By Antonio D. French
Filed Monday, July 17, 2006 at 4:01 PM
The new superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools was introduced today to a room full of reporters, district employees and parents. Dr. Diana Bourisaw promised that the first day of school will occur as scheduled and that the district will return to a focus on full accredidation. Labels: Schools
"Our goal is to make St. Louis Public the best choice in the city, not the last," said Bourisaw.
Bourisaw -- who used to be the head of the 11,000-student Fox C-6 School District and an area superintendent in Sacramento, overseeing 14,000 students -- introduced several members of the new team leading SLPS following the resignation of Creg Williams Friday. Many of the faces on this "new" team were very familiar to watchers of the district.
Back as treasurer and also chief financial officer is Enos Moss, who abruptly resigned from the position a few weeks ago. At that time, it is believed that he received much of the blame for a $4 million dollar bill from the district's Pension Fund being delivered to SLPS in December, but not included in the budget or brought to the attention of Williams until last month.
Also back is Mulugheta Teferi, a former chief academic officer and principal of Gateway Middle School, who will again serve as CAO. And Deana Anderson, who served under Williams, has been promoted and will assume the duties of chief operations officer.
A packet handed out the media, still bearing the name of Williams as superintendent, highlighted many of the problems facing Bourisaw, the school board (only four of whom attended today's press conference), and the district. Declining enrollment, increasing costs of supplies and services, competing charter schools -- these are all things the new superintendent pointed to as challenges which can be overcome.
"We need to remove the distractions, put our blinders on, and move ahead," she said to some applause.
But not everyone was happy about the change in direction. After the press conference, one angry parent confronted board member Donna Jones demanding to know why Williams was forced out. The woman said that Board President Veronica O'Brien, whose children attend school in Clayton, couldn't relate to what the continuing instability means to parents of students in SLPS.
5 Comments:
Thank God!! Someone who understands the the "new" leadership still needs some input from the "qualified" "old" leadership. The new interim superintendant faces many challenges in straightening out the mess Craig Williams inherited and made WORSE. He was not our ONLY hope..he provided NO HOPE. If you REALLY care about the children, you will stop the fighting and move forward as she is going to attempt to do. As a teacher in the district who has cared about,mentored and taught the children for over 25years, I am going to do all I can to help solve the problems not create new ones. We can be ready in August if we all have the same goal... educating the children.
7/17/2006 4:48 PM
Hell with the "New Team" leader, the rumor is that she is Veronica O'Brien's sister in-law
7/17/2006 4:58 PM
I thought his name was Creg E. Williams... I agree with what the parent is saying, however she needs to calm down and get all of her facts together.
I don't understand why school board members can be allowed to let their children attend county schools but they represent city schools, they can't relate to us because they have better funding.
We have to "forget about the way it used to be... This is not a damn democracy we are in a state of emergency" and the state does need to step in now!!!!!!!!
7/17/2006 6:36 PM
Mr. Teferi is a good man who has the best intent for children. Who replaced Clive Coleman? Is his buddy, Mr. Spencer over at Sumner, going to be reigned in?
7/17/2006 9:35 PM
I saw mr. spencer "sumner high principle" at the pink slip over the weekend, I guess he's stressed out!
7/18/2006 1:45 AM
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