it came down to there being just too few hours in the day. That's why this blog is being replaced by a new forum.

I just couldn't give the schools beat as much attention as it deserved without dropping the ball on providing the quality political coverage that readers of Pub Def have grown used to.

I asked for help but none came. So I had to make a decision.

With the new STLSchools.org forum I hope I've made it easy for everyone to share information and opinions about the happenings of St. Louis Public Schools. You are all citizen journalists and many of you know much more about what's going on in the classrooms and offices of SLPS than I ever could.

Thanks and enjoy.

Now go to the new www.STLSchools.org.

And get your daily news on St. Louis politics (including coverage of St. Louis Public Schools) at PubDef.net.

O'Brien Aside, Bonner Makes $75,000

2006-12-01T05:59:00.000-06:00

Despite repeated assertions by the school board president, St. Louis Public Schools maintains that Vashon's new basketball coach does not make a $125,000 per year salary.

As late as yesterday in a "You Paid for It" segment on KTVI Channel 2, Board Pres. Veronica O'Brien repeated her claims that Anthony Bonner, the former NBA star who was recently hired to replace legendary and controversial coach Floyd Irons at Vashon High School, is receiving a salary that dwarfs that of many principals and teachers in the district.

"Anthony Bonner makes $125,000 and the man is doing three and four jobs. That will not change. So that is your answer for the public," O'Brien told investigative reporter Elliot Davis. But according to SLPS officials, that's not what district records show.

According to SLPS Communications Director Tony Sanders, Bonner, who officially started with the district on Oct. 17, earns an annual salary of $72,000 plus standard employee benefits in his position as Executive Director of Community Outreach, a position that did not previously exist and some believe was created just for Bonner.

Bonner also receives an annual stipend of $4,084 for coaching varsity basketball at Vashon, the same stipend paid to every boys basketball coach in the district.

Click here to watch Elliot Davis' report featuring a revealing ambush interview of O'Brien.

O'Brien's Channel 5 Interview

2006-11-28T11:20:00.000-06:00

KSDK Channel 5 reporter Leisa Zigman interviewed St. Louis School Board President Veronica O'Brien.

Slay and O'Brien Opt to Pass the Buck

2006-11-28T10:51:00.000-06:00

While other urban mayors are fighting to take the reigns of their city's failing school districts, Mayor Francis Slay continues to push instead for the state's Republican governor to take over St. Louis Public Schools. And he's finding an ally in the woman he first appointed to the school board.

After denials four months ago by his aides, Robin Wahby and Ed Rhode, of secret conversations first reported by PUB DEF in July in which the mayor's office called on the state to intervene following the defeat of his hand-picked school board candidates, Mayor Slay, a Democrat, has grown more and more vocal about his desire for Gov. Matt Blunt to take control over St. Louis' beleaguered schools.

"A State takeover of the district is a needed first step," the mayor wrote on his website Saturday.

"If legislation is needed to make the law clear and to protect a takeover from legal challenge, the Missouri General Assembly should pass a bill the first month it is in session -- and the Governor should sign it."

The current school board president, who Slay appointed to the board in 2004 after former member Rochelle Moore was removed because of her erratic behavior, has joined Slay in calling for state intervention.

Veronica O'Brien said that while she doesn't yet support an all-out "takeover," she does think the state should do away with the superintendent's office.

"A state takeover in the truest sense would be disastrous and it would not help the children," O'Brien told KSDK this week. But she said she wants to see the position of superintendent completely eliminated and replaced by two positions; a chief operating officer and a chief academic officer.

O'Brien also has begun to undermine the credibility of the very woman she abruptly introduced as superintendent just four months ago.

"Dr. [Diana] Bourisaw does not have the experience to handle some things in this district," O'Brien told Channel 5. She said she once believed Bourisaw had the "potential to grow," but no longer.

O'Brien said she doesn't believe she personally deserves any of the blame for the current state of the district. "I don't think I bear the burden of many years of the district falling apart," she said.

In that regard, she and the mayor are again on the same page.

For three years, between April 2003 and April 2006, Mayor Slay enjoyed unprecedented influence over St. Louis Public Schools. Under the direction of his original slate of candidates -- Vince Schoemehl, Bob Archibald, Ronald Jackson and Darnetta Clinkscale, who later became the heavy-handed board majority -- the district embarked on an expensive experiment, overseen and co-directed from the mayor's own office, that turned control of the district over to a New York City-based corporate turnaround firm and a superintendent that had absolutely no prior experience in education.

When the dust settled, the district was left in debt, the community was even more divided, and the New Yorkers where back in New York preparing for their next adventure in New Orleans.

But Slay, like O'Brien, accepts no blame for his role in today's mess.

"It would be controversial to give up local control of the St. Louis Public Schools, but it would be plain wrong to allow the district to continue to betray the futures of thousands of students," Slay wrote today on his website. "It's past time for a state takeover. Why not just say that?"

If Slay and O'Brien get their way, it would put St. Louis City residents in the very unique position of being perhaps the only city population in America with no control over either its own police force or its own public schools.

Now the commentary:

It is not leadership to jump to the front of a steady march and join in the chorus. Indeed, it is cowardice for elected leaders to abandon their mission and turn over the power voters invested in them to outsiders -- whether they be from New York City or Jefferson City.

If Mayor Slay wants to be a good leader and if he truly wants someone to have the authority to "put the district in the hands of a strong administrator with a mandate to stabilize the district and start it on the long road to recovery," as he says, then he should ask for that power, not pass the buck to a governor who has repeatedly voiced his own insensitivity to this state's urban people.

Instead of giving our power over to the state, the mayor should ask for control over his city's schools -- as mayors have done in Chicago, Cleveland and Los Angeles, and as is currently being considered in Seattle and Washington D.C.

It would be controversial, but no more so than if a governor who is not directly accountable to St. Louisans was given control.

And at least there would finally be one person the voters of this city could hold accountable for the future of our public schools.

SUPPORT STLSCHOOLS.ORG

2006-11-22T12:50:00.000-06:00

Two ways to support this website:

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2) Make a donation

Click here for more info. Or email editor@pubdef.net.

School Board "Not Good Role Models"

2006-11-22T12:48:00.000-06:00

Jeanne Weber, president of the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) at Metro High School, told the members of the St. Louis School Board that they are not being very good role models for SLPS students.

She also said they should support Superintendent Diana Bourisaw's efforts, as she and her family does.

Union President Demands Board Members Defend the District from State Takeover

2006-11-22T12:10:00.000-06:00

Parents to O'Brien: Grow Up!

2006-11-22T11:44:00.000-06:00

VIDEO: Board Hears Report on Sodexho, O'Brien Refuses to Hear Public Comments

2006-11-22T00:02:00.000-06:00

The St. Louis City School Board heard a report tonight by Chief Operating Officer Deanna Anderson on the costs and benefits of ending the district's contract with Sodexho and bringing back in-house many of the maintenance operations that the contractor oversees.

Watch our special video report from the meeting:

O'Brien Asks State to Step In

2006-11-21T08:01:00.000-06:00

The following report is by Nick Clement of the St. Louis Schools Watch:

St. Louis School Board President Veronica O'Brien again has found a way to divert attention from students and teachers to herself. In a bizarre performance before the Desegregation Monitoring Task Force, O'Brien called on the state to intervene in the school district to remove the superintendent.

Only two months ago, O'Brien engineered the removal of the word "interim" from Diana Bourisaw's title, making her "superintendent" instead of "interim superintendent." Now she is relentless in her attacks on the superintendent. The reason for the attacks lies in a disagreement over O'Brien's role.

In recent weeks, O'Brien has been telling anyone who will listen that administrators in St. Louis Public Schools do not respect her authority as president. She complains that administrators are holding meetings without inviting her and making decisions without running them by her first. In short, she is confirming the truth of board member Bill Purdy's claim that she is trying to micromanage the district.

Sources familiar with O'Brien say Bourisaw's reluctance to let O'Brien make up jobs and salaries precipitated split. The disagreement between the two came to a head over the hiring of Anthony Bonner.

Sources say O'Brien promised Bonner's family, with whom she is close, that she would give Bonner a job and pay him $125,000 a year. She ordered Bourisaw to hire Bonner as a "special assistant" and pay him $125,000. Bourisaw reportedly refused. She is said to have told O'Brien that Bonner could apply for whatever openings were advertised and if he was qualified, she would hire him at the advertised salary. He qualified for a job in the community information office and was hired at a salary of $72,000 a year.

Many people in the school district were outraged that someone with just a bachelor's degree could come off the street and waltz into a $72,000 a year gig to make more than many principals with doctorate degrees are making, but O'Brien was outraged that her order to pay him $125,000 was ignored. She reportedly ran around school board headquarters ordering one person after another to code Bonner in the payroll system for $125,000. Person after person refused, and her grudge against Bourisaw grew.

People who know O'Brien say she has become obsessed with getting rid of Bourisaw, to the point where nothing else in the school district matters to her. That obsession has led to the strange speech reported in the Post-Dispatch yesterday.

As upsetting as her speech is to supporters of St. Louis public schools, it at least indicates that she does not have the support of the majority of the board. She would not be calling on the state to remove the superintendent if she had the votes on the board to do it.

Special School Board Meeting Nov. 21

2006-11-20T09:13:00.000-06:00

The Saint Louis Board of Education will hold a Special Board Meeting Work Session and a Board Meeting on Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at Carr Lane VPA Middle School. The Special Board Meeting Work Session will begin at 5:30 p.m. and is open to the public. The Regular Monthly Board Meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. and is also open to the public. The executive session will be held at the end of the Regular Board Meeting and is closed to the public. The agenda is as follows:

WORK SESSION AGENDA 5:30 P.M.
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Sodexho Presentation
4. Discussion
5. Adjournment

REGULAR MEETING AGENDA 7:00 P.M.
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Pledge of Allegiance
4. We Are Up To Good Things
5. Public Comments
6. Approval of Minutes
   a) Regular Board Meeting October 10, 2006
   b) Special Board Meeting October 16, 2006
7. Superintendent’s Report
   a) Business Items – Information Only
      i) Financial Reports
      ii) Superintendent’s Goals and Objectives
   b) Consent Agenda
8. President’s Report
   a) Report on Council of Great City Schools Fall Conference
   b) Board Committees
9. New Business
   a) Resolution to authorize inclusion of Saint Louis Board of Education in MSBA Intensive Assistance to Districts Program.
   b) Resolution to authorize the Board’s adoption of the MSBA Superintendent Evaluation Form and Process for Evaluating School District Superintendents.
10. Information Requests
   a) Dr. Fowler: Update on air conditioning projects.
   b) Mr. Jackson: Update on transportation.
11. Announcements
12. Motion to go into closed session
13. Adjournment

EXECUTIVE SESSION AGENDA
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Legal Matters
4. Personnel Matters
5. Adjournment

Bourisaw Blows the Whistle on Ineligible Players

2006-11-19T03:58:00.000-06:00

Kristen Hinman has a very good article on Superintendent Dr. Diana Bourisaw's new directive to her staff to ensure that all participants in the district's basketball program are eligible to play according to the state's guidelines.

From the article:

"I believe they'll do an excellent job checking into that," Bourisaw says. "If [the students] are not eligible, whether it's because of grade-point average or residency, they will not be allowed to participate."

Archibald and Jackson Object to Meeting With State Board

2006-11-17T12:36:00.000-06:00

The following is by Nick Clement from the most recent SLS Watch e-newsletter:

At the St. Louis School Board administrative meeting Tuesday night, Bob Archibald and Ron Jackson objected to Diana Bourisaw's plans to make a presentation to the Missouri State Education Board on Thursday November 16. They were joined in their opposition by board president Veronica O'Brien.

Bourisaw intended her presentation as a snapshot of the district at present. (You can get a copy of the presentation through the St. Louis Public Schools home page, www.slps.org.) She said it was important to dispel the myths and misconceptions state board members may have and to present factual information about the reality of the district so that the state board could make an objective decision about what actions, if any, to take regarding the St. Louis Public Schools. She also said she hoped her presentation would encourage a dialogue with the state about further improvements to the St. Louis Public Schools. Archibald, Jackson and Mayor Slay have been demanding since July that the state take over the public schools.

Archibald came close to calling Bourisaw a liar, saying he didn't believe parts of the presentation were accurate, such as the balanced budget. Bourisaw referred Archibald to Leonard Westbrook who is a state education employee working closely with district treasurer Enos Moss. Westbrook reports directly to the Danforth Advisory committee about the financial condition of the district. The implication was that if the budget were not accurate, Westbrook, who was in the audience, would have brought it to the attention of the Advisory Commission.

Both Archibald and Jackson protested that they were given no advance notice of the presentation. Bourisaw told me after the meeting that she routinely makes presentations to groups of all kinds (as have all district superintendents) and does not provide notice to board members because it is not an issue of policy. In fact, she was making a presentation to the Clergy Coalition the next day. No one objected to that presentation. She said this is the first time she had ever had board members object to her making a presentation in support of the St. Louis Public Schools.

Bourisaw readily acknowledged that student test scores were not where they need to be, but her presentation included stunning statistics which showed the St. Louis Public Schools were outperforming Charter Schools, and since 2001, SLPS African American students have consistently outperformed their counterparts in county schools on the MAP. For some reason, no one seems to be calling for a state takeover of the charter schools, however.

Archibald's and Jackson's real objections have nothing to do with being notified of Bourisaw's speaking engagements. They object to the superintendent making the case before the State board that the district is stabilizing and improving in spite of 3 years of destruction; and there is support among the stakeholders for Bourisaw and the new school board because of that stability. If the district is improving, then there is no pretext for a state takeover.

Ready to Step Up?

2006-11-17T09:21:00.000-06:00

Here's the upshot: If some of you don't step up, this website will shut down.

Can you help?

CONTRIBUTOR F.A.Q.

How do I become a contributor?
Call Antonio French at (314) 518-2364.

I work for the district. Do I have to use my real name?
No, you can have a pseudonym.

