By Antonio D. French
Filed Thursday, March 15, 2007 at 2:45 PM
Mayor Francis Slay met for only 25 minutes with the two dozen students that have been waiting in his office for over 20 hours and the group said they left feeling disrespected and unsatisfied.
Check back later for video interviews with students, School Board member Donna Jones, and radio host and activist Lizz Brown.
In the meantime, the demonstration continues...
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15 Comments:
Why would they feel disrespected? did they respect the Mayor's position or were they respectful of HIS time? They barged in unannounced and he was gracious enough to give them some time. They are are talking how they can't get into college and I don't understand this complaint. I started at a community college with a prison ged. They are complaining that they can't get scholarships. I know a lot of smart people who weren't "given" scholarships. They took student loans and did it themselves. It seems to me that they were being lead down the rosey path by somebody who thinks everything is a handout. Don't get me wrong, SLPS is a mess but Slay is basically powerless in this. I don't like Slay either but just because the "adult leadership" involved with this are Slayhaters, I son't think we should mislead the children.
3/15/2007 2:59 PM
hay anonymous,
You do not even know the half of it so the remarks you make are dumb founded. Slay has every thing to do with it. Selling schools for basketball arena's. This man is a republican and you know it.
3/15/2007 4:16 PM
First, I would like to address the "barged in" comment. I'm pretty sure his office is considered a "public" office, so I don't think "barged in" is necessarily the correct term. Second, from what I have seen the students were very respectful while there and I don't agree with the air conditioning being turned off to spite them.
"Complaining that they can't get scholarships"-the student mentioned in the correspondence I saw/read had received a scholarship and it is in danger of being revoked if the district becomes accredited. And they weren't "given" or "handed out", they were earned by an immense amount of hard work on the students part. Colleges just don't "hand out" scholarships, there are too many "need" based students out there these days, they MUST be earned.
3/15/2007 5:04 PM
I am just amazed at all of the vitriol and innuendo that this issue creates.
This Mayor has taken significant political risk to attempt to fix the problems of education in our city (an effort that frankly none of his predecessors even attempted to undertake). I am tired of a small group of small-minded and self-interested people making claims that Mayor Slay’s interest in education is driven by some nefarious plot. I truly believe he sees improving education as the single most important effort we can undertake.
There are a number of reasons that the elected leader of our City should be involved (and involved actively) in children’s issues. First and foremost, we have a sacred obligation to our next generation to provide the best that we can provide. It’s not just schools… it is all of issues that face our kids: safety, health, recreation and enrichment.
Let’s talk about those kids ---- frankly, they are and have been getting screwed. This district was and is continuing to fail. For nearly 30 years now the district has struggled with shrinking enrollment, poor performance and financial problems. The outcomes of the system are unacceptable. Kids that cannot read- Kids who cannot get into college- Kids (due to circumstances beyond their control) will never reach their full potential.
Additionally, the Mayor has an obligation to the tax-payers. I own real estate in the City. I pay a lot of taxes. My real estate’s value is directly related to my ability to rent or sell it. If people do not feel that the schools are worthwhile, they will buy or rent elsewhere. Thus my investment suffers, yet I still must pay tens of thousands of dollars each year to fund the failing schools.
Finally, our City will die! Our region is not growing. We do not attract talent from around the country – nor from around the world. In order for St. Louis to grow we have to substantially increase our human capital. Our current employers and those we hope to attract need to know that St. Louis has a well educated work force. When half of the students don’t graduate and of those who do, nearly half are not proficient in reading nor math we cannot attract and retain jobs.
So, I applaud Mayor Slay. And instead of sitting-in and staying-out, people need to start stepping up. Stepping up like our Mayor has.
3/15/2007 5:16 PM
Why all this fuss about the air conditiner? It was like 70 degrees yesterday, not exactly hot. It may have been a childish tactic by the City to make the kids uncomfortable, but it's not like these people were being harmed.
3/15/2007 5:27 PM
Anon at 5:16, your point is eloquent. But here are my questions:
If the school situation is so linked to real estate, how come the homes in the city are selling for ridiculous amounts? A 2 bedroom bungalow in south city goes for $170K for heaven's sake--I don't think there worth much more than $100K but people are paying that! I couldn't even afford my home if I tried to buy it now.
Your comment about a small, self-interested group of people is not accurate. Such a group as that couldn't have pulled off a grass roots victory as was done in the last school board election. As a parent, I don't see how my "self-interest" is a fault, which is how your comment comes across. I'm very invested in this issue and the day I see the mayor show his face at a school function or a board meeting, I'll believe he takes this as seriously as those of us directly affected do. I don't believe that now. The parents are stepping up, and the politicians are seeing this as an opportunity to step on us. So my second question is, if the mayor truly wants to help us, why will he not open himself to a public meeting and talk to us? Listen to us?
