St Louis Schools Watch: Inside scoop on upcoming STL schoolboard elections, 'dark money' and write-in candidates (via Susan Turk)

St. Louis Schools Watch

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School Board Candidate Fundraising Update: Comes the Darkness

By Susan Turk

March 27, 2019—St. Louis--A political action committee named Civil PAC, which received a $20,000 check on March 19th from a group called Public School Allies with a Falls Church, Virginia address, paid for a city-wide mailer for school board candidate Adam Layne. The campaign literature arrived in mail boxes last week. 

Civil PAC appears to be a committee of one, namely Joseph Wilson, who identifies himself as its treasurer. Who Public School Allies are appears to be untraceable. It has no internet presence and 6312 Seven Corners Center #354 Falls Church , VA 22044 is the address of a UPS store in the Washington DC suburbs. It is disturbing that a SLPS school board candidate would stoop to resorting to dark money to win the election. But here we are.   [NOTE FROM SLSPROJECT: There is more information on 'Public School Allies' gathered via 7th Ward Woman, thread posted here]

This will be a low turnout election and some low information voters will likely be impressed by the only mailer they receive for a school board candidate. According to the required 8 day before an election campaign finance report, Civil PAC filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission, about $10,000 was spent on the mailer so there was enough money left over to put another one in the mail before the election next week.

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Last Minute Write-In Candidate enters the Race—McCready Bows Out

Incumbent School Board Member Katie Wessling filed with the Board of Election Commissioners last week to be an official write-in candidate in the April 2 school board election. Wessling’s term is up but she did not file to run for re-election. Having served for three terms, after being elected two months before the SAB was appointed to run the district in 2007, she had decided it was time to retire from the board. 

Wessling reported that she changed her mind and filed to run as a write-in candidate after the March 13 school board candidate forum. Many constituents contacted her after the forum and told her that they were unimpressed by the candidates, were not going to vote for any of them and wished she were running. So, in the hope that if she ran as a write-in candidate, they might also vote for a second candidate, she filed. Wessling, an SLPS parent, is encouraging people who vote for her to also vote for David Merideth.

Meanwhile, Daniel McCready has dropped out of the race. He has not attended any candidate forums. His name will still be on the ballot however.

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Legislative Watch

HB604, the School Turnaround Act has been perfected in the MO House and will move to the Senate. It had been held up before the Legislature’s spring break by a log jam created by the unwillingness of the House to pass this year’s charter school bill, HB581. HB581 would allow charter schools to open in any county with more than 30,000 residents even if there were no under-performing schools in their school districts. It is essentially a bill to spread charter schools state-wide. Many rural Republican state representatives oppose the spread of charter schools to their districts. There has been an unprecedented amount of arm twisting going on this year to push the bill through. Many bills were held hostage as a result, HB604 among them. 

HB604 creates a School Turnaround Fund and a School Intervention Fund which would pay for private outside consultants to advise school districts about how to “improve” low performing schools. It is enabling legislation for the Consortium Partnership Network. Instead of the SLPS having to use GOB funds or the SLPS Foundation having to raise private money to fund the CPN, they would be able to tap into state money to pay for it. So, it’s another way to put public money into private hands.

As a local educator who spoke to the Watch on condition of being quoted anonymously said, “This is the type of legislation that will allow out of state education snake oil salespeople, aka consultants, to come in and take away scarce resources from our students. Targeted intervention schools need greater resources to provide wrap around services for students which will help remove barriers to their learning which in most cases will lead to improved student achievement.”

The whole concept of the CPN is questionable. Students in low performing schools need more resources, and smaller class sizes. Any money allocated for consultants would be better spent on hiring more teachers and support staff to provide under-performing students with the enhanced attention that they need and deserve.

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Summary of the March 13 School Board Candidate Forum

So there was a candidate forum March 13 at Central VPA HS. Dan McCready and Tracee Miller did not attend. McCready has dropped out of the race although his name will still appear on the ballot. Miller sent a surrogate to read an opening statement after which she left. Take aways from the opening statements were; Adam Layne advocated for more holistic support for students; David Merideth who knows the district’s problems as an alumni and a parent activist and concluded the best way to resolve them was to run for school board. He will work for later start times to enable students to get more sleep, a known factor for improving learning and achievement. Louis Cross, also an SLPS alumni, has 40 years of experience starting off as a gym teacher and guidance counselor. He also served as a principal and superintendent of a now closed charter school, Ethel Hedgeman Lyle. Dr. Barbara Anderson, another SLPS alumna, spent a 30 year professional career in SLPS and served as principal of Lexington Elementary, a successful neighborhood school. She would emphasize that SLPS is the best choice that parents could make for educating their children. Former Board Member Bill Haas, running to regain a seat on the board, insisted that the teacher’s union agenda is to terminate Superintendent Kelvin Adams’ contract, said he was running because his feelings were hurt when he lost last fall and he wants to improve achievement and support Dr. Adams. The person reading Tracee Miller’s statement gave biographical remarks about her teaching in SLPS for a couple of years and studying for a PhD in education and wanting to push for accountability and choice.