Do I have to write something everyday?
No. Hopefully several people will step up, thereby spreading the workload. Antonio French will still be the editor and will sometimes ask you to cover a particular event.

I'm not the best writer, but I know a lot about what's going on in SLPS. How can I help?
Contact Antonio French (use the number above). You feed him the info, he'll write the stories. He might even give you a cool code name.

I have a video camera but I have no idea how to edit videos or post them to the Internet. How can I contribute videos of school board meetings and school events?
If you're willing and able to record an event all you have to do is get us the DV tape. We'll copy it and return the tape when we're done.

School Board Meeting Tuesday

2006-11-13T11:21:00.000-06:00

The school board will meet Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7:00 p.m. for their monthly administration meeting.

At next week's regular meeting, Superintendent Diana Bourisaw's report to the board will include her office's evaluation of controversial contractor Sodexho.

Here is the complete agenda:

1 - Call to Order / Roll Call

2 - Placement of Items on the November 21, 2006 Regular Board Meeting Agenda

A) Call to Order/Roll Call
B) Pledge of Allegiance
C) We Are Up To Good Things
D) Public Comments
E) Approval of Minutes
F) Superintendent's Report

Finance Report
Presentation by Superintendent
Sodexho Evaluation Report
Consent Agenda

G) President's Report
H) New Business
I) Information Requests
J) Announcements

3 - Adjournment

Downs Wants Parents on Future Committees

2006-11-13T10:08:00.000-06:00

Some St. Louis City public school officials are tossing around the idea of establishing school board committees to focus on specific areas, such as facilities or finance. One board member says he wants to see parents involved in those committees.

"Last I heard, nothing had been formalized yet for presentation to the board," said board member Peter Downs. "As the discussion moves forward, however, I would like to advocate for parent involvement on any such committees."

Downs asks any parents interested in working on a committee to contact him.

"If you are a parent interested in working on a committee to help the district move ahead in such areas as facilities, finance, or instruction, or you know of a parent who is interested in serving in that way, please let me know," said Downs.

Downs can be emailed at pdowns@speakeasy.net

Rams' Williams to Speak on Academics

2006-11-09T09:44:00.000-06:00

Former Rams Tight End Roland Williams will speak to students at Williams Ninth Grade Academy about the importance of academic achievement and goal setting.

The pep talk will begin at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, November 9 at the school, located at 3955 St. Ferdinand.

“We not only want to prepare our young people for tenth grade but we want to encourage them to attend college,” said principal Amy Phillips. Williams, a member of Youth Lifeline Foundation, will speak for 30 minutes and sign autographs. Youth Lifeline Foundation’s mission is to teach youth valuable life skills necessary to become productive citizens. The foundation includes celebrity athletes, entertainers and business professionals.

Student Dies at Vashon

2006-11-07T06:14:00.000-06:00

A 17-year-old collapsed and died yesterday at Vashon High School. According to KMOV, authorities say it appears Cortez Riney suffered a seizure.

School officials said disctrict security guards tried to revive him until an ambulance arrived. The boys mother told KMOV he had a cut on his chin and a bloody nose after apparently falling out of his classroom desk. He apparently had a history of seizures.

SLPS celebrates Community Ed. Week

2006-11-04T09:29:00.000-06:00

The St. Louis Public Schools’ Division of Community Education will celebrate Community Education Week, Sunday, Nov. 12 through Friday, Nov. 17. St. Louis will join other school districts and communities from across the state of Missouri to highlight community education programs during this special week in November.

The week-long celebration begins with a Gang Violence Town Hall meeting on Saturday, Nov. 11, from 10:00 a.m. until noon at Waldbridge Elementary, 5000 Davidson Ave. Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, St. Louis Police Department’s Gang Unit, and Circuit Judge Angela Turner Quigless are guest speakers.

“Our community education centers have been apart of the St. Louis Public School district for nearly 40 years,” said Superintendent Dr. Diana Bourisaw. “We welcome all of the activities that are going to take place during this festive week.”

Here’s a list of activities that are scheduled for Community Education Week:

St. Louis leaders and community education supporters will take part in a kick-off program Sunday, Nov. 12 at 3:00 p.m. The “Showcase Celebration” featuring several performing artists will take place at Mullanphy ILC in the school’s auditorium, 4221 Shaw Blvd.
Tuesday, Nov. 14, is National Community Education Day. All SLPS Community Education Centers will celebrate with an Open House at each location, starting at 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 16, the District will host a New Community Council Member Orientation. The orientation will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the SLPS Administration Building , 801 N. 11th St . , Conference Room 108.
The week will conclude with the Community Education Student Ambassadors’ visit to City Hall. Student Ambassadors will talk with aldermen, tour City Hall, and participate in a breakfast reception with community council members and the aldermen. The event will take place at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall, 1200 Market St.

All events during this week are free of charge and open to the public.

Students Participate in Election

2006-11-03T13:13:00.000-06:00

It’s Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7, and St. Louis Public Schools students will exercise their right to vote in a mock election. Students will be casting their ballots for candidates in key state and local races as well as several ballot issues.

The election is part of Kids Voting USA, a nationwide, nonpartisan program where students in grades K-12 are taught the importance of citizenship and voting.

“This is a great lesson in civics for our students,” said Superintendent Diana Bourisaw. “The program teaches the responsibilities of being an informed citizen and encourages students to acquire the voting habit,” she added.

Every school will also have at least two students to be junior poll workers, students who will oversee the election process for their school. Volunteers from several organizations, including Americorp, the Young Lawyers Division of the Missouri Bar Association, and law students from St. Louis University will also be assisting in the election process.

According to Sandy Diamond, the Director of Kids Voting Missouri, this is the third election that all St. Louis Public School students have had the opportunity to cast mock ballots. “During the 2004 elections, 64% of students in St. Louis voted. In addition to learning how to cast a ballot, the students learn valuable lessons about the roles and responsibilities of elected officials and the government,” Diamond said.

Voting results will be available on the Kids Voting website, www.kidsvotingmissouri.org, beginning late in the evening on Nov. 7. Complete results will be posted the day after election.

Kids Voting Missouri is administered by the College of Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis through its Citizenship Education program.

Bourisaw: Accreditation by Raising Achievement

2006-11-01T23:43:00.002-06:00

The following is a repost of an SLS Watch article by R.E. Porter:

In recent weeks, St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Diana Bourisaw has presented a detailed plan for raising student achievement in St. Louis to one community group after another. The foundation of her plan is the philosophy that compassion for children from difficult backgrounds meant holding them to high standards. There can be no excuses, she said, for accepting less than their best.

At the third forum on public education from the self-styled St. Louis Children's Agenda, for example, Bourisaw said that raising student performance was the key to regaining accreditation. She said that the district is committed to raising student test scores on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests and on American College Testing's (ACT) college entrance exam.

"We will improve academic achievement by focusing on people, not programs," she said. The district has begun providing professional development geared to classroom practice. The curriculum is being aligned to state standards as measured by the MAP test, and children will be tested every six weeks to see how they are progressing towards what the state education department expects them to know at the end of the year. Teachers get the assessment results
back almost immediately and have a week to review if the children need it. Principals have the power to assign more resource to classes that consistently have trouble meeting expectations.

Every aspect of the district's efforts will be driven by data, she said. In addition to the benchmark tests, each school will report quarterly to the board on how they stand in relation to their targets in several different areas, including attendance and discipline. Principals participate cluster study groups for additional support, and 36 low performing schools get help from performance teams to target academic achievement. Bourisaw also said that the district is going to refocus on reading instruction, and it will continue to teach reading beyond the 4th grade where it traditionally had stopped.

The motivation underneath all those hard-headed initiatives is the realization that permitting students from poor backgrounds to fail just condemns them to a lifetime of failure. Bourisaw recount how, when she was a young teacher working with juvenile delinquent boys, she initially had made excuses for them out of a misplaced sense of compassion, and forgave them for not handing in assignments on time due to chaotic conditions at home. She said that over time she came to understand that it was more compassionate to demand that they hand in their assignments despite the chaotic conditions at home, and the more demanding she became, the better her students did in school. She developed a "no excuses" policy towards her students that drove them to raise their level of achievement.

"What they really needed," she said, "was someone to care, someone to demand that they do the work. When you did that, they delivered."

Strangely, former school board member Hattie Jackson, who is the wife of current school board member Ron Jackson, said after hearing the same presentation that all she heard was "excuses and demographics, plenty of excuses, but no strategic plan to to inform each individual school (and improve student achievement)."

Perhaps the fact that her husband is hostile to Bourisaw affects her ability to hear what the other 60 people in attendance heard: a sensible, comprehensive approach to raising student achievement.

Coats for Kids

2006-11-01T16:44:00.000-06:00

The following is from an email from Superintendent Dr. Diana Bourisaw:

SLPS employees, along with several community partners, continue to collect new or gently-worn coats, and new hats, mittens and gloves, which will be given to students in the district. Washington University ’s Center for Advanced Learning (Cornerstone), St. Louis University , St. Louis Community College-Forest Park campus, the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation, and local churches are also helping to reach the goal of collecting 3,000 coats by Nov. 16.

Items may be dropped off at St. Louis Public Schools Central Office, 801 N. 11th Street , weekdays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., or at any of the following Community Education Centers between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. (with the exception of Veteran’s Day on Nov. 10):

Sigel Elementary
2039 Russell
865-5050

Vashon High
3035 Cass Ave.
652-9961

Stevens Middle
1033 Whittier St.
531-6160

Walbridge Elementary
5019 Alcott Ave.
261-8282

Mullanphy Elementary
4221 Shaw Ave.
772-9550

The district will accept new or gently-used coats for boys and girls with sizes that will fit students ranging from preschool to high school. Donated hats, mittens, and gloves must be new in order to be accepted. All donated items will be distributed to students in the St. Louis Public Schools by district social workers.

Financial gifts may be made to the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation/Coats for Kids, 1415 Olive St., Suite 100, St. Louis , MO 63103.

District Launches New Website

2006-11-01T13:45:00.000-06:00

The St. Louis Public Schools today rolled out a redesigned website which is highlighted by improved graphics, more user friendly navigation tools, and information for all audiences.

"Our Information Technology department worked very hard redesigning the website, making sure that it includes all of the information needed for our students, parents, and community members. The redesigned website includes press releases on the home page, a master calendar of events for the entire district, along with information on all of our 93 schools," said Dr. Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent of Schools.

Some of the features of the new website include:

Drop-down menus with specific information for students, parents, and community members;
A newly designed Calendar of Events;
The ability for community members to sign up for e-news, such as press releases and the district's School & Home newspaper, which will be sent directly to the user's e-mail address.

"Our goal is to continue to expand our online services in an effort to communicate better with our students, their families, and the community," Dr. Bourisaw.

The website continues to list all district job postings, information on contracts that are available for bidding, and a phone directory listing all St. Louis Public Schools employees.

Students to Throw 1st Pitch at World Series

2006-10-25T16:47:00.000-06:00

Two St. Louis Public School students will take center stage at the next two World Series games as the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Detroit Tigers. Anthanisha McMiller, a 5th grader at Gateway Elementary will throw out the first pitch at tonight’s game at Busch stadium, and Donald Buckner, a junior at Gateway High School will throw out the first pitch at Thursday night’s game.

Both students were chosen by the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club of America for the positive leadership both in the classroom and at Herbert Hoover. “This is a great honor and we are very proud of Anthanisha and Donald for their hard work and commitment to the Boys & Girls Club,” said Superintendent Dr. Diana Bourisaw.

Anthanisha has been a member of Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club for the past five years. She attends every day and participates in all programs. After school Anthanisha heads to the Learning Center to complete homework assignments or study for upcoming exams. She has been a member of two leadership programs and has participated in a variety of club and community service projects. One of her favorite players is second baseman Ronnie Belliard.

Donald has been a member of Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club for the past five years. He was selected for the positive leadership that he displays at the Club. He is Vice President of one of the four Keystone Clubs, a premier leadership program offered to boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 18. His favorite Cardinal player is first baseman Albert Pujols.

Jackson Denounces Quest for Accreditation

2006-10-23T23:22:00.000-06:00

The following is a repost from SLSWatch by Nick Clement:

At the Parent Assembly meeting last Thursday night, St. Louis Public Schools Board Member Ron Jackson made the outrageous claim that "Accreditation is a ruse!"

According to Jackson, the district leadership should focus on the African American
Achievement Gap (the gap between white and African American achievement on state test scores), instead of accreditation. He said that the existence of achievement gaps in accredited county schools was proof that accreditation didn't matter.

There addressed his remarks not just to parents, but also to William Danforth and FrankieFreeman, co-chairs of the special advisory committee appointed by Missouri Superintendent of
Elementary and Secondary Education Kent King to recommend ways to help the St. Louis Public Schools. Danforth and Freeman attended the Parent Assembly meeting to learn the concerns of parents.

The new school board majority and Superintendent Diana Bourisaw have made district accreditation a central goal of their administration. The district, which is currently provisionally accredited, is in jeopardy of losing accreditation because of policies followed while Ron Jackson was a member of the board majority.

State accreditation now rests heavily on student achievement on state test scores. Jackson appears not to understand that raising test scores in a district that is 85% African American, as St. Louis is, is not only necessary for the district to obtain accreditation, it is also necessary for
closing the African American Achievement Gap in metro St. Louis and in Missouri. Thus, Jackson's attack on the goal of accreditation is also an attack on the goal he claims to be for: closing the achievement gap.

Losing accreditation could have grave consequences for St. Louis Public Schools and the City of St. Louis. No one knows for sure what it would mean for the school district, but it can hardly be good for the city. Would families want to stay in a city where the schools are unaccredited? Would families want to move to a city where the schools are unaccredited? The effects of losing accreditation could be disastrous for the city, for property values, and for the city's tax base.

The President of the State Board of Education, Peter Herschend, recently sent a letter to the school district stating that any decision on accreditation status will be based solely on past performance and cannot include anything happening this year. As part of the board that ran the
district for the past three years, Jackson, the person most critical of any efforts to get accreditation, is the very same person who may cost the district accreditation.

