By Antonio D. French
Filed Friday, March 23, 2007 at 9:30 AM
Watch this 7-minute video of yesterday's meeting of the State Board of Education. Labels: Schools
A few things you should know about the loss of accreditation for the St. Louis Public Schools:
1. The loss of accreditation will occur in June, meaning that current high school seniors will graduate under SLPS' current "provisionally accredited" status;
2. The loss of accreditation means that SLPS will have to pay for students to attend a St. Louis County district if the student's parent requests it;
3. No one knows what, if any, powers the elected school boards will have over the years;
4. No one knows what changes the new "transitional" school board will implement;
5. No one knows about the legal status of all the current contracts with SLPS, which are all between the vendors (or employees) and the St. Louis Board of Education;
6. Gov. Matt Blunt's pick to head the new "transitional" school board still has to be confirmed by the State Senate. Can we expect to see Sen. Maida Coleman lead a filibuster?
Is there anything else you can think of? Post it below.
13 Comments:
Two thoughts occurred to me in this first 24 hours. There is an irony in the fact that the justification for the takeover by the state board is based on things which happened before Bourisaw was named to replace Williams. The new board will have the right to reapply to the state board for accreditation---so it is possible that they could take over, fire her, and use what was accomplished in 2006-2007 to achieve provisional accreditation.
The other thing---I felt sure Blunt would make an idiotic choice---i don't think he did. I am not sure what direction this guy will go, and there is much about him that makes one weery---but incompetence is not on the list. I think he will not be a yes-man for Slay and Blunt---I think they will both find him hard to control and very intimidating.
3/23/2007 12:20 PM
Well, kjoe, I'm not sure I agree with that assessment if the SLS Watch article by Nick Clement this morning is true. In it he states that, "A cursory search of campaign contributions shows McBride and Son Mgmt. Co
gave $1175 to Bob Archibald¹s election committee.
Sullivan is on the executive board of the Regional Commerce and Growth
Association (RCGA) along with former president Richard Fleming, who gave
$500 to Darnetta Clinkscale; Gary L Rainwater (who gave money to Jim Buford
and Darnetta Clinkscale) of Ameren UE (which gave $18,750 to Educate St.
Louis, a committee which supported Clinkscale and Buford, who lost to Downs
and Jones) Chairman of the Board; Scott C. Schnuck, who gave $1275 to
Darnetta Clinkscale, Immediate Past Chairman; Don Suggs, Corporate
Secretary, Publisher of the St. Louis American and treasurer of Bob
Archibald¹s election committee, among other things. A quick review shows a
large number of members of the Board of Directors of the RCGA gave money to
committees which supported school board candidates, Clinkscale, Buford,
Schoemehl, Ron Jackson, and Archibald."
3/23/2007 2:28 PM
I hope the students who protested take note of the fact that the ONLY discussion or comment about this decision was in concern of THEIR graduation from an unaccredited school. It was also probably no accident that the takeover date was set AFTER their graduation. In other words, their efforts were not unnoticed or entirely in vain.
Perhaps if parents, teachers and voters camp out at city hall, travel to Jefferson City and engage in disruption of meetings, they too can get something done in their best interests. Trusting that those elected to office will do right by the people simply isn't working any more. A sad state for a republic.
Also, will county districts be in any way required to accept city students who seek transfer? What if a mass exodus of next year's seniors seek an accredited school for graduation purposes too?
How will SLPS fund student transfers to county districts? Will we get a Wellston solution to that money drain in the form of a new "category" of accreditation when the transitional board takes control?
This does not seem very well thought out at all.
3/23/2007 2:40 PM
Some are smitten by an ability to say no to those who appoint and some are bitten by acquaintances. Ariel has the most plausible notion. There will be a lot of poop hitting the fan any time some part or another feels slighted in any way, shape or form. Anyone want to wait and see if his ideas will work?
3/23/2007 4:52 PM
I would like to hear his ideas before deciding to wait again.
Ariel is right. The kids should not have been the ones to have to take action. Does it seem to anyone else that we (those who are generally opposed to the takeover)are always too late?
The time for more direct action was the day before the February meeting.
I think a little scare, although unfortunate, does some good sometimes. The students achieved a victory for the outgoing seniors.
Antonio, you had the clearest shot of the shoulder incident. No doubt about it. The cops should not take the heat for this. They are not the ones who are screwing the SLPS.
3/23/2007 6:56 PM
"The time for more direct action was the day before the February meeting."
The time for more direct action was 30 years ago!
Well, as long as you listen to his ideas before you print the t-shirts and placards.
3/23/2007 8:55 PM
Does the loss of accreditation really mean that any city student can attend a County school of his choice? If so, wouldn't most responsible families not take the risky gamble that the City schools will turn around quickly, and instead enroll their child in a functioning, responsible district nearby? I do not have a child in SLPS, so I comment only as an observer, but it seems that loyalty to the District, however well intentioned, isn't as important as insuring a child has the best opportunity to gain a strong education.