The first question was about what the candidates would do to prepare for training for serving on the board since the sitting school board members are going through extensive training preparing for governance.

Adam Layne replied that he was serving on a charter school board (Kairos Academy which opens the autumn of 2019) and they had undergone training. David Merideth replied that he had undergone board governance training during his military career. Louis Cross replied that he had been president of Local 420 and vice president of the St. Louis Labor Council so he was well prepared. Barbara Anderson said she would take governance classes (all elected board members are required to take 16 hours of training from the Missouri School Boards Assn.) and would look to her fellow board members for guidance.. Bill Haas replied that his 16 years of experience on the board served as a lot of governance training. He said the board would benefit from his experience and expertise.

The candidates were asked what they would do for schools in neighborhoods where population and enrollment were declining.

Cross said programs that people are interested in were needed such as home economics and industrial arts. Anderson said we should ask parents why enrollment is dropping, listen to them and that schools should be provided with wrap around services and programming that is attractive to parents as well as ensure all schools are staffed with highly qualified teachers. Haas replied that it is hard to maintain schools in an area where the population is declining. He suggested turning them into community schools, installing washing machines and social service agencies in the buildings to strengthen the neighborhood. Layne replied they needed to work with developers. Merideth, a real estate agent, agreed about working with developers but also stressed the need to rebuild neighborhood schools by publicizing them to change the community’s impression of the schools.

The next question asked whether candidates had positions with charter schools and why they would want to serve on the SLPS board if they did.

Anderson reported that she is not working for a charter school. Haas reported that he had taught for 2 charter schools, Confluence and Imagine but that he did not think that should be held against him. Layne,who did not repeat that he serves on a charter board, dodged the question saying just that he was for quality schools. Merideth replied that he is not on any charter schools boards but that one of his eleven children attends a charter school because SLPS was not meeting his specific needs. Cross said he is not currently on any charter school boards but that he had served as a principal and a superintendent of a charter school, that it was a good learning experience. He found out why charter schools fail.

The next question asked whether the candidates would favor closing SLPS schools for replacement by charter schools.

Haas said no and that whenever a charter opens, SLPS should open a school across the street and out perform it. Layne said no. Merideth said he was not in favor of opening more charter schools or closing public schools. He said charters shouldn’t exist if they don’t perform. Cross said SLPS schools shouldn’t close in favor of charters and that private schools shouldn’t be allowed to transform into charters. Anderson said no, that she didn’t believe in anything that takes funding from SLPS or anything that takes away from traditional neighborhood schools.

The next question asked whether a board member could serve 2 masters, public schools and charter schools.

Layne said he did not serve the schools, “I serve the students.” (This question appeared to be aimed squarely at Layne and he dodged again.) He continued to defend his Kairos charter as one that would have 100% certificated teachers even though it was only required to have 80% certificated and criticized the SLPs for not allowing the principals of its SIG (low performing) schools from utilizing needed funding. He also said he agreed to serve on the charter board because African American males are underrepresented on charter boards and because he believed in the model for the school. Merideth said that if he were working in a charter school and actively recruiting for a charter that he would not be doing his job as an SLPS board member. Cross reiterated that he is not on a charter board. Anderson said one shouldn’t serve two masters and went off on a riff about neighborhood schools. Haas said he doesn’t serve two masters and went on to talk about his concern about third grade reading scores, the need to place a second qualified teacher in primary grade classrooms and the need to find funding for that.

The next question pertained to maintaining the district’s budget and the candidates spending priorities.

Merideth said his priority would be allocating the $5 million it would take to have enough buses to only need two start times so that the earliest bell time would be later than the current one for high school students. Data has proven that learning is negligible during the first period in the morning. Starting later would raise academic achievement. Cross said he would defer to Dr. Adams to determine areas needing more allocations but he thought lower grades reading, math and support systems would be priorities. Anderson agreed with what Cross said adding full time nurses, counselors and social workers. Haas echoed Merideth’s call for later start times and supported Dr. Adams’ wish to pay math, science and special education teachers more than required by their contract with the union, a dispute currently in arbitration. Haas takes Dr. Adams’ word on the need to pay more for hard to fill teaching positions. Layne said he would allocate funds to strengthen schools in jeopardy of closing, supplying them with wrap around services and counselors so the schools don’t fail.

The next question pertained to children with IEPs (individual learning plans, special education students), what to do to make sure they aren’t failing and make sure they receive required services.