If accreditation is the state's measure of a school district's performance, opposition to focusing on achieving accreditation, in effect, puts Jackson in opposition to improving performance for district students, 85% of whom are African American. And puts him in opposition to the further existence of the school district itself.

Bourisaw has presented a detailed Corrective Action Plan (it can be viewed on the St. Louis Public School web site) to move towards full accreditation by addressing the collapse of test scores, attendance, and graduation over the three years that Jackson and his allies ran the school district.

"We have one year in which to make up for the past three," she said. While Jackson was part of the board majority, the district's accreditation score plummeted from 64 to 39, and he and the rest of the board virtually ignored the achievement gap.

Back in 2001, before he was elected to the school board, Jackson, as chairman of the Black
Leadership Roundtable's Education Committee, spearheaded an effort to eradicate the achievement gap in every school district in the St. Louis metropolitan area by 2005. At the time, Jackson said that they wanted to eradicate the achievement gap by raising academic achievement for all students. When the Black Leadership Roundtable subsequently published their 2005 Regional Report Card: Eliminating the African American Achievement Gap, Mayde Henson, then chairwoman of the BLR Education Committee, admitted that where there was improvement in reducing the gap, it was done at the expense of white achievement. In other words, the gap improved not because black students performed better but because white
student achievement dropped. "That is not what we intended," she said.

During the three years that Jackson was part of the ruling majority on the school board, he was in a position to implement policies that would reduce the gap. Instead, the policies he implemented had the opposite effect. The achievement gap, defined as the gap in the average of math and communication arts scores, actually increased in St. Louis Public Schools. According to
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education statistics, the achievement gap was 12.6% in 2003, the last school year before Jackson was on the board. In 2004, the first full year Jackson was on the board basically remained steady, climbing a fraction to 12.8 %. The next year, 2005, the gap grew to 13.4%. And in 2006, the third year of Jackson's majority on the school board, the gap jumped to 21.3%.

Over the three years that Jackson and his allies directed the school district, the African American Achievement Gap increased by 69%!

Spampinato Booted in Pittsburgh?

2006-10-18T10:24:00.000-06:00

The controversial former chief academic officer for the St. Louis Public Schools has made a sudden departure from her current post in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports today that Lynn Spampinato has taken "an abrupt leave, and some district officials said they doubted she would return."

Dr. Spampinato, a Lawrenceville native, gave up a top position in the St. Louis Public Schools to return to Pittsburgh in December. She played a leading role in the establishment of eight new schools called accelerated learning academies, in the selection of a new elementary reading program and in the development of a curriculum for middle-grade and high school students. Her departure comes while those initiatives, described as critical to the district's academic turnaround, remain in their infancy.

Click here to read the full story.

Roosevelt High Gets a New Principal

2006-10-17T10:28:00.000-06:00

Dr. Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools, today announced the appointment of Terry Houston as the new principal at Roosevelt High School.

"Mr. Houston is the right person to lead Roosevelt High. He is enthusiastic about making a difference in the lives of our students," Dr. Bourisaw said.

Houston has worked at Soldan International Studies since 2001, most recently serving as that school's assistant principal. He holds his Master’s degree in educational leadership from St. Louis University.

Roosevelt is St. Louis' largest high school with more than 1,100 students.

Bonner New Vashon Coach

2006-10-16T08:56:00.000-06:00

St. Louis Public Schools will be holding a press conference today announcing former NBA star Anthony Bonner as Executive Director of Community Outreach and new head basketball coach at Vashon High School.

The press conference will be held at 3:00 p.m. at the district's downtown headquarters, 801 North 11th Street.

UPDATE: According to SLPS, Bonner's salary is $72,000 annually in his position of Executive Director for Community Outreach. He will also receive, like all other head basketball coaches, an annual stipend of $4,084.

Major Holes in Williams' Budget

2006-10-11T10:56:00.000-06:00

Last night at the school board meeting, the board was presented an updated general operating budget for the current school year to adjust to actual expenditures the budget that was proposed by the Creg Williams' administration. The adjustments take into account, among other expenditures, shortfalls of $11 million in transportation and $2 million in utility costs. The transportation was under budgeted last year, as well, by over $6 million, and the same budgetary numbers were re-used for this year's budget, which has lead to the shortfall.

Among the miscalculations in transportation was the lack of any funding for mandated transportation of homeless students, which some estimate comprise as much as 20% of the student population at some schools in the district. The under budgeting has created a $3 million hole in the district's budget that takes the already $23 million deficit to $27 million. While there will be a depletion of cash reserves by $754,000, district interim CFO Enos Moss said, "[the district has] plenty of cash to get through the year without taking out a loan."

There were plenty of questions of the district’s staff from the board members, and the outrage came with unanimous support from both the board majority and minority member Ron Jackson. Board member Peter Downs made the observation that, "we have to balance the budget, but we are balancing it on the backs of children," which was received with the rousing support of those in attendance to the meeting. In a bi-lateral move, board members Downs and Jackson made an inquiry for a report from the districts administration for supporting documentation for the new budget. In a comment directed to Superintendent Dr. Diana Bourisaw, member Jackson said, "we got to know the plan."

To ensure that the plan did not include the hiring of an outside consultant, Percy Green was heard to say from the audience several times, "Roberti's not coming back!"

Even though the board had many questions about why the original budget did not include many necessary expenditures and under calculated many others, the updated budget was passed unanimously, with the exception of member Bob Archibald, who was not in attendance at the meeting.

Mark Your Calendars...Upcoming Events

2006-10-09T20:26:00.000-06:00

The following events will be going on in the St. Louis area on topics surrounding public education:

October 14
The St. Louis Public School District will hold an open house for its 20 magnet schools on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Parents who are interested in sending their child to a magnet school will have an opportunity to talk to administrators, ask questions regarding the specialty programs, and receive informational materials and applications.

Elementary Schools
Ames Visual and Performing Arts
Dewey International Studies
Gateway Math & Science Elem.
Kennard Classical and Junior Academy
Kottmeyer Early Childhood Center
Lyon Academy of Basic Instruction
Mallinckrodt Academy of Basic Instruction
Mullanphy ILC
Shaw Visual and Performing Arts @ Roe
Simmons-Marshall MEGA
Stix Early Childhood Center
Euclid/Washington Montessori
Wilkinson Early Childhood Center

Middle Schools
Bunche Int. Studies @ Southwest Complex
Busch AAA
Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts
Compton Drew ILC
McKinley Classical and Junior Academy
Gateway Math & Science Peparatory

High Schools
Cleveland NJROTC @ Pruitt
Central Visual and Performing Arts @ Southwest Complex
Gateway Institute of Technology
Metro Academic & Classical
Soldan International Studies

For more information about the magnet school program, call Recruitment and Counseling Center at 314-633-5200.

October 19
The Parent Assembly meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 19, 2006, 6:30 pm Metro High School, 4017 McPherson Avenue. Opening Remarks by Dorris J. Walker-McGahee with an introduction of Parent Assembly Board of Directors, Principals, School Board Members. Guest Speakers will feature , from the Special Advisory Committee on St. Louis Public Schools, Dr. William H. Danforth and Attorney Frankie M. Freeman, and Laidlaw Bus Company Area Manager Will Rosa.

October 21
10 am to 1 pm, Paying for College Forum, University ofMissouri St. Louis Millennium Student Center, Century Room A

October 19-November 30
St. Louis Children's Agenda will host a "Public Dialogue on Public Education Community Forums to Promote Constructive Dialogue and Develop Effective Strategies for Public Education." The St. Louis Metropolitan Children's Agenda, a broad-based coalition of 300 children's advocates and children's services agencies, is initiating a year-long series of forums focused on public education in the City of St. Louis. The series was organized because of the belief of coalition partners that access to a quality education is central to the life-long well-being of the City's children.

October 19 - SLPS Plans and Goals for 2006 - 2007: Views of the School Board, Superintendent, and Teachers

November 2 - Perspectives of Community Stakeholders: Business and Philanthropy

November 16 - Perspectives of Community Stakeholders: Government & Community Organizations

November 30 - Serving the Customers: What Students Need and Parents Want from Public Education, Plus Perspectives of City Residents

We advise that you register for the forum series by sending an e-mail to vcr@visionforchildren.org.

Cleveland Reunion a Huge Success

2006-10-08T18:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the festivities marking the 90th anniversary reunion at Cleveland Highschool were held at the school, at which over an estimated 700 alumni, current and former faculty, and community members celebrated. The presentation, which lasted just under two hours featured speaches by Richard Simpson, the Alumni Association President; Alliance to Save Cleveland High steering committee members Debbie Irwin, Ald. Dorothy Kirner, and Ald. Craig Schmid; Coach Ray Cliff; and the color guard of Cleveland at Pruitt NJROTC cadets.

The Alliance was on-hand before and after the presentation with information about the effort to restore the historic school, and to sign-up new members. Many of the alumni joined the Alliance at the event, and at the private dinner the previous night.

Only a portion of the first floor was open to the general public. But, during a private tour, the building showed little more visible damage than neglect to tuck-pointing, roofing and leaky pipes, which of course caused environmental concerns as well. The up-coming walk-through being conducted by volunteer organizations on behalf of the Alliance will be able to provide expert opinions, however.

Steve Giegerich covered the event for the Post-Dispatch.

An Answer to Questions about Irons' Future

2006-10-07T22:20:00.000-06:00

In another sign of having moved on, the district is about to replace the fired Floyd Irons as head coach of Vashon basketball. Read more here.

Cleveland Reunion Open to All Today

2006-10-07T09:10:00.000-06:00

Cleveland Highschool on S. Grand will be holding its 90th anniversary reunion today on the school grounds with a presentation in the auditorium. Richard Simpson, President of the alumni association, is expecting a croud in excess of 300 people, many of whom have ties to Cleveland and the community surrounding it, but not all. The event is open to the public free of charge. For those that have wondered about the condition of the school with the recent stories about saving Cleveland and the associated disrepair, this would be a wonderful opportunity to personally review the school's state. The doors open at noon, and the presentation starts at 1 PM.

SPECIAL CLOSED MEETING TODAY

2006-10-06T05:00:00.000-06:00

The St. Louis City School Board will hold a special closed-door meeting today at 1:00 p.m at the Administrative Building, 801 N. 11th Street. The following agenda was released yesterday:

SPECIAL BOARD MEETING AGENDA

1. Call to Order

2. Roll Call

3. Motion to move into Executive Session for Legal Matters

4. Motion to move into Open Session

5. Resolution on Benefits

6. Motion to adjourn

Magnet School Application Period Begins

2006-10-05T01:49:00.000-06:00

The following is a reprint from SLSWatch:

by The Watch Committee

According to school board member Peter Downs, St. Louis Public Schools are now accepting applications for admission to magnet schools.

The district moved up the application period for magnet schools so that families will know if they are accepted before they have to make a commitment to a private school. The district previously was losing students, who wanted to attend magnet schools, because the district was not accepting students until after the deadlines passed for committing to a private school. Superintendent Diana Bourisaw ordered the change.

SLPS began accepting applications today for the 2007-2008 school year.
The deadline for applications from magnet continuity students, and for students applying for Kennard, McKinley, Metro, Central, Cleveland, Gateway, and Soldan will be Friday, December 15. All of these schools have entrance requirements. Students will be a evaluated after they apply to determine if they are eligible for the lottery, that includes the evaluations for giftedness for students wishing to attend Kennard or McKinley.

December 29 is the application deadline for all other magnet schools. The lottery will take place on January 15 and the first placement notices will be mailed on February 2, two months ahead of last year's pace. Second round placement notices will be send March 2, and third round placement notices will be sent March 30.

It is nice to see district officials actually trying to build up our schools again.

Unprinted Letter to the Editor

2006-10-04T10:37:00.000-06:00

The following letter from school board Vice President Bill Purdy was sent to the Post-Dispatch as a letter to the editor in response to an earlier editorial. The editors of the Post chose not to publish it.

Re: "Chaos Continues" (September 28). Let me assure your readers that any chaos exists primarily in your editorials. The St. Louis Public Schools are on a sound road to recovery after three years of plummeting performance that began in 2003. Further, the system is now firmly embarked on a plan to regain full accreditation.

My first suggestion would be for your editorial writers to take an arithmetic tutorial. Diana Bourisaw is the first superintendent hired by the current board majority, after four superintendents put in place since June 2003 by the former majority. To get to the six referred to in your editorial you have to go back to 1996 when Cleveland Hammonds, Jr. was hired and whose retirement created the 2003 opening. In just two years the old board majority first hired Bill Roberti who was neither certified nor experienced as an educator and next Floyd Crews for a few months, followed by Pamela Hughes and then Creg Williams. (Now that wasn't too difficult, was it?)

In 2003 the schools were on a steady path toward full accreditation. Since then, the path has been downhill toward total loss of accreditation. Further, there was no plan in place to regain accreditation. Missouri State Achievement scores are falling. The high school graduation rate is dropping, reaching a modern record low of 55.1 percent in June.

Let's review the facts. Six weeks ago when Dr. Diana Bourisaw was appointed Superintendent after the sudden resignation of the previous superintendent, very little had been done to prepare Missouri's largest public school system for the first day of school, August, 28. The new board majority and its new superintendent and staff had a lot of work to do that had not been started.

Many major improvements are already in place. The heavy reliance on substitute teachers has been virtually eliminated. Schools opened on time and smoothly, and student attendance rates are excellent (92% attendance rates for the first four weeks among all enrolled students.) There are more certified teachers in classrooms this school year. The central office has been streamlined with more money going into classrooms. New principals and assistant principals were hired for vacancies the previous administration failed to fill. Textbooks were ordered and delivered ensuring they were in the classroom on day one.

Parents were notified regarding where their child would be attending school and buildings were prepared for the opening of school. Our facilities required a lot of work that had not yet begun on July 17, including general maintenance and construction work on reconfigured schools. To add insults to injury, several buildings were severely damaged by the July storms.

We are pleased that our newest major corporate citizen, Macy's, chose the schools for its special week of employee service, deploying hundreds of employees to schools across the city.

