Print Article for : The Wedge St Louis

Your Online Guide » Politics and Policy » Political and Social

[T809]The Wedge St Louis

by Simi, Sim

The 2006-2007 school year for the St Louis schools brings with
it a financial deficit and accreditation problems carried over
from the previous board majority. Additionally, superintendent
Creg Williams? proposed budget was voted down on June 13,
so currently there is no budget for the upcoming school year.

Financial Deficit

The current financial deficit was caused by the state, when
it refused to honor its contract with the St Louis schools
under the desegregation agreement of 1999. Abruptly
during the 2002-2003 school year, the state cut off the
funding and flatly refused to honor the agreement to pay
the required funding -- and has not paid a cent since.

The St Louis schools sued the state and won the lawsuit
in circuit court. The state appealed the decision and has
been dragging out the process ever since, delaying any
decision on the appeal. The total amount in arrears that
the state owes the St Louis schools is more than $120
million. This is the sole cause of the deficit for the
upcoming school year.

Politics within the St Louis Schools

Adding to the financial troubles are the political problems
that began in 2003, when board control of the St Louis
schools was taken over by members loyal to Mayor
Francis Slay. Voter support that was previously enjoyed
by the St Louis schools was almost immediately lost.

There was nearly three years of disastrous performance in
the St Louis schools. This majority essentially gave control
of the St Louis schools to the New York management,
consulting firm they hired, which resulted in the following:

* There were three different superintendents within just one
budget year; * They closed 16 schools without regard to
educational or community considerations, basing their
decisions solely upon the recommendations of a Houston
subcontractor; and * In the first two years, the learning
environment deteriorated to the point of the whole system
being exposed to losing accreditation -- they lost 25
accreditation points.

Before 2003, the students were making steady academic
progress over the previous four years. Additionally, the St
Louis schools were close to regaining full state accreditation,
falling short by only two accreditation points.

The current St Louis schools board majority gained control
in April of 2006. Though overall improvements are expected
in the next few years, the St Louis schools legacy from the
last board majority is a poor learning environment, larger
class sizes, greater reliance on uncertified substitute
teachers, serious student discipline problems, and poor
staff morale. What improvements have been made during
the short tenure of the new majority have been greatly
overshadowed by the problems.

Budget Voted Down

The budget for the 2006-2007 school year proposed by the St
Louis schools superintendent was shot down due to its broad
spending of nearly $500 million with no coherent, detailed plan
of action, oversight or accountability.

Williams must trim down his proposed budget or locate new
funding sources to support it, as well as create a detailed plan
with oversight and accountability. The St Louis schools board
believes that the public, parents and the board have a right to
know how scarce monies are being spent.

Currently, the most urgent need for the St Louis schools is a
measurable plan for solving the current problems, while providing
the greatest possible opportunities for learning within a
dependable and stable educational environment.

Article written by Patricia Hawke.

The St. Louis Schools is Missouri's largest public school system with 37,000 students. For the past several and consecutive years, they have received unacceptable ratings from the state, meaning the St. Louis schools' students have received a less than adequate education.

Peter Herschend, president of the State Board of Education, stated recently at the Missouri School Boards Association's annual legislative conference that the primary problem is not ineffective teachers. He noted that a crisis has existed for many years in the St. Louis schools' leadership or the lack thereof. Along with Kansas City, St. Louis is a key player in the economics of the state. Undereducated high school graduates will soon begin to affect the state's economy and businesses.

In less than three years, Herschend and his board will be asked to determine the accreditation status for the St. Louis schools, and unaccredited looks to be the outcome. According to state law, if the St. Louis schools is unaccredited for two consecutive years, it could be taken over by the state. According to a 1998 state law, the state board could take over even sooner, without waiting for the two-year unaccredited period to pass.

Herschend told conference participants that the State Board faces three choices regarding the St. Louis schools:

• Do nothing and allow the status quo to continue, which would be unacceptable;

• Form an advisory board that would make recommendations to the existing board of the St. Louis schools; the advisory board would have no power to enforce its recommendations; or

• Form a three-member transition board, which would assume all powers over the St. Louis schools; the current elected board would operate in an advisory capacity only with powers or authority.

Also present at the conference was Maida Coleman, state Senate Minority Leader and Democrat representing the St. Louis area. She believes the St. Louis schools are being singled out, since 12 other school districts within the state also are failing. Eleven of these are performing as poorly as the St. Louis schools, according to Coleman.

Herschend answered Coleman's allegation of unfair treatment for the St. Louis schools, stating that all districts are treated equally on the same standards — no exceptions.

Many others involved at the state and local levels cite inadequate budgets as the primary problem, with the St. Louis schools barely breaking even and an expected $20 million in the red by July 2007. No school district can last long without control of their finances, especially one as large as the St. Louis schools.

Whatever happens, it will require some real work, knowledge and skills to correct the problem. In the meantime, it is the students of the St. Louis schools who must suffer the brunt of this issue. An inadequate education can affect them for the rest of their lives.

Article Source : Pg. 2

About Author

Both Simi & Patricia Hawke are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Simi has sinced written about articles on various topics from Forums, Office Politics and Political and Social. Author Bio::------------ Patricia Hawke . Simi's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.

Patricia Hawke has sinced written about articles on various topics from Education, Food And Drink and Education Toys. Patrica Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit. Patricia Hawke's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.