ELLEN
BERG
Diary #16
New Hope for St. Louis Schools
I believe
I just might have transferred to Oz or some other pleasant place over
the rainbow.
Readers who have been following my diaries for the past few years have read my many concerns regarding St. Louis Public Schools, the school district I teach in. We are a large, urban district controlled by an unwieldy, political bureaucracy. Discipline, academic achievement, dropout rates, graduation rates, crumbling schools, and quick-fix strategies are all areas of concern.
We have lost full accreditation, and the state seems to prefer to recognize minute gains in test scores and other areas rather than to confront the messy, Herculean task of taking over and reforming the district. I have long abandoned the cause of district-wide reform in favor of the more manageable task of reform at Turner Middle. However, recent news dares me to hope once more.
A mayor who's walking the walk
It seems the mayor of our city, Francis Slay, is truly committed to reforming the district. He believes—correctly—that the way to attract people back into the cities is to offer a high-quality public school system. While I have heard the rhetoric from other mayors and civic leaders, this is the first time I have seen a corresponding action.
Our mayor has assembled a slate of four school board candidates who will have the political and financial backing of the civic leaders of the metro area. Consider the following slate:
Vince Schoemehl – Former mayor of St. Louis city
Robert Archibald – Missouri Historical Society President
Darnetta Clinkscale – Patient care director at Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Ronald Jackson – assistant director of non-profit St. Louis for Kids
Former mayors and high-profile executives do not generally run for the local school board, so these choices are profound. Along with their political power and name recognition comes the message that district reform is important.
Still, in the city of St. Louis, mere name recognition and position mean very little unless you have one more thing. St. Louis is a traditionally racially fragmented society, and most initiatives degenerate into arguments and a political tug-of-war. Cooperation among the players in the African-American and white communities is essential to the success of any major venture in the city of St. Louis.
Guess what? We've got it. This slate is a result of collaboration between two groups: Civic Progress and the St. Louis Black Roundtable. Both determined that drastic measures needed to be taken in order to save our city, schools, and children. Two members of the slate are members of the St. Louis Black Roundtable, sending the message that all community members regardless of race are committed to reform. For folks in more progressive cities this may not seem like much, but in St. Louis, Missouri, it is groundbreaking.Battles ahead
As usual, I am excited and eager for instant change. However, I have matured enough to know that it will take a good deal of time and effort before our district is exemplary. I know the battles between the school board and central office will be bitter and legendary. The beast has been comfortable for many, many years, and it will not want to give up its habits and comfy position all that easily.
I see lots of finger-pointing and blame-shifting from the entrenched bureaucracy in the future as it tries to keep its position. I anticipate a good 10- to 15-year process of reform, but I will be satisfied with merely progressing towards a worthy goal.
One roadblock that has been removed is the Superintendent. A few weeks ago he announced he would retire at the end of this school year. The current school board has decided to wait until the Spring election before seriously searching for a new leader for the district. This is a new day for St. Louis Public Schools, provided the mayor's slate is successfully elected. The children I teach have been waiting for this day for a long, long time. To learn more about the mayor's slate, click here.