Could your view of the schools be jaundiced by the fact that only one of the candidates your page endorsed for the four vacancies since 2003 was elected in fiercely competitive and highly funded elections?

William Purdy
Vice-president, St. Louis Board of Education

Cleveland Students Unhappy with Attempts

2006-10-02T23:00:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday, district officials met with the community in a townhall meeting to discuss the future of Cleveland Highschool. This past summer, the school was temporarily closed due to health concerns, and the Junior Naval ROTC program housed at Cleveland was moved to Pruitt Middle School, which at the time housed a middle school ROTC program that has since been disbanded to make space for the highschool students.

The district's Deana Anderson, Building Commissioner and Interim Assistant Superintendent for Operations, along with a staff of three from her office explained to those in attendance the processes for determining the long-term needs of the structure and then setting about to make repairs. After the district's presentation, questions were fielded, not by the district staff, but by members of the Steering Committee for the Alliance to Save Cleveland High, a Missouri non-profit corporation whose goal it is to work with the district to pursue avenues for preserving the historic structure as a functioning school in the community. The Steering Committee members answering questions included Alderwoman Dorothy Kirner, Alderman Craig Schmid, local businessman John Chen, Dutchtown South Community Corporation Executive Director Debbie Irwin, neighborhood resident Dr. Elaine Mahood, Landmark's Association member Matt Ghio, and community advocate Travis Reems.

After the district's staff had yielded the floor to the Alliance's members, hostility was expressed by the attendees toward rumored potential uses of the structure as a holding facility for students while their home schools are outfitted with airconditioning. The comments by cadets of the Cleveland at Pruitt NJROTC program, and their parents, were focused on the inequity of facilities they had been given at Pruitt, while students from other highschools in the district might be using their school.

Even with the somewhat hostile environment, the Alliance was able to raise from those in attendance nearly $300 to cover operating costs of the group. $2 of which came from cadets, the rest was from parents, current and former teachers, and other concerned neighborhood residents.

---
Disclosure: Travis Reems is a member of the Alliance to Save Cleveland High and its Steering Committee.

UCC to Host Dialog on Public Education

2006-10-02T22:46:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006, from 2:30 to 4:45 pm, the Epiphany United Church of Christ will host a panel discussion on public education. The panel will feature Lynette White, public school parent and member at Pilgrim Congregational UCC; Peter Franzen, former Executive Director of Mentor St. Louis; and Carol Hall-Whittier, principal of Shepard eMints Academy, a Gold Star elementary school near Epiphany.

The special guest for the event will be Jan Resseger, Minister for Public Education and Witness at UCC Justice and Witness Ministries, Cleveland OH. Moderating the panel will be state Representative Jeanette Mott Oxford, member of the Missouri House Committee on Children and Families, and a member of Epiphany UCC. The event is open to all regardless of faith.

Board Meeting on October 3

2006-09-30T07:45:00.000-06:00

The St. Louis Board of Education will hold two Board Meetings on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 at the Administrative Building, 801 N. 11th Street. A Special Board Meeting will begin by moving into closed session at 6:45 PM. The Administrative Meeting of the Board will be held at 7:00 PM in Room 108 and is open to the public. The agenda is as follows:

SPECIAL BOARD MEETING AGENDA
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Motion to move into closed session
4. Legal Matters
5. Motion to return to open session
6. Resolution on Benefits
7. Motion to adjourn

ADMINISTRATIVE MEETING AGENDA
1.1 Call To Order / Roll Call
1.2 Placement of Items on the October 10, 2006 Regular Board Meeting Agenda
a) Call to Order/Roll Call
b) Pledge of Allegiance
c) We Are Up To Good Things
d) Public Comments
e) Approval of Minutes
f) Superintendent's Report
i) Finance Report
ii) Consent Agenda
g) President's Report
i) Board Member Travel
ii) Retirement Board
iii) By-Law Changes
h) New Business
i) Information/Request
j) Announcements
1.3 Adjournment

DESE Only Approved 1 New Charter, Not 5

2006-09-27T09:46:00.000-06:00

An article in yesterday's St. Louis Schools Watch e-newsletter states that "the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has approved five more charter schools for St. Louis". According to a DESE spokesman, that is not true.

In April, the State Board of Education approved Missouri Baptist University (MBU) as the sponsor of the Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Academy, which had been sponsored by Harris-Stowe University. MBU is a new sponsor, but the school is not a new entity.

Earlier this month, the State Board of Education authorized the opening of a new charter school, the Imagine Academy of Environmental Science and Math, which also will be sponsored by MBU. This school is slated to open in 2007-08.

"There are no other applications for new charter schools pending with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education," wrote Jim Morris, a DESE spokeman, in an email to PUB DEF today. He said he hopes this misunderstanding is corrected so it does not continue to be repeated in the community.

Some Hit Attendance Targets, Others Miss

2006-09-26T08:41:00.000-06:00

This morning St. Louis Public Schools released information stating that in the first four weeks of the school year they hit 99% of projected enrollment and that a majority of schools made their attendance targets: 90% for highschools, 92% for middle schools, and 95% for elementary schools.

What was glossed over in the press release, but was obvious in the detailed attachment was that this performance target was missed by nearly 30% of the schools. Here is the detailed data:

HIGH SCHOOLS (90% ATTENDANCE TARGET)
8 OUT OF 17 HIGH SCHOOLS MEET OR EXCEED
GATEWAY HIGH SCHOOL
NOTTINGHAM CAJT
CAREER ACADEMY
CLEVELAND NJROTC
METRO HIGH SCHOOL - 98.52% ATTENDANCE
SOLDAN INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
MEL CARNAHAN SCHOOL OF THE FUTURE
NORTHWEST TRANSPORTATION AND LAW ACADEMY

MIDDLE SCHOOLS (92% ATTENDANCE TARGET)
12 OUT OF 18 SCHOOLS MEET OR EXCEED
BLEWETT MIDDLE SCHOOL
BUSCH ATHLETIC & ACADEMIC MIDDLE SCHOOL
CARR LANE MIDDLE SCHOOL
BUNCHE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
MCKINLEY CLASSICAL JR. ACADEMY
FANNING MIDDLE SCHOOL
HUMBOLDT MIDDLE SCHOOL – 98.77% ATTENDANCE RATE
LANGSTON MIDDLE SCHOOL
L'OUVERTURE MIDDLE SCHOOL
COMPTON-DREW ILC
STEVENS MIDDLE CEC
GATEWAY 7-9 PREP SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS (95% ATTENDANCE TARGET)
45 OUT OF 57 MEET OR EXCEED
ADAMS ELEMENTARY – 99.81% ATTENDANCE RATE
BADEN ELEMENTARY
BRYAN HILL ELEMENTARY
BUDER ELEMENTARY
AMES ELEMENTARY
CLARK ELEMENTARY
CLAY CEC
COLE ELEMENTARY
COLUMBIA CEC
COTE BRILLIANTE ELEMENTARY
DEWEY INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
DUNBAR ELEMENTARY
KOTTMEYER ECCIII
EUCLID MONTESSORI
FARRAGUT ACCELERATED
FORD CEC
FROEBEL ELEMENTARY
GATEWAY ELEMENTARY
HENRY ELEMENTARY
HICKEY ELEMENTARY
HERZOG CEC
HODGEN ELEMENTARY
JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY
KENNARD CJA
LEXINGTON ELEMENTARY
LYON ABI
MALLINCKRODT ABI
MANN ELEMENTARY
MARK TWAIN ELEMENTARY
MASON ELEMENTARY
MITCHELL ELEMENTARY
MULLANPHY ELEMENTARY
OAK HILL ELEMENTARY
EARL NANCE SR. ELEMENTARY
PEABODY ELEMENTARY
SCRUGGS ELEMENTARY
SHAW VPA-CEC
SHEPARD ACCELERATED
SHERMAN CEC
STIX ECC I
WALBRIDGE ECC-ACC
WOERNER ELEMENTARY
WASHINGTON MONTESSORI
WILKINSON ECC I
WOODWARD ELEMENTARY

The 27 schools (29%) that missed their targeted goals are not listed in the release.

Former Employees File Lawsuit

2006-09-26T06:14:00.000-06:00

Six former employees have filed a lawsuit against St. Louis Public Schools for breach of contract. They say they were terminated without cause by former Superintendent Creg Williams. They say they received no prior notice or a hearing and that they were escorted out of the building by armed security guards after they received terminiation letters, making them feel like criminals.

VIDEO: Teachers of the Year Honored

2006-09-23T13:01:00.000-06:00

At its last school board meeting, St. Louis Public Schools honored three teachers as the top three Teachers of the Year for 2006. They were among 92 teachers who were honored in May for their outstanding work in the classroom. The teachers are Svetlana Nikic, a Blow middle school teacher; Patricia Brown, from McKinley Classical Junior Academy; and Hollie Russell West, a principal intern in the Lead program.

At its last school board meeting, St. Louis Public Schools honored three teachers as the top three Teachers of the Year for 2006. They were among 92 teachers who were honored in May for their outstanding work in the classroom. The teachers are Svetlana Nikic, a Blow middle school teacher; Patricia Brown, from McKinley Classical Junior Academy; and Hollie Russell West, a principal intern in the Lead program.

Svetlana Nikic has been teaching for seven years. She currently teaches computer technology at Blow. She received her Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanics from the Institute Polytechnic Traian Vuia in Timisoara, Romania. She earned her masters degree in Information Management from Washington University and is currently working on her PhD in technology education from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. She has taught on the college level in St. Louis and Zrenjanin, Serbia. On her application form, Svetlana wrote, "When I stepped for the first time, on American soil, there was nothing for me to hold onto but a desire to succeed."

When Hollie Russell-West was selected as Teacher of the Year, she taught special education students at Webster Middle School. She is now at Carnahan High School of the Future and is a member of the New Leaders Program, a program that trains successful teachers to become successful principals. She has a bachelors of arts degree in communications from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She holds two masters degrees, one in Education Administration from Lindenwood University and a masters in special education from Fontbonne University. Hollie said she was inspired to be an educator by the great teachers she has had. She said that at every level of education, she remembers special teachers who inspired her to work hard, dream big and persevere.

Patricia Brown is a technology teacher at McKinley Classical Junior Academy. She received her bachelor's degree in Business Information Systems and Business Education from Tennessee State University. She received her master's degree in education from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Patricia said she considers herself a role model and enjoys working on community projects that involve young people. She was selected to participate in the St. Louis Regional Professional Development Center Teacher Academy. She said she believes in imparting knowledge to her students and is excited to help young people make healthy choices in their lives.

School Accountability and Finances

2006-09-23T06:31:00.000-06:00

The following was posted to the SLSWatch email list by Chad Beffa:

September 21, 2006 -- At a quiet, public meeting Tuesday the St. Louis school board got to work on some of the major problems facing the school district.

The issue that generated the most discussion at the meeting was finances.

Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer Enos Moss reported that the budget prepared under former Superintendent Creg Williams did not allocate enough funds for several areas. He did not report how much was needed to fill those gaps, but said he would do so at a later meeting when he had solutions to offer.

Assistant Superintendent of Operations Deanna Anderson reported that transportation alone was underfunded by between $10 million and $12 million. She said it was not the case that the true costs weren't known before, she was director of transportation under Williams, it was just that Williams and former Chief Financial Officer Cedric Lewis ignored the costs and budgeted a much lower amount.

Moss said one of the areas not included in the budget at all was transportation for homeless students, even though state law mandates that the district provide transportation to and from school for homeless students.

Board member Bob Archibald expressed concern about the finances and wanted the board to reject the bus routes, arguing that the board could not approve bus routes without knowing how to pay for them. State law requires that school boards approve school bus routes and submit them to the state by October, but St. Louis had ignored that regulation in recent years. The school board did not approve last year's bus routes until June, nine months after the approval was due.

Board member Peter Downs also expressed concern about the finances, but his concern was that the board had unknowingly approved a budget that did not meet the legal requirements of the State. He asked whether budget reports could be changed to show the whether the board was meeting state or judicial requirements for funding programs and how much spending was at the board's discretion.

The motion to approve the bus routes passed 4-3.

Downs also asked about the process for recommending air conditioning contracts. Anderson brought to the board a recommendation to take the contract for air conditioning Shaw School away from one contractor and give it instead to Murphy Co. She had explained to the board last week in its administrative meeting that the change was necessary, because the proposal previously recommended to the board did not meet the requirements for air conditioning Shaw. The original contractor had, in fact, already submitted changes orders to raise the contract price even though it had yet to begin work.

Anderson recommended giving the contract to Murphy as the company that provided the lowest bid that actually complied with the specifications issued by the school district.

Downs asked what administrative processes were put in place to prevent that kind of mistake from happening again. Anderson said that now bids are reviewed by people familiar with the work that is needed, whereas before they weren't.

In other business, the board reviewed drafts of school report cards that the administration is preparing with the intent of providing the board a means to review school progress every quarter. The board also accepted Superintendent Bourisaw's report recommending that the district give up Williams' scatter shot "strategic plan" for the district and instead adopt a focused approach to meeting the demands of the State of Missouri and the accreditation process.

Bourisaw also announced that she is putting a group in place to promote magnet schools better, and she is going to see if money can be moved in the budget to restore some of the cuts made in magnet programs. She mentioned that she will be going to the state education department with data that shows that African-American students in city magnet schools outperform African-American students who transfer to county schools under the desegregation agreement.

As its final piece of business, the board authorized the superintendent to contact planning companies to make public presentations to the board about school district planning. Archibald was the only board member opposed to the motion.

Although a productive start was made on rebuilding the school district from the damage done to it over the previous three years, much remains to be done. Speeches by the teachers' union president and vice president underscored that work.

Mary Armstrong and Byron Clemons said management had been very disrespectful to the union in a labor-management meeting the week before. Armstrong said the union had taken 12 issues to the table and management refused to discuss them. The union officials said the union would not return to meetings with management until management was ready to actually "confer" on issues.