3/15/2007 5:44 PM
He wont talk because his feelings were hurt at the last elections.(IT'S A POWER THING)I must agree that if he wanted to really improve the schools he would have got on board with the new supt. and started helping and contributing ideas.I hope our next mayor in 09 see's Francis short commings.
3/15/2007 6:51 PM
Like it or not... We have a lot of talent in our schools. We have students that want to be something in life. We have politicians like Slay that lack the thirst to represent people in public office.
On other blogs, I do agree with other opinions such as the students being at Slay's office and not at other offices such as Sen. Smith and Sen. Coleman.
In Sen. Coleman you will find a true public servant committed to the welfare of the general public, and the person in my eyes who should unseat Slay in 08. He has disrespected us as students by not helping us and not being a supportive Mayor, supporting the people of this city at all levels.
Fellow students and citizens, we must not stop nor start at the mayor office, we should've hit all legislatures in the city and let them know whats up.
By the way it's my understanding that State Rep Rodney Hubbard (56th- D)supports a state taveover as well, move on to his office!!!!
Lets get everyone involed including our people in Washington D.C.
3/15/2007 7:46 PM
First of all there are no adults influencing us(the students involved in the sit-in).Second of all slay has everything to do with this. those who say otherwise are uneducated and oblivious to things that are happening right in front of them.
Although it was 70 degrees outside,inside(this old brick building) it was uncomfortable. It felt like it was 96 degrees with 100% humidity.
According to st .louis post- dispatch, and other media we were very respectful, but unfortunately we were disrespected.We were cursed at numerous time and harrased.
The reason we were unsatisfied with the twenty plus minutes we spent with slay, is because our point wasn't established. slay rambled and pretty much occupied the time with small talk. another reason is that we have stayed here for over 24 hours and for him to spend mere minutes with us was unacceptable.
3/15/2007 8:00 PM
The bravery of anonymous posters underwhelms me.
3/15/2007 8:38 PM
If it is too hot or the don't like the conditions then go home.
3/15/2007 11:17 PM
I remain anonymous because I am (and have been for over 20 years now) the head of one of the largest SLPS departments. I have to admit that sometimes I editorialize a bit just to ruffle the feathers of those who editorialize all of the time. The fact is, as reported by the media, that several local universities report that the accreditation issue will not keep the out of their schools. Havard and Yale report the same. Maybe somebody will someday do their HOMEWORK before jumping on the bandwagon.
100% humidity?? As a sitting member of the ASHRAE board, I'm sorry to report to you that this is scientifically impossible.
Yes, the mayor office is public. So is the police headquarters. Considering that no one has addressed requesting a meeting or asking (or even demanding) an appointment, my opinion is that "barged in" is accurate. Could some of our current day woes be due to lack of respect? There are rules about gatherings!!
Selling schools for basketball arenas. No-- it should be selling a school(that was in terrible shape) that will end up being a basketball arena, and we are still operating and maintaining to many buildings. Is this any worse than the money spent on custom flooring to letter "Iron's Court" on a subgrade hardwood which is against any design logic, and was done at the insistance of those who had to have a "pit" to play basketball in? This "pit" was constructed against the advise of industry experts.
Yes the students work very hard for scholorships and that is a wonderful thing but does that mean if a student works very hard and doesn't get a scholorship that they have been cheated? There is a lot more of the later.
I really didn't get a prison ged (I was editorializing again), but many, many coleges take geds.
I have been on the "inside" for over two decades so I am convinced that I know at least half of it if not 5/8!
3/16/2007 8:02 AM
Students are not owed scholarships, but when they are told they have one and rely on that, and then are told they will not get it because adults are playing politics, I do think they have been cheated. It doesn't matter how many schools say the accreditation issue doesn't matter to them; if the school the student wants to go to and has been accepted to says it does, that's all that matters to that student.
And you know, all this talk about how accreditation doesn't affect college now makes me wonder--then why do we have the system and why do we care if we are accredited or not? All you people keep saying our kids won't be affected if we don't have it, so why go through all the paperwork and jump hoops to get it? Spend the time with the kids instead. Oh, you are a department head so you probably don't actually do that, do you.
3/16/2007 9:02 AM
How can you assume that the department head blogger doesn't spend time eith the kids? That is the trouble with all of this, everyone wants to assume a bunch of stuff and run with it. The University of Hawaii story has been proven a hoax. That child never applied for of received a scholorship according to U of H official
3/16/2007 9:27 AM
Accredidation greatly affects funding.
What University says accredation is one of their pre-reqs?
How is Slay treating SLPS differently than other school district? What other school districts doe Slay's territory cover?
I think I know who the Dept Head is and I know for a fact that he/she spends probably 20 to 25 hours a week volunteering with children and groups beyond the duties of the job. I might be wrong about who it is.
3/16/2007 9:34 AM
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