Cross spoke about providing children who needed it additional time for learning as determined by staff. Anderson spoke about over labeling children and the need to use alternative learning strategies to avoid over labeling. Haas countered that many student need IEPs and have a hard time getting them. He reverted to talking about the need for intensive reading instruction to build vocabulary and improve third grade reading scores. Layne said that IEP meetings are often rushed and must be slowed down, involve more people and provide more support. Merideth reported that four of his children have IEPs. He said more special ed staff and support for special ed teachers is needed. Merideth is a foster and adoptive parent with trauma informed training. He stressed the need to address the child’s needs and take some of the load off the teachers.

The nest question asked what the candidates thought about the best SLPS strategies worth keeping. 

Anderson replied team teaching, small class sizes and in school suspension rooms. Haas said he was not sure how to answer the question until he heard Anderson speak. He continued that the more he heard David Merideth speak, the more he liked Merideth’s candidacy. Then he answered the question with in school suspension rooms. Layne said the autonomous running of buildings, trusting school leaders, structuring the school day so that students have some free time as is done in Metro and Collegiate high schools so that students have time to visit counselors and develop student leadership skills. Merideth said he would rely on staff and Dr. Adams to determine what is working. But he also said they should expand offering free dinner meals in the schools which serve as after school homework centers. He also agreed with Layne on blocking time for students to visit counselors. Cross replied with gifted programming, magnet schools, clustering regular schools to do some of the things done in magnets, accelerated programs and more assistant principals in schools with more than 400 students.

The next question asked about making students STEM ready, especially girls and expanding apprenticeships.

Haas said STEM was important but immediately returned to his talking point about third grade reading scores so basically he dodged the question. Layne said he was a big fan of expanding apprenticeships.

Merideth said he believes STEM is important. Two of his children graduated from Gateway STEM HS and three more are currently enrolled. He thought there should be more emphasis on robotics. He also said Gateway STEM HS was the best example of SLPS’ current use of apprenticeships. Their students can graduate with certification in several fields. He suggested partnering with trade organizations to expand apprenticeship programs.

Cross spoke about the successful partnership SLPS has with Washington University where Wash U students work with Compton Drew Middle School students on robotics and coding. He thought this could be duplicated at other schools. He suggested greater utilization of Fontbonne and Webster Universities to impact more schools.

Anderson, a graduate of O’Fallon tech HS, the predecessor of Gateway STEM HS, said STEM was important and needed to be duplicated. She is a strong advocate for vocational education especially for “young ladies.”

The next question pertained to seeking money to fund the school district from outside groups, should the district sell vacant school buildings (they do whenever possible) or form initiatives with private groups and foundations?

Layne replied that vacant buildings could be reopened as resource centers. The north side needs development. Tax abatements should be applied to redevelop them.

Merideth replied that tax abatements cost the city $200 million last year and that corporations don’t need them. The loss of revenue from abatements drives enrollment down. He advocated using vacant buildings for community centers. Cross spoke about meeting with groups who want to get into business working with our kids. Grants should be used to allow that to happen in vacant schools.

Anderson agreed that if school buildings are going to waste, they should be sold or developed. She is against tax give aways which rob children who need resources. She also said she was wary of many who want to donate money but where there are strings attached Haas said vacant buildings are an issue. He is against tax abatements which took $60 million from the SLPS last year. Most abatements go to the Central West End which doesn’t need them. He mentioned the district not having enough money to buy Chromebooks for all students like the Ritenour school district where he substitute teaches does.

Closing Statements

Haas said he was different from the other candidates in that he had served four terms on the school board. He emphasized that nothing was more important than early childhood reading. Then, as previously reported in the Watch, Haas mentioned that he was running for two offices at the same time because he was also running for President of the United States in 2020. Haas said, “That’s crazy but it is good to hold onto your dreams. If I have to leave in two years, you’ll understand and I’ll try hard not to take Dr. Adams for Secretary of Education.” Haas continued that people should vote for him because Dr. Adams in not going anywhere while he, Haas, is there. The fix is in, otherwise. Dr. Adams is terrific and we need to keep him.

Anderson reminded those present that she had spent nearly her entire life in SLPS, knowing it from the bottom to the top. She believes in educational autonomy. “Educators need the power to decide what works best for children. Cookie cutter strategies don’t work.”

Cross said that he is the right choice because of his over 40 years of experience. He has been a leader in every capacity. He wants a quality education for every child. He also gave Dr. Adams credit for having the expertise to make success happen.

Merideth said, “I am not an educator. My job is to hold the district accountable as a parent.” He went on to say that his military career had prepared him for the board by training him to find efficiencies without effecting personnel. His priority would be increasing enrollment by selling SLPS at neighborhood meetings. The charter schools do this. “We need to be there and sell ourselves,” he said.