Dr. Bourisaw's Top Focus is Accreditation

2006-09-22T22:59:00.000-06:00

In 2002, the SLPS were provisionally accredited. If it had not been for the impending end to the desegregation program within the district, the district would have been unaccredited at that time, but instead was given an additional nine years to meet the requirements for accreditation. 2011 is the target date by which the district must meet those state requirements, and for which Building Towards 2011, a strategic plan, was developed by the previous district administration. Since taking office, the current Superintendent, Dr. Diana Bourisaw, had promised to review the strategic plan, which she has done and has made her recommendations to the school board.

At the school board meeting last Tuesday, the Superintendent said, "The immediate goal for all of us should be accreditation for our district. As such, we will focus on the performance standards established under the Missouri School Improvement Plan (MSIP), including academic achievement for all students, career preparation, graduation rates, and attendance rates."

Dr. Bourisaw's presentation noted several key areas where the strategic plan is deficient:

None of the initiatives were fully funded for the 2006/2007 school year. It would require an additional $71.4 million this year alone to fund the many programs.
The total cost to implement the plan between now and 2011 exceeds $528 million.
There is a lack of information on how the strategic plan will improve attendance and graduation rates, two areas that have been ignored in recent years.

The Superintendent, in her presentation, proposed the following areas for focus: achievement standards based on improved MAP scores, scholastic preparedness based on ACT scores, and educational persistence as measured through graduation rate and attendance rate. You can view the Superintendent's entire report here.

Community Townhall at Cleveland Coming

2006-09-22T20:29:00.000-06:00

On the evening of Thursday September 28, at 6 PM, the St. Louis Public Schools district, in partnership with the Alliance to Save Cleveland High, will be holing a townhall meeting at Cleveland High School, located at 4352 Louisiana Ave, for the purpose of discussing with the community the "whats and hows of rennovation and rebuilding our beloved Castle," according to a release by the Alliance. The district's Building Commissioner, Deana Anderson, and her staff will be on hand to give details about the school's state and answer questions about rennovation efforts.

Travis Reems joins STLSchools.org

2006-09-22T14:29:00.000-06:00

Clint Eastwood said it best. "A man's got to know his limitations," said "Dirty" Harry Callahan in 1973's "Magnum Force". Well indeed a man does. For that reason I have asked frequent commenter Travis Reems to help out with this here watchdog web log. And much to the delight of those that miss seeing me at dinner, he has accepted.

Look for Travis to help me play catch-up over the weekend and then start fresh next week with trying to keep this site updated as regularly as PubDef.net, which has taken up most of my time recently.

As always, if you have a press release, news tip, or rumor to share, send an e-mail to editor@pubdef.net or call our 24-hour Tip Line at (314) 518-2364. Tips are always 100% confidential.

One more thing: All you SLPS employees, parents and students, tell your friends and colleagues about this site. The more eyes watching STLSchools.org, the more eyes watching St. Louis Public Schools.

Updates Coming...

2006-09-20T16:53:00.000-06:00

Been a little slammed the past 24 hours. Updates are coming soon.

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School Board Meeting Tonight

2006-09-19T08:33:00.000-06:00

The School Board will meet tonight at Carr Lane VPA Middle School, 1004 N. Jefferson Avenue. Among the agenda items are a presentation to the "Teachers of the Year" and a vote on a resolution by board member Peter Downs to contract with a firm to create a "master plan" for St. Louis Public Schools.

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. Here are the agendas:

EXECUTIVE SESSION AGENDA

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Motion to move to Closed Session
4. Approval of Executive Session Minutes
5. Legal Matters
6. Real Estate Matters
7. Personnel Matters
8. Motion to return to Open Session
9. Recess

OPEN SESSION AGENDA

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Pledge of Allegiance
4. We Are Up To Good Things
Teachers of the Year Recognition
5. Public Comments
6. Approval of Minutes
a) Regular Board Meetings July 18, 2006
b) Special Board Meetings July 11, 2006, July 14, 2006, August 15, 2006 and August 18, 2006
7. Superintendent's Report
a) Business Items - Information Only
i) Financial Report
ii) School Score Cards
b) Consent Agenda
8. President's Report
a) Board Member Travel
b) Approval of Board Meeting Schedule for 2006/2007
c) Status of Performance Audit
d) Approval of sub-committees
9. New Business
a) Resolution by Mr. Downs to authorize the St. Louis Public Schools to contract with a Master Planning Firm to assess the District and its needs
10. Information/Request
11. Announcements

State Board Meeting in St. Louis

2006-09-18T23:13:00.000-06:00

The State Board of Education is planning to meet in St. Louis on Thursday, Oct. 5. We're told the agenda is still tentative, but plans include a visit to the Wellston School District -- which is currently under state control -- and a tour of the Missouri School for the Blind. The primary business meeting will be at the Drury Inn-Union Station.

VIDEO: Interview with Ron Jackson

2006-09-15T18:33:00.000-06:00

At the last meeting of the St. Louis City School Board, the board majority surprised many by voting to drop the word "interim" off the title of new Superintendent Diana Bourisaw, effectively making her the leader of the district for the foreseeable future.

The 4-2 vote, which happened in a closed meeting, occurred after some stern objections from the board's minority -- most notably from board member Ron Jackson who stormed out of the meeting before the vote was taken.

Jackson sat down with PUB DEF this afternoon to talk about that vote, the current state of St. Louis Public Schools, and why he thinks the state should step in to take over the district.

Part 1: Why were you upset by the actions of the board majority this week? (approx 4 mins)

Part 2: Do you agree with fellow board member Bob Archibald that school boards should not be elected by the public, but rather appointed by governors or mayors? (approx 8 mins)

Part 3: Is this all just "sour grapes"? Would you and Archibald be calling for a state takeover if you were still in the majority? (approx 2 mins)

Part 4: Can you see why some people may be fearful of a takeover of SLPS by this governor's administration? (approx 1.5 mins)

LETTER: Vashon Parents Ignored

2006-09-14T08:15:00.000-06:00

To the SLPS Board Members:

I must start off by saying that I am very disappointed in the School Boards decision last night to make Diana Bourisaw the permanent Superintendent?

Mrs. Veronica O'Brien, I emailed you this week on two separate occasions expressing concerns. I asked you why the new superintendent has not made a visit to Vashon High School? You stated and I quote, "As for Dr. Bourisaw, she is doing an excellent job and it is rare that we hear negative feedback regarding her performance. Most everyone has been pleased with her performance."

Who is most everyone, many parents and students at Vashon High School beg to differ because if Diane Bourisaw was so interested in making things better for the district, that she is now superintendent of, she would have made an attempt to visit Vashon High School and listen to our concerns.

School has been in session for three weeks and you and some of the school board members have decided that she is the perfect person for the position? What are some of Diana's accomplishments that warrant giving her this position because she has not been in the position long enough nor made any major accomplishments that justify making her permanent.

I also want to bring to your attention that you did not answer the direct question when asked, Why the superintendent has not made a visit to Vashon High School? It is becoming quite obvious that our new superintendent does not care so can you tell me where the school board stands on this issue?

Mrs. O'Brien, you mentioned in your email that the school board does not address specific school issues at each board meeting, which is understandable, but do you not feel the urgency to address the issues that have been going on at Vashon since the summer? What is really important to this School Board?

When I asked why neither the Superintendent nor the President of the School Board has addressed the concerns at Vashon, you stated, "For the record, for the past three years I have been one of the only board members that would even show up at a Vashon graduation. I also gave support to the school during time when the media portrayed Vashon as violent school out of control."

"I spoke up for Vashon and did visit the school. For me, it is difficult at this time to say I will sit down and visit with parents due to the anger that seems to be a bit out of control. I spend most of my time visiting with schools and families to listen, but not be screamed at and cursed out by the crowd. I am always willing to meet and listen with those can do so in a civil manner."

Veronica, whether it is you or Diana, we have been asking for a meeting since the first day of school and you have not obliged. If you were truly willing to meet, a meeting would have been scheduled by now.

I said this in a previous email and I will repeat myself by saying, the damage has been done and to try to rectify this situation and apply damage control, a committee can be formed of concerned parents and students of Vashon High School, people that the community trusts to present their issues, and a meeting should be scheduled so that all voices are heard and these concerned be addressed.

Felisha McCaster
Vashon High School Parent

'Interim' No More [Updated]

2006-09-12T19:36:00.000-06:00

The St. Louis Board of Education tonight voted to make Dr. Diana Bourisaw the permanent superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools.

By a vote of 4-2 (board member Ron Jackson walked out of the meeting) the board voted in a closed meeting to drop the title of "interim".

"After viewing first-hand the abilities of Dr. Bourisaw, the board felt there was no need to look further for a new superintendent," said Board President Veronica O'Brien in press release handed out later at the regular administrative meeting, which was open to the public.

"We have the perfect leader right in front of us," said O'Brien.

Check back later for video from tonight's meeting.

UPDATE: School Board President Veronica O'Brien told reporters after the meeting that the board dropped the "interim" title so the superintendent could apply for grants for the district.

"We can't apply for some of the grants that she can go in and get with the name 'interim' on it," she said.

O'Brien also said that making Dr. Bourisaw the permanent superintendent helps provide stability for the district, which helps to attract higher quality staff.

"We did what was in the best interest of the district and I think were following the guidelines of what [State Education Commissioner] Kent King and the task force want us to do," she said.

School Board Meeting Tonight

2006-09-12T07:49:00.000-06:00

The School Board will be meeting tonight -- twice.

The board will meet the first time in a closed executive session at 6:30 p.m. to discuss personnel matters. They will then meet at 7:00 p.m. for their regular monthly administrative meeting to set the agenda for next week's regular meeting.

Both meetings will be at the district's downtown office, 801 N. 11th Street. Click here to see the agenda for tonight's meeting.

$6 Million More for SLPS

2006-09-12T07:41:00.000-06:00

St. Louis Public Schools has received nearly $6 million in new grant money for this school year.

$4.2 million comes from a federal Early Reading First grant. Another $975,163 grant is meant to help boost participation of low-income students in advanced placement courses and tests.

Another $482,273 federal grant is intended to help enhance and improve the emergency response and crisis management for SLPS. According to the district, the goal of the project is to develop an effective emergency response and crisis management that will comprehensively address all five phases of crisis response planning: prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

McCaskill Gives Rams Tickets to Students

2006-09-08T14:37:00.000-06:00

From the press release:

Unable to sellout a full stadium, the St. Louis Rams and their fans faced the possibility of not having their kickoff game for the 2006-7 season televised. A big Rams fan, U.S. Senate Candidate Claire McCaskill stepped in and bought the 100 remaining tickets, ensuring that all of St. Louis would be able to enjoy the first game of the season.

Earlier today, McCaskill raffled off 90 tickets to the Clyde C. Miller Career Academy to reward those students for having the highest attendance rate in the St. Louis Public School system and she will also give 10 tickets to George Washington Carver House, a crisis intervention center serving youth and their families.

"This is a great opportunity to reward students for working hard to get the most out of their education and allow Rams fans to see their home team kick-off the season," McCaskill said.

Board Meeting on 9/12

2006-09-08T14:28:00.000-06:00

The St. Louis Board of Education will hold two Board Meetings on Tuesday, September 12, at the Administrative Building, 801 N. 11th Street, Room 108. A Special Board Meeting will begin with an Executive Session at 6:30 p.m. and it is closed to the public. The Administrative Meeting of the Board will be held at 7:00 p.m. in Room 108 and is open to the public. The agendas are as follows:

SPECIAL BOARD MEETING

1. Call To Order
2. Roll Call
3. Motion to move into closed session
4. Personnel Matters
5. Motion to adjourn

OPEN SESSION AGENDA

1.0 Preliminary
1.1 Call To Order / Roll Call
1.2 Placement of Items on the September 19, 2006 Regular Board Meeting Agenda

a) Pledge of Allegiance
b) Recognition of Teachers of the Year
c) We Are Up To Good Things
d) Public Comments
e) Approval of Minutes
i) Regular and Special Meetings July 11, July 14, July 18, August 15 and August 18, 2006
f) Superintendent's Report
i) Finance Report
ii) Consent Agenda
g) President's Report
i) Board Member Travel
i) New Business
j) Information/Request
k) Announcements

1.3 Adjournment

LETTER: "It IS all about children - Now"

2006-09-02T11:56:00.000-06:00

This letter was submitted to the Post-Dispatch by school board members Veronica O'Brien, Bill Purdy, Donna Jones, and Peter Downs in hopes it would be considered for publication on Sunday, September 3. They requested the editors give it prominence equal to that of their editorial "Children!" published on August 27.

While the Post-Dispatch editors were composing a demeaning editorial on the performance of the new majority that gained control of the St. Louis School Board in April from a former majority which was strongly influenced by the Black Leadership Roundtable and financially backed by Mayor Francis Slay, a true turnaround was taking place in the schools. It is one that is being designed to bring lasting and broadening reform, stability and academic gains for children.

A seasoned and experienced professional team of former Missouri Superintendents and former supervisors from the Missouri State Department of Education was assembled in late July after the full extent became known of the emergency created by the former majority and a succession of four superintendents it had hired starting in June of 2003 The prospects for the year starting August 28 were bleak.

Schools scheduled for reconstitution and reconfiguration had not been finally designed and checked for suitability in terms of capacity and conditions. The credentials had not been reviewed of many of the 1,000 teachers who were being considered for qualification under the former superintendent's criteria. Thousands of teachers had not been assigned to schools.

Several thousands of students did not know where they would be going to school, who their classmates would be or who will be their teachers. There was no plan to cut back reliance on unqualified substitute teachers and several principalships were open. Textbooks and supplies had not been ordered. Transportation schedules did not exist.

Professional development activities for all teachers scheduled to begin on August 16 had not been planned. The new small high school of the future at Carnahan existed only on paper. Property from Cleveland High School had not been moved to the new home at Pruitt.

Working on a crash basis, the new administration, supported by a majority of the school board accomplished these and many other tasks helped greatly by many former employees who returned to the system after having taken early retirement.

Hundreds of staffs and parents volunteered their time at three back to school rallies' and pitched in to help increase third day student attendance to a recent record high of 87 percent and schools were clean and functional.