Second question: For every family that chooses to place their child in another district, does the district see that revenue leave the SLPS and go to the receiving District? And, will the transportation costs be borne by SLPS as well? If so, based on past experiences, might we expect to see some districts actually "encouraging' familes to transfer? After all, haven't we seen certain Districts look at the deseg program as a profit center, bringing in state revenue that would otherwise go elsewhere?
If I understand all this correctly, I look at this part of the loss of accreditation as potentially the most dangerous. With deseg transfers, charter schools, and now voluntary accreditation transfers joining the exodus, the decline in enrollment might be ruinous.
3/24/2007 11:59 AM
To the kids with tape over their mouths reading "no future":
Are you ready to give up on your futures over a few smears of ink on a piece of paper?
Accreditation status might influence the choice your parents make on your behalf going in to a school system, but it doesn't mean a thing coming out. At that point, the only thing anyone really cares about is whether you can perform. Nobody asks whether the school systems attended by Jay Z, Marshall Faulk, Barak Obama, Thomas Sowell, Colin Powell, Vicki Newton, Elliot Davis, Antonio French, Oprah Winfrey, Gerald Early, the lovely, silky-voiced, genius of musical phrasing and interpretation Dianne Reeves or innumerable famous and not-so-famous successful people were accredited by a state funding board. Nobody cares. Nobody. It will be similar for you. If you want to go to college, you will take a standardized test or two, write some essays, and have some interviews. The admissions officers will make a decision about whether you are prepared well enough to succeed in their programs. This is not a judgement on your worth as a human being. If you want to enroll in a program you are not prepared for, it is possible to prepare yourself and re-apply. Not that its easy. And keep in mind it is not necessary to go to college in order to have a happy life.
If you are a freshman or a sophomore, you have time on your side, but not much. Ask for help and advice from your parents, teachers, clergy, business owner down the street, carpenter next door, a university student you meet, anyone who looks like they're going where you want to be. They'll be able to help you at least a little, and I bet you find most are willing. But you have to ask. It is possible to get a good enough education within the SLPS, but you'll have to discover for yourselves what that means. This is a lot to put on a kid: you shouldn't have to discover this for yourselves, but this is the situation you are in. You may not like what you are told. It will go something like "show some respect, listen in class, do your assignments as best you can, ask questions, turn off the TV, take a summer class, join the speech team or drama club, ask for help, keep your eyes on the prize, and your peers' opinions of all this aren't worth much unless you plan not to grow up."
None of Antonio's "don't knows" affect you at all. They affect the people who run the system, and the people who pay for it. For now, let them fight over it. If you are a junior or a senior, you have got what you are going to get from a school system that was bad before you were born. Get over it, get on with your lives, work hard and smart. You can only play the hand you were dealt, but you were dealt a much better hand that the great majority of mankind. Go get the skills and experience you need. Then if you're moved to do it, come on back. If things are not right, help put them right. If they are right, help keep them right. But whatever you do, don't believe for an instant that the recent change in the SLPS accreditation status has any impact whatever on your future. It hasn't, unless you permit it to.
t
3/24/2007 12:29 PM
There's gonna be a hot time in the old town this summer!
3/25/2007 4:28 AM
Just make sure that you wear sun screen. I do doubt that you will be able to find all of the students to move around your chess board, as they disperse for the summer.
3/25/2007 1:21 PM
don't count these students short
they know first hand 2 things
politrix in this town is wicked
and
if they make enough noise, they will be heard (especially in numbers that could turn into votes)
3/25/2007 10:42 PM
So you threaten voter turnout!
If that be the case, then more power to you.
I just hope that the votes don't get cast like some bunch of ACORNs.
3/26/2007 6:25 AM
russ.. According to No Child Left Behind, any student in an unaccredited school or district will have the right to attend an accredited school at the cost of the original district. The student must be given two choices (of schools or districts, I do not know). I do not know whether the accredited district must accept the transfer student, I believe it is voluntary. I do think that the accepting school may make their own decision as to the grade level and class level the student is to be placed.
It is the unaccredited district's responsibility to pay all transportation costs in addition to pay the cost of educating the student.
Lastly, I don't believe many people are aware that if a student does transfer, they will be eligible to participate on the sports teams immediately. Any transfer made by choice as opposed to circumstance states that the student must wait a period of (i think) 365 days.
IN SHORT>>> The city student have the right to play for the County Districts' teams right away. Some of these very talented kids may take advantage of this. Some of the County coaches may do the same.
This is information I found based on the Missouri High School Athletic Association, (MHSAA?)
I believe it is called.
Good Night, Ive got to teach tommorrow.
3/28/2007 1:39 AM
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