We want to thank community members, some in the media, the parents, students and professional staff of the school district for the warm and friendly display of confidence being shown in the St. Louis School District. We especially want to thank Famous Barr Macy's, our newest partner for working with the district by taking kids on field trips, planting trees and much more.

The education of children must always be the focus of all of us. It is not about the adults. It is all about children!

School Board President Veronica O'Brien
School Board Vice-Pres. Bill Purdy
School Board Member Donna Jones
School Board Member Peter Downs

MAP Scores: Much Work Ahead for SLPS

2006-08-31T23:01:00.000-06:00

The first thing to make note of about this year's Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test scores is that the grading is different. Instead of the usual five Achievement Level categories (Step 1, Progressing, Nearing Proficient, Proficient and Advanced), there are now only four categories.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) explains that because of a state law enacted in 2004, the MAP exams were revised to align more closely with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exams. These are national tests in which all states must participate. Missouri's academic standards may not exceed those used in the NAEP tests.

Now the MAP tests for communication arts and mathematics are based on four achievement level categories instead of five to describe student performance. These categories (Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced) are identical to those used by the NAEP.

DESE advises that these changes make it difficult, if not impossible, to compare 2006 MAP results with previous years.

For example, on the previous MAP tests, a substantial number of students (based on state averages) scored in the "Nearing Proficient" category. This category has been eliminated with the four new achievement levels. Students who might have scored in the middle range could now be in any of the four new categories. The results may vary widely among schools and districts.

In the past, many school officials have looked at student performance in terms of the "top two and bottom two" levels. This kind of analysis may be less meaningful now as a result of the elimination of the "Nearing Proficient" category.

"There will be a natural tendency for people to try to compare this year's results with prior years. DESE discourages such comparisons," says the department's advisory. "Our advice to everybody is: Recognize the important changes that have occurred in the MAP program and be cautious about making comparisons."

And now St. Louis Public Schools' results:

In Communication Arts
Grade 3 - Below Basic (21.2%)/Basic (53%)/Prof (16.2%)/Adv (9.6%)
Grade 4 - Below Basic (25.6%)/Basic (51.4%)/Prof (16.4%)/Adv (6.6%)
Grade 5 - Below Basic (23%)/Basic (55.7%)/Prof (15.9%)/Adv (5.5%)
Grade 6 - Below Basic (36.8%)/Basic (47.7%)/Prof (12.6%)/Adv (2.9%)
Grade 7 - Below Basic (36.1%)/Basic (48.6%)/Prof (12.5%)/Adv (2.7%)
Grade 8 - Below Basic (25.8%)/Basic (58.4%)/Prof (12.2%)/Adv (3.7%)
Grade 11 - Below Basic (28.7%)/Basic (53.4%)/Prof (13.6%)/Adv (4.3%)

In Mathematics
Grade 3 - Below Basic (19.9%)/Basic (55.8)/Prof (20%)/Adv (4.3%)
Grade 4 - Below Basic (24.2%)/Basic (55.5%)/Prof (16.7%)/Adv (3.6%)
Grade 5 - Below Basic (23.4%)/Basic (55.1%)/Prof (17.5%)/Adv (4%)
Grade 6 - Below Basic (39%)/Basic (47.3%)/Prof (11.4%)/Adv (2.4%)
Grade 7 - Below Basic (48.3%)/Basic (39.8%)/Prof (10.2%)/Adv (1.7%)
Grade 8 - Below Basic (55.8%)/Basic (31.4%)/Prof (10%)/Adv (2.8%)
Grade 10 - Below Basic (60.5%)/Basic (26.4%)/Prof (11.2%)/Adv (2%)

SLPS has issued the following statement and analysis:

The St. Louis Public Schools today announced the preliminary results from the 2006 Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests which reveal increases in achievement among middle and high school students. While the majority of the District’s middle and high schools show increases, elementary school scores declined.

"We obviously have a great deal of work to do to ensure that all of our students are performing at advanced and proficient levels," said Dr. Diana Bourisaw, Interim Superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools. "The 2006 MAP scores make it clear that we must offer support, including professional development for teachers and more flexibility within curriculum programs, for teachers. We cannot continue to demand accountability without providing the necessary resources for teachers," she said.

A review of the 2006 MAP scores by grade level reveals:

In Grade 3, 25.8 percent of students scored at the advanced and proficient levels in Communication Arts, a decrease of 9.4 percent from the previous year.
In Grade 4, Mathematics scores dropped 15.8% in the number of students scoring at advanced or proficient levels.
In Grade 7, the Communication Arts combined advanced and proficient performance level percentage was 15.2%, an increase of 4.2%
In Grade 7 Communication Arts, 17 of 21 (80.9%) of the middle schools experienced increases in the top two levels.

In Grade 8, there was an increase in Mathematics with 12.8 percent of students scoring advanced or proficient, up 4.6% from last year.
In Grade 8 Mathematics, 15 of 21 (71.4%) of the middle schools experienced increases.
In Grade 10, Mathematics scores averaged 13.2% in the top two performance levels, an increase of 9.7% from last year.

Communication Arts scores at Grade 11 averaged 17.9%, an 11.7% increase from the previous year.
In Grade 10 Mathematics, 10 of 11 (90.9%) of the high schools experienced small increases in the number of students testing as proficient or advanced.
In Grade 11 Communication Arts, all 12 of the high schools experienced increases in the advanced and proficient levels.

"While the official results from the State of Missouri will not be available until November, these preliminary numbers suggest three elementary schools previously identified as 'Needs Improvement' by DESE may have made enough gains in student achievement to be removed from that status," Bourisaw said.

The MAP measures academic standards and determines the level to which schools enable students to become proficient. The tests are scored on proficiency standards of Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic. The levels of Advanced/Proficient scores are used to determine each school's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) required by the Federal No Child Left Behind law. New for 2006 was that all students in Grades 3-8 were tested in both Communication Arts and Mathematics. High school testing remained the same as previous years with 10th graders tested in Mathematics and 11th graders tested in Communication Arts.

As a result of the changes in the testing of student performance, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) discourages the comparison of the 2006 data to the test results of previous years.

"All St. Louis students must be given the fundamentals they need in order to demonstrate proficient performance in communication arts, math, and science. We must align our investments in curriculum and professional development for all grades," said Veronica O'Brien, President of the Board of Education. "It is clear that a top-down approach to curriculum development did not empower teachers to teach, or help students achieve," she said.

The MAP score information is preliminary, as the Federal government requires the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to provide districts a 30-day appeal process. Final determinations of MAP data and Adequate Yearly Progress will be made by DESE in November.

Download "Collateral Damage"

2006-08-31T22:06:00.000-06:00

Pub Def editor Antonio D. French, Arch City Chronicle publisher Dave Drebis, and (soon-to-be) State Sen. Jeff Smith were the guests on "Collateral Damage" with host Fred Hessel on Monday. The topics of discussion were St. Louis Public Schools and the Talent-McCaskill U.S. Senate race. Click here to download the 30-minute show.

VIDEO: Advisory Committee Meets

2006-08-31T16:43:00.000-06:00

State Education Commissioner Kent King and four of the five members of the special committee he appointed last month to analyze the current state of St. Louis Public Schools met today on the West Campus of Washington University.

Co-chairs Dr. William Danforth and Attorney Frankie Freeman were joined by St. Louis American publisher Dr. Donald Suggs and Attorney Ned Lemkemeier. Michael Middleton, the group's fifth member, did not attend today's meeting.

The group drew criticism for closing their first meeting to the public. Danforth today said it was later brought to their attention that they are subject to the state's Sunshine Law, which is why today's meeting was public.

"Now that we know we are subject to the Sunshine Laws, I suggest we obey the law and the spirit of the Sunshine idea," said Danforth.

In the meeting, which lasted about thirty minutes, King presented to the group some slight modifications to the points of its mission, all centered around addressing what he described as the "turmoil" in SLPS in the past four years.

Danforth introduced the group's first hire, Bethany Johnson who will serve as study director and an interviewer for the committee.

It was revealed that the co-chairs had already conducted private interviews with some members of the school board. Danforth said they would also be requesting interviews with Interim Superintendent Diana Bourisaw and Teachers' Union Pres. Mary Armstrong.

Bourisaw and School Board Pres. Veronica O'Brien watched tonight's meeting from the audience.

Danforth said the committee also plans to convene focus groups of parents, teachers and principals and to hire an expert in school finances to help paint a clearer picture of the district's finances.

No date was given for the committee's next meeting, but Commissioner King did say that their work must be completed by early December.

Judge: Purdy Can Stay

2006-08-31T16:32:00.000-06:00

BREAKING NEWS

A Circuit Court judge has upheld School Board member Bill Purdy's right to sit on the board. Purdy was being sued by two fellow board members, Flint Fowler and Ron Jackson, and 47 other citizens, including fired Vashon basketball coach Floyd Irons. The lawsuit claimed Purdy was serving on the board illegally and should be removed.

The issue was whether a person can run for the school board if he or she has relatives who work in the district. Two of Purdy's daughters and a grandson are teachers in the district. A recent change in state law allows school board members to serve even if they have family working in the system. But the school board bylaws still say that is illegal.

Those bylaws have not been amended to reflect the state law. But today's ruling by Judge Steven R. Ohmer affirms Purdy's assertion that state law trumps board bylaws.

Had Purdy lost the suit and was forced to give up his seat, Mayor Francis Slay would have appointed his replacement, shifting the balance of power on the school board for the second time in six months.

LETTER: Higher Ed is Too High

2006-08-31T15:56:00.000-06:00

The following letter comes from State Sen. Timothy Green (D-St. Louis County):

Higher education is the foundation of opportunity in Missouri. Nothing will do more to prepare our children for the careers of the future. But today, the cost of college is increasing exponentially. All students should have the opportunity to earn a college degree through hard work in high school and college. Last year, tuition at state universities increased nationwide, by as much as 40 percent in some states.

A Missouri NEA White Paper stated that Missouri tuition increased 45% between 1998-99 and 2002-03, and the state ranks second in the nation in tuition hikes over the past two years. During 2002-03, Missouri (-10.2%) was second only to Oregon (-11.1%) among states which cut support for higher education. This reduction followed a cut of -8.8% during the previous year for a two-year total of -19%.

Nationwide, due to record-high financial barriers, more than 400,000, low- and moderate-income high school graduates who are fully prepared to attend a four-year college will be unable to do so. Students and their parents are being forced to shoulder an even greater share of the rising costs of attending college.

According to the Missouri Budget Project, over the past 25 years, in Missouri, the students’ share of the cost of education has doubled, increasing from 25% to 50%. Higher education cuts have resulted in a $1,700 per student annual average tuition increase for Missouri’s public four-year institutions, affecting over 80,000 students. Institutions are passing the buck on to the cashed strapped students and their hard working families. Institutions must identify additional cost saving measures by avoiding excesses in order to ensure affordability.

In 1966, a student needed to work 20 hours a week at minimum wage to pay for college costs—today it takes 55 hours. Missouri’s state support for public higher education has declined as a percentage of the overall state budget from 8.3% in FY1980 to 6.8% in FY2000 to 5.8% in FY2003. Missouri has the lowest per capita funding support for higher education among the surrounding states: MO--$321, KS--$496, AR--$449, OK--$477, IA--$507, IL--$411 and the cost to attend out of state is at times lower than in Missouri.

Missouri is rated "F" in college affordability by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. State Auditor Claire McCaskill, in an audit, further indicates the worrying trends in college affordability. Governors Carnahan and Holden both appointed commissions during their time in office to study college affordability and the results of the studies were remarkably similar.

Once again, a Missouri Senate committee has been created to further study the lack of college affordability that plagues Missouri students and their families. It is time to take the results of these studies and craft legislation that helps Missourians afford the rising cost of a quality higher education.

Advisory Committee Meeting Today

2006-08-31T08:58:00.000-06:00

The special five-member committee appointed by State Education Commissioner Kent King last month to analyze the current state of St. Louis Public Schools is meeting today -- and unlike its last meeting, today's session is open to the public.

The committee will meet at the Washington University West Campus building (the old Famous-Barr in Clayton), 7425 Forsyth Blvd, at 3:30 p.m.

Here is a video from Commissioner King's July 27 announcement of the committee, its members, and its mission:

Related Stories:

State Appoints Board to Look at SLPS
VIDEO: Committee to Look at SLPS 'Turmoil'

MAP Scores Are Coming

2006-08-31T08:49:00.000-06:00

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will be releasing the results from the 2006 MAP tests ~~tonight at midnight on its website.~~ CORRECTION: DESE won't be releasing the numbers on it's website until tomorrow morning some time. But we have the numbers already and we will be releasing them tonight at midnight right here on slswatch.pubdef.net.

Check back late tonight for SLPS results...

Beaumont Student Shot

2006-08-30T13:06:00.000-06:00

Bill Bryan of the Post-Dispatch is reporting that a 17-year-old male Beaumont High School student was reported to be in stable condition at a hospital after he was shot in the stomach this morning during a fight at a school bus stop.

"It happened about 6:22 a.m. at Thekla and Ruskin avenues," Bryan reports. "Officers said they suspect the incident was an extension of a separate fight Tuesday night. A suspect was sought in the shooting. Nobody else was reported hurt."

84% Attend Second Day of School

2006-08-29T17:25:00.000-06:00

St. Louis Public Schools reports nearly 84% of students expected to attend school today were in the classroom.

"We are certainly pleased to see an increase in the attendance for day two," said Interim Superintendent Diana Bourisaw in a statement released to the media. She added that district leaders still want "all of our kids in school tomorrow."

The total enrollment for St. Louis Public Schools today was 27,620 compared with the first day enrollment of 23,558.

Bourisaw also highlighted the rise in certified teachers in classrooms on the first day of school. She said there are fewer than 60 vacant teaching positions in core subjects, including math, science, and language arts.

"I am confident that we will have a highly qualified teacher in every classroom in the very near future," said Bourisaw.

Huge Success or Obvious Failure? Downs and Giegerich Offer Opposite Assessments

2006-08-29T12:34:00.000-06:00

School board member and Schools Watch founder Peter Downs called yesterday's reopening of St. Louis Public Schools a "huge success."

"The stunning turnaround of the St. Louis Public School district was on display on the first day of school Monday," Downs wrote in his email newsletter. "A district that was on a course to crash and burn just two months ago opened its schools without major incident."

But an article in today's Post-Dispatch by education reporter Steve Giegerich painted a different picture.

"Simple arithmetic reflected the outcome of [the district's Back-to-School efforts] when better than one out of four city students - 28 percent of an expected enrollment of slightly more than 33,000 - failed to show up for the first day of classes," wrote Giegerich.

The Post reporter compares SLPS' 72% first day attendance with unnamed suburban districts which he says regularly top 95 percent. He calls yesterday's attendance numbers "the lowest since 2002."

It's not clear where Giegerich gets that number from. According to Downs and SLPS spokesman Tony Sanders, SLPS hasn't reported attendance numbers on the first day of school in three years.

"The last time the district reported attendance on the first day of school was in 2003 when, after delaying the start of school by two weeks, Interim Superintendent William Roberti reported that 76% of students attended school on opening day," wrote Downs.

The district has in recent years only given attendance numbers for the first week of school, which according to Interim Superintendent Diana Bourisaw have been around 80% -- a number which she told PUB DEF she was optimistic the district would beat this year.

VIDEO: 72% Attendance on First Day

2006-08-28T16:34:00.000-06:00

Slightly above 7 out of 10 St. Louis City kids attended the first day of school today. That's according to Interim Superintendent Diana Bourisaw, who told PUB DEF that while she considers the school district's Back-to-School campaign a success, she is not satisfied with more than a quarter of students missing the first day.

"We're not satisfied until we have 10 out of 10 attending," said Bourisaw. She said that SLPS attendance has typically been around 80% by the end of the first week. "We are well on our way to exceeding that 80% number," she said.

Bourisaw also addressed a concern brought forward by some of our readers about confusion surrounding a later start date for some Early Childhood students. She said that historically those students have started a week after other students (Sept. 5 this year). "We need to change that," said Bourisaw. "They need to start from Day One like everyone else.

First Day of School is Today

2006-08-27T23:19:00.000-06:00

Leaders of the St. Louis Public Schools will try to prove many of their critics wrong today by opening school on time and without major incident. To help send the message of a school district under control and on the right path, Interim Superintendent Diana Bourisaw will be shaking hands and working the media throughout the day.

After a weekend schedule that included Back-to-School rallies and speaking at several local churches, Bourisaw will welcome students back to SLPS at Carnahan High School at 7:00 this morning. From there, she'll make the rounds from Nottingham Community Access Job Training High School (8:00) to Meramec Elementary (9:20) to Northwest Middle (10:45) to Mark Twain Elementary (11:45) to Pruitt Middle (12:30) to Madison Elementary (1:15).

Bourisaw is scheduled to hold a press conference at the district's downtown headquarters at 4:00 p.m. to give a report to the public of how the first day of school went.

PUB DEF will be traveling around the district throughout the day. Please report any issues by calling our 24-Hour Tip Line at (314) 518-2364.

As always, you can also post news yourself in the comments section of this post.

District Resumes Quarterly Newspaper

2006-08-27T23:10:00.000-06:00

St. Louis Public Schools is bringing back its quarterly newspaper. A new issue of School & Home, which had won several Missouri and National School Public Relations Association awards before being discontinued several years ago, was recently mailed to the homes of all St. Louis Public School students.

The first issue, which focuses on back to school, gives information on the school district's parent resource center, health and wellness, helpful homework tips, and more. Interim Superintendent Dr. Diana Bourisaw and School Board Pres. Veronica O'Brien are featured columnists.

"We want to provide parents with important information they need to make sure their children get off to a good start," said Bourisaw. "We also want to share positive school news with the community."

Click here to download the latest issue.

Back on August 28

2006-08-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

STLSchools.org will be regularly updated again starting on August 28, the first day of the 2006-2007 school year.

Until then, post your own SLPS news stories in the comments section of this post.

Case Against Purdy Postponed

2006-07-31T21:55:00.000-06:00

The lawsuit to remove Bill Purdy from the school board was not heard today. The hearing has been postponed for several weeks to late August.

O'Brien and Child Threatened?

2006-07-28T11:47:00.000-06:00

School Board President Veronica O'Brien said she and her son were threatened and intimidated by car loads of supporters of ousted Vashon basketball coach Floyd Irons.

"I came home with my 11 year-old on the backseat when I approached my driveway and saw about 10 cars with loads of people," she wrote in an e-mail to a supporter. "As I proceeded to turn into my driveway several of the cars U-turned into the rear of my car. My son, Taylor said 'Mommy, oh no!" and as I looked up these fools had jumped on both sides of my car."

She said they yelled and told her "what they were going to do to me." She said she sat with her son in the car with the doors locked while she called her brother then the police.

"I called 911 as my son and I sat in the car for about 12 minutes before the police came. For the second time the police would not write a report. I pleaded for help so I could get a restraining order. They would not do so," wrote O'Brien.

She said her husband and daughter were out of town and she was fearful for her son's safety.

"This is not a peaceful protest, but it is something that has risen to a higher level. I feel harm is imminent," wrote O'Brien.

"How do I get help to protect my family if the police won't."

VIDEO: Parental Involvement Must Increase

2006-07-28T11:30:00.000-06:00

Commissioner of Education Kent King said yesterday that the lack of parental involvement in the St. Louis Public School district is one of the most frustrating things for him in the ongoing crisis affecting the district's 35,000 students.

"The problems in St. Louis are going to solved long-term when the parents get engaged in the educational process of kids and in the administration of school," said King.

King said he has often been told by parents that they are satisfied with schools that he knows were underperforming.

"These were parents who had kids in school buildings that didn't have anybody scoring above 14 on an ACT test," he said. "That is not good enough."

State Board: The Focus Should Be Kids

2006-07-28T11:04:00.000-06:00

Members of the State Board of Education yesterday discussed the loss of focus on the students of St. Louis Public Schools by both sides in the ongoing political battles affecting the district.

"I can remember six, seven, eight years ago when we had a great deal of concern about Kansas City and actually St. Louis was improving every year and things were looking like it might turn out to be one of the better urban districts in the country," said board member Thomas Davis of Kansas City.

"And here we sit these number of years later and St. Louis' trend line has clearly been down and decelerating faster than almost any district than we have data on," said Davis. He said that in all the discussion he has read about the current situation in the district, he has not seen a focus on student achievement.

Vanetta Rogers, the St. Louis regional board member, shared in her colleague's assessment. She said she also saw a loss of focus by the players in the ongoing soap opera that SLPS has become.

"You hear the adults -- with their factions and their views and their PACs and their whatevers -- talking about who failed to agree with whom about what," she said. "But you don't hear enough about efforts to come together and try to create a single voice."

VIDEO: Committee to Look at SLPS 'Turmoil'

2006-07-28T10:51:00.000-06:00

As we reported yesterday, State Education Commissioner Kent King has appointed five people to a special committee charged with analyzing the current state of St. Louis Public Schools and making recommendations to the Missouri Board of Education on how the state can best help the district become successful.

"My biggest concern frankly is not who's administering, but the stability that needs to be in place so kids have a chance to learn," said King. He noted the sudden departure of Superintendent Creg Williams two weeks ago and the continuing conflicts on the school board.

After having just two superintendents in the 12 years before the April 2003 school board election, SLPS has since gone through five district leaders in just over three years.

State Appoints Board to Look at SLPS

2006-07-27T14:11:00.000-06:00

BREAKING NEWS

Commissioner of Education D. Kent King today appointed the following five Missourians to a special committee that is charged with helping to find solutions to the "continuing turmoil in the St. Louis Public Schools":

Dr. William H. Danforth
Atty. Frankie M. Freeman
Dr. Donald Suggs
Atty. Ned Lemkemeier
Michael Middleton

Check back later for video from the meeting and subsequent press conference...

State Board to Discuss SLPS

2006-07-26T15:21:00.000-06:00

The State Board of Education is meeting tomorrow in Jefferson City for a regularly scheduled meeting. The State Board and Commissioner of Education D. Kent King will discuss the situation in the St. Louis Public Schools about 2:00 p.m. The meeting is being held on the sixth floor of the Jefferson State Office Building, 205 Jefferson Street.

REPORT WHAT YOU KNOW

2006-07-25T15:21:00.000-06:00

Are you a teacher who wants to report something that's going on in your classroom? Good or bad. Are you a student who's seen something happen at your school? Do you work at 801 and want to report something you've witnessed?

CALL ME TODAY at (314) 518-2364 and leave an anonymous voicemail or EMAIL ME at antonio@pubdef.net and let's arrange a meeting.

Your name WILL NOT be used unless you give permission. Anonymity is guaranteed.

Antonio French

For The Record: Recent Superintendents

2006-07-25T08:20:00.001-06:00

David J. Mahan (1990-1996)
Cleveland Hammonds (1996-2003)
William Roberti (July 2003-June 2004)
Floyd Crues (July 2004-Dec 2004)
Pamela Randall Hughes (Dec 2004-April 2005)
Creg Williams (April 2005-July 2006)
Diana Bourisaw (July 2006-today)

Storm causes SLPS over $500K in damages

2006-07-25T08:20:00.000-06:00

The storms which left over a half million St. Louis area residents without power for days and caused millions of dollars in property damage also took its toll on St. Louis Public Schools.

District officials report that several schools suffered damaged to roofs. They estimate the cost of the repairs to be somewhere around $525,000. The most severe damage was at Sumner High School, L'Ouverture Middle, and Henry Elementary.

The good news for the bankrupt school district is that insurance will pick up all of the repair costs, excluding the deductible.

Philanthropists Meeting Today About SLPS

2006-07-20T11:38:00.000-06:00

The Metropolitan Association for Philanthropy will hold a teleconference today at 1:00 to discuss the state of the St. Louis Public Schools. A quick call to MAP confirmed that no one from SLPS was invited to participate. That rubbed at least one school board member the wrong way.

"I am extremely disappointed that you have not contracted district officials to advise us of your efforts and seek answers to questions that you have raised," wrote Bill Purdy in an email to MAP and forwarded to several reporters and an aide to Mayor Francis Slay.

"Surely your efforts are not directed in the direction of discouraging potential funders of programs for our city children. Surely this is not an effort on your part to politicize the education of children so as to promote a state take over of the school district," wrote Purdy.

A representative from MAP told PUB DEF that this meeting was just for its members. She said that not even members of the mayor's staff had been invited. She called the teleconference a first step and said representatives from the community would be invited to future meetings.

VIDEO: Third Day of Protests

2006-07-20T11:30:00.000-06:00

For the third day in a row, people have protested the replacement of former Superintendent Creg Williams with Dr. Diana Bourisaw.

Yesterday evening, in front of City Hall, two dozen people carried signs critical of the school board majority and shouting, "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it!" They also gathered signatures on a petition of "no confidence" which they plan to turn over to the school board and the media later.

Among the protesters once again were ousted Vashon basketball coach Floyd Irons and local sports personality Demetrius Johnson, whose sister's job with SLPS was eliminated the same day as Irons'.

State senate candidate Jeff Smith also joined the picketers Wednesday. In an interview with PUB DEF, he said he joined in their disappointment in the board's decision to force out Williams.

"I didn't think he had a fair shot to see his plan through," said Smith.

Lawsuit Planned to Remove Purdy? [Updated]

2006-07-19T10:53:00.000-06:00

KTVI Channel 2 is reporting that a lawsuit is being filed by citizens on behalf of former Superintendent Creg Williams and former Vashon basketball coach Floyd Irons, who were both were fired last week. The lawsuit reportedly seeks to remove board member Bill Purdy.

A rally is being planned for tonight by opponents of the school board majority. It will be at 5:00 p.m. at City Hall.

UPDATE: Channel 5 reporter Sharon Stevens gives a little more details about the lawsuit. She reports Purdy is being sued by fellow board members Flint Fowler and Ron Jackson and 47 other citizens, including Floyd Irons. The lawsuit claims Purdy is serving on the board illegally and should be removed.

KSDK reports the issue being whether a person can run for the school board if he or she has relatives who work in the district. Two of Purdy's daughters and a grandson are teachers in the district. A recent change in Missouri state statutes allows school board candidates to serve, even if there is family working in the system.

But according to Stevens, the school board bylaws still say that is illegal. Those bylaws have not been amended to reflect the state law and that is what the lawsuit is based on.

VIDEO: Choatic Meeting Last Night

2006-07-19T08:24:00.000-06:00

Hundreds of people were unable to get into last night's school board meeting, the first since the board forced out Superintendent Creg Williams and popular Vashon basketball coach Floyd Irons.

Reporters from PUB DEF, KMOX, The Arch City Chronicle, a photographer from The Post-Dispatch, members of the Clergy Coalition, and several elected officials stood in the summer heat, waiting to be allowed in. Even after a few of us were allowed into the building, we still could not enter the auditorium until dozens of people had left the meeting.

"By order of the fire marshal," we were told.

Inside, the crowd let the school board know that they were not happy with the events of the past week.

Chants of "Hey, hey, ho, ho! Veronica's got to go!" could be heard loudly in the hallways. Board members were booed and comments, some vulgar, could be heard after nearly every board move.

"Back to the bad old days," said one parent.

Among the business the board was able to complete was the passage of an almost $400 million budget for the next fiscal year. That budget, prepared by Williams and his team over several months, was questioned for the first time by board members Bob Archibald and Ron Jackson, both of whom are rarely critical of such things in public meetings.

After voting in favor of a budget last month that overspent by $4 million, Archibald asked the new superintendent, Dr. Diana Bourisaw, if $10 million could be further cut from this balanced budget in anticipation of the predicted financial crisis facing the district in 2007.

After little debate, the budget was passed by a 4-3 vote.

School Board to Meet Tonight, But Will the New Superintendent Be There?

2006-07-18T16:00:00.000-06:00

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.

VIDEO: Bourisaw is Introduced

2006-07-18T14:13:00.000-06:00

Here is the video yesterday's press conference. It's broken into six parts. Click here to see the question and answer session that followed Dr. Diana Bourisaw's remarks.

Click here to see Dr. Diana Bourisaw answer 15 questions posed by the media and parents yesterday.

DESE: This Cannot Continue

2006-07-18T10:07:00.000-06:00

Statement by Commissioner of Education D. Kent King regarding the St. Louis Public Schools:

We are hopeful that the new leadership team in the St. Louis Public Schools can focus on the welfare of students and on starting school.

The recent turmoil in the central office has created a district that does not demonstrate that focus. This cannot continue.

As soon as student achievement data are received in September, we will examine it to determine its impact on the district's accreditation. Student performance is what determines accreditation.

We must also examine governance options to determine if there are actions the State Board of Education should take that could provide the opportunity for greater focus on students and more stability in the school district.

VIDEO: Picketing O'Brien's Home

2006-07-17T20:33:00.000-06:00

A crowd of more than 50 people picketed outside the home of School Board President Veronica O'Brien tonight calling for her removal from the board and the rehiring of basketball coach Floyd Irons.

The crowd, led by local sports personality Demetrius Johnson, shouted chants of "Veronica must go!" and "recall, recall" while O'Brien sat on her front steps protected by nearly a dozen City police officers.

The protesters promised to come out in force at tomorrow's school board meeting. They also said they would return to picket O'Brien's home again.

"It's on," said Johnson. "The gloves are off."

Blunt Weighs In

2006-07-17T15:43:00.000-06:00

Gov. Matt Blunt issued the following statement today:

I am extremely disappointed with the action taken by the St. Louis School Board. This termination adds to the turmoil and only heightens the well founded public perception that the board has lost focus on what would best serve the students and parents of St. Louis.

This kind of instability is not good for delivering education. Amidst all the chaos we must not lose sight of what is in the best interest of the more than 37,000 Missouri children who rely upon the St. Louis public schools to provide them an education which would allow them to reach their full potential.

To that end I believe the State Board of Education should examine every alternative for quick action to bring stability to the St. Louis public schools.

New superintendent to be introduced today

2006-07-17T10:00:00.000-06:00

The St. Louis Board of Education will hold a press conference today at 1 p.m. at the Clyde C. Miller Academy, 1000 North Grand Ave, to introduce interim Superintendent Dr. Diana Bourisaw.

From the press release: Prior to accepting the position of Interim Superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools, Dr. Bourisaw served as Superintendent in the Fox C-6 School District and in the Sacramento City Unified School District in Sacramento, California. "I'm very pleased that Dr. Bourisaw has accepted the position of Interim Superintendent," said School Board President Veronica O'Brien. "She is committed to improving the academic achievement of the 35,000 students in this district."

State Takeover: The Battle Has Begun

2006-07-17T09:43:00.000-06:00

Forces are lining up on both sides of the debate about a the future of who controls the St. Louis Public Schools. The April election brought a change in control of the school board and the last vestiges of Mayor Francis Slay's three-year control of St. Louis Public Schools went out the door with the exit of now former Superintendent Creg Williams. But the manner of Williams' departure has now sparked public cries for the State of Missouri to intervene in the running of the district.

On Friday, after Williams resigned (many think he was forced out by the board majority) Slay and board members Bob Archibald and Ron Jackson publicly said they believe the state should take over the district. Almost immediately, the public relations campaign began. In the newspaper, on television, on the radio, and even on the Internet, the seeds have been planted to build support for a takeover.

"We're sharing this e-mail over the weekend, due to the seriousness of the dismal actions taken by the foolhardy majority of the St. Louis School Board of Education, said a mass email from someone calling himself "Rare Gentleman."

"As residents and taxpayers, we urge you to join us in calling for Governor Matt Blunt of Missouri to take over the St. Louis Public School System. On Monday get your friends and associates to call or write. Let the Jefferson City officials hear from you, no matter where you live," he wrote.

On the other side, supporters of the board majority also began organizing by email.

Nicholas Clement, a supporter of the two newly elected board members, Peter Downs and Donna Jones, sent out an email also encouraging people to call Kent King, the head of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

"Let him know you are opposed to the State taking over our district, whose board majority was recently elected by the people of St. Louis," wrote Clement. "The Republicans who own Slay do not think they are obliged to live by the government of the people, by the people, and for the people. This is a naked attempt by them to get around a democratically elected board."

"Archibald, Jackson, and Slay sound like a spoiled brats, who, if they can't own the school district are willing to smash it. That's the damn shame," he wrote.

People from both sides are expected to show up at tomorrow's school board meeting. The meeting will be at Carr Lane VPA Middle School, 1004 N. Jefferson Ave. The open session will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the school auditorium. People wanting to speak should show up early to sign up.

Williams Says He Was Not Forced Out

2006-07-14T23:37:00.000-06:00

Former Superintendent Creg Williams told Channel 4 reporter Anne Steffens that he resigned today after talking to his family and close friends. He said he was not fired or forced out as has been reported. After saying as recently as yesterday that he would not resign, Williams told Steffens that he felt that the new board deserved the opportunity to select their own superintendent.

Click here to see Steffens' interview.
Click here to watch Mayor Francis Slay's press conference.

VIDEO: Archibald: State Should Take Over

2006-07-14T21:51:00.000-06:00

Board member Bob Archibald called tonight's ouster of Superintendent Creg Williams "despicable" and "St. Louis at its worst." He also told reporters that he thinks the state should come in to take control of St. Louis Public Schools.

Archibald was joined in his call for a state takeover by Mayor Francis Slay who tonight told television reporters that Williams was SLPS' best chance for reform. The next best shot is a state takeover, said the mayor.

The mayor's statement adds merit to rumors we reported on earlier this week that had Slay and board member Ron Jackson in contact with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requesting them to step in at the earliest opportunity.

The four board members that voted in favor of letting Williams go (Veronica O'Brien, Bill Purdy, Peter Downs, and Donna Jones) didn't have much to say to the media tonight and offered no justifications for their actions.

EMERGENCY MEETING CALLED... WILLIAMS FORCED OUT AS SUPERINTENDENT, BOARD HIRES BOURISAW IN CLOSED MEETING

2006-07-14T16:47:00.000-06:00

School Board President Veronica O'Brien has called a special emergency board meeting for 6:30 tonight. No word on the agenda, but some speculate that this could mean the end of Superintendent Creg Williams' time in SLPS.

Developing...

UPDATE: Dr. Creg Williams' time as the superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools is over. It is not clear yet if the school board fired Williams or, in the face of a 4-3 vote, he resigned. What is clear is that the school board is as divided as ever and calls are increasing for the state to take over.

After the closed meeting vote, board member Bob Archibald was the first to emerge. He blasted the board majority for letting Williams go. He told reporters that he thinks the state should come in and take over SLPS. [See video later]

Still Developing...

UPDATE 2: SLPS is now headed by Dr. Diana Bourisaw, who was hired by the Board just a couple of weeks ago as an internal auditor.

VIDEO: Williams Says Special Ed in Compliance, Praises Marla Oakes

2006-07-13T15:38:00.000-06:00

Superintendent Creg Williams informed the Board of Education and members of the public this week that SLPS is now in compliance with all state requirements regarding Special Education.

Williams said that when he came to St. Louis, the district was out of compliance with "hundreds of items," but thanks to the work of many people in the district's special education services division, the State of Missouri has notified the district that they are now in good standing.

Williams praised the work of Dr. Marla Oakes, in particular. Oakes is the director of special education services for the district. Her future in SLPS has been the subject of much discussion as of late.

Last week The Watch incorrectly reported that Oakes and several of her staff had received Reduction in Force (RIF) letters along with many other district employees. That was wrong. Two sources then told The Watch that Oakes had resigned. Oakes today said that she has not submitted a letter of resignation to the human resources department.

She would not say if she had told Williams or any other administrator of plans of resigning, but she did blast The Watch for being in her business and worrying her staff with rumors of their firings. We again offered our apologies to her and her staff for our mistake.

We also tried to explain to Oakes how The Watch tries to balance the public's right to get information out of an often secretive government organization against the chance of getting the story wrong every once in a while due to the inaccuracy of some off-the-record sources.

We join the superintendent in congratulating Oakes on her accomplishments on behalf of St. Louis Public Schools students and wish her well in her future endeavors -- whatever and wherever they may be.

VIDEO: Board Gets a Better Budget

2006-07-13T15:13:00.000-06:00

Lost in all the talk about the downsizing that left Floyd Irons unemployed (if only temporarily) is the fact that this week the St. Louis School Board got a balanced budget out of a reluctant and increasingly insubordinate superintendent.

Last month, Superintendent Creg Williams submitted a 2006-2007 budget to the Board which was unbalanced and dug the district $4 million deeper into financial uncertainty. Against the recommendation of Williams and the votes of board members Bob Archibald, Ron Jackson and Flint Fowler, the four-person majority rejected that budget and instructed Williams to find more cuts.

A month later, at Tuesday's Administrative meeting, Williams came back with a General Operating Budget in which expenses did not exceed projected revenues and, perhaps most importantly, actually pays down nearly $4 million in debt.

Board Vice President Bill Purdy commended Williams not just for submitting a balanced budget, but also for supplying board members with much more supporting documentation than he did last month.

But board member Robert Archibald downplayed the significance of the $8 million swing from creating more debt to eliminating debt. He said that it represented only a small percentage of the total budget and was only a drop in the bucket compared to the $30-50 million debt projection for November 2007.

Is the Board Ready to Fire Williams?

2006-07-13T05:05:00.000-06:00

The Post reports this morning that Mayor Francis Slay and board member Robert Archibald think four of the seven members of the St. Louis School Board may be ready to fire Superintendent Creg Williams.

Reporter Steve Giegerich must have read The Watch or our sister site, PUBDEF.net, earlier this week when we reported that board member Ron Jackson had been in contact with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regarding the tensions between the board and Williams.

Without a mention of our story, Giegerich wrote, "Jackson's concern over what he called 'board dysfunction' led him recently to contact [DESE] about a potential state takeover of the school district, Missouri's largest."

The Post stopped short of also re-reporting our sources' claims that Slay also contacted DESE about taking over SLPS. But that part of our story is what prompted board president Veronica O'Brien to blast Slay in an email to the mayor and copied to several other people.

"Your office needs to stop! Can you folks get over the fact that you lost both elections," wrote O'Brien. "Back off and run the city! Stop calling [DESE Commissioner] Kent King and trying to hurt the children. Do you know what you look like?"

O'Brien went on to tell Slay, "I never hear you talk about the children only Creg. If Creg is gone it is your fault. Grow up Mayor Slay -- run what you can -- the city and not the school district.

"Your people destroyed the district and if all they did came out it would destroy you. Please, please back off we have all had enough of you!!"

St. Louis Schools Watch

SORRY, THIS SITE IS DEAD

O'Brien Aside, Bonner Makes $75,000

O'Brien's Channel 5 Interview

Slay and O'Brien Opt to Pass the Buck

SUPPORT STLSCHOOLS.ORG

School Board "Not Good Role Models"

Union President Demands Board Members Defend the District from State Takeover

Parents to O'Brien: Grow Up!

VIDEO: Board Hears Report on Sodexho, O'Brien Refuses to Hear Public Comments

O'Brien Asks State to Step In

Special School Board Meeting Nov. 21

Bourisaw Blows the Whistle on Ineligible Players

Archibald and Jackson Object to Meeting With State Board

Ready to Step Up?

School Board Meeting Tuesday

Downs Wants Parents on Future Committees

Rams' Williams to Speak on Academics

Student Dies at Vashon

SLPS celebrates Community Ed. Week

Students Participate in Election

Bourisaw: Accreditation by Raising Achievement

Coats for Kids

District Launches New Website

Students to Throw 1st Pitch at World Series

Jackson Denounces Quest for Accreditation

Spampinato Booted in Pittsburgh?

Roosevelt High Gets a New Principal

Bonner New Vashon Coach

Major Holes in Williams' Budget

Mark Your Calendars...Upcoming Events

Cleveland Reunion a Huge Success

An Answer to Questions about Irons' Future

Cleveland Reunion Open to All Today

SPECIAL CLOSED MEETING TODAY

Magnet School Application Period Begins

Unprinted Letter to the Editor

Cleveland Students Unhappy with Attempts

UCC to Host Dialog on Public Education

Board Meeting on October 3

DESE Only Approved 1 New Charter, Not 5

Some Hit Attendance Targets, Others Miss

Former Employees File Lawsuit

More Video from the Last Board Meeting

VIDEO: Teachers of the Year Honored

School Accountability and Finances

Dr. Bourisaw's Top Focus is Accreditation

Community Townhall at Cleveland Coming

Travis Reems joins STLSchools.org

Updates Coming...

School Board Meeting Tonight

State Board Meeting in St. Louis

VIDEO: Interview with Ron Jackson

LETTER: Vashon Parents Ignored

'Interim' No More [Updated]

School Board Meeting Tonight

$6 Million More for SLPS

McCaskill Gives Rams Tickets to Students

Board Meeting on 9/12

LETTER: "It IS all about children - Now"

MAP Scores: Much Work Ahead for SLPS

Download "Collateral Damage"

VIDEO: Advisory Committee Meets

Judge: Purdy Can Stay

LETTER: Higher Ed is Too High

Advisory Committee Meeting Today

MAP Scores Are Coming

Beaumont Student Shot

84% Attend Second Day of School

Huge Success or Obvious Failure? Downs and Giegerich Offer Opposite Assessments

VIDEO: 72% Attendance on First Day

First Day of School is Today

District Resumes Quarterly Newspaper

Back on August 28

Case Against Purdy Postponed

O'Brien and Child Threatened?

VIDEO: Parental Involvement Must Increase

State Board: The Focus Should Be Kids

VIDEO: Committee to Look at SLPS 'Turmoil'

State Appoints Board to Look at SLPS