Layne closed with a repeat of his biography. He is not from St. Louis, attended the Boston public schools, then attended an independent school, a private school. He considered himself to have been lucky to have done that. He compared his heavy backpack to his neighborhood friends who had no books. He mentioned the need to provide support, to advocate for educational equity. He reported that he is only 30 years old so does not have 30-40 years’ experience but has passion to transform outcomes. If not elected he said he would still work in education to increase enrollment, increase support and quality, give families a voice and engage with civic leaders.

From SLSPROJECT: See also, reporting on the forum from St. Louis American

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The editor encourages readers to forward The Watch to anyone you think would be interested. Our city and our schools need as much public awareness and public engagement as we can muster at this time.

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Questions for The Watch? Letters to the Editor? Stories to contribute? News tips? Send them to SLS_Watch@yahoo.com

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Calendar

March 30, 2019, Saturday, Better Budgets better Schools School Board Candidate forum, O’Fallon Park Rec Center., 1:00 p.m.

April 2, 2019, Tuesday, School Board Election. Remember to vote!

April 9, 2019 Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., regular monthly meeting of the Board of Education, 801. North 11th St. room 108, St. Louis, MO 63103.

April 18 2019, Thursday, monthly meeting of the Special Administrative Board, 6:00 p.m., 801 N. 11th Street, room 108

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7th Ward Woman: Thread on 'dark money' in SLPS elections (Public School Allies, The City Fund, Adam Layne, etc.

Who funded the Civil PAC mailer for School Board Candidate Adam Layne? Dark money from a Falls Church VA UPS drop box. pic.twitter.com/QHhtCPtLXx

— 7th Ward Woman (@stl7thward) March 24, 2019

Public School Allies, Civil PAC's dark money source to support School Board Candidate Adam Layne, got its money from The City Fund, which advocates for 🚨privatization of public schools. https://t.co/0JajWeH3jz

— 7th Ward Woman (@stl7thward) March 24, 2019

More on School Board Candidate Adam Layne's dark money donor Civil PAC's parent organization and their agenda to privatize public schools. https://t.co/nYMbhG35fD

— 7th Ward Woman (@stl7thward) March 24, 2019

Public School Allies is The City Fund PAC. It is not registered with FEC. It is not registered as a PAC with Virginia, the state with the UPS address listed on donation to Civil PAC which produced mailer for School Board Candidate Adam Layne. pic.twitter.com/YWIJVWs0jE

— 7th Ward Woman (@stl7thward) March 24, 2019

Have now heard from fourth person that Civil PAC, which took dark $ from public school privatization pac for mailer to support School Board Candidate Adam Layne, belongs to @iJPRJ, political consultant, former aide to Mayor Slay, former State Rep. candidate.

— 7th Ward Woman (@stl7thward) March 25, 2019

How Better Together’s Plan Will Circumvent Democracy and Bankrupt St. Louis

How Better Together’s Plan Will Circumvent Democracy and Bankrupt St. Louis

Susan Turk on the Upcoming April 2019 SLPS School Board Election and Return to Democratic Governance: Is there a plot underway to capture the board?

The April 2019 School, Board Election and the Return of the Elected Board To Governance By Susan Turk March 12, 2019                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Rick Sullivan Supports Return of the Elected Board February 26, 2019--St. Louis—At tonight’s Board of Education work session, Board President Dorothy Rohde Collins announced that SAB President Rick Sullivan had written a letter to DESE supporting returning the elected board to governance of the SLPS.  The State Board Of Education will hold its April 15-16, 2019 somewhere meeting in St. Louis.  The exact location has yet to be determined.  It is expected that at this meeting, they will vote to return governance to the elected board of education. When the Watch learns the meeting location, we will alert our readers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Correction and More In the February 18, 2019 edition of the Watch we reported on the status of Local 420’s effort to resolve a dispute over pay disparities. Based on a press release from Local 420, we misreported that they were going to court.  They next phase was an arbitration, hearing.  That hearing was held last week.  Now the parties must wait for the decision of the arbitrators. It was reported on KWMU that Superintendent  Dr. Kelvin Adams defended the district’s stance of disparate pay for employees. Dr. Adams claimed the contract with Local 420 allows the district to pay more to teachers in hard to fill positions. Whether all of the discrepancies can be explained as pertaining to hard to fill positions will be determined.  A decision will probably come in a few months.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Pushing for Teach for America and Pro-Charter School Board Candidates With the expected return of the elected board of education to governance over the SLPS this year, dark money has returned to school board election politics. On Sunday, March 3rd, the Watch received several reports of a push poll regarding the school board election and related issues. A company named B&R Associates, which is not a registered corporation in the State of Missouri, was phoning city residents over several days and asking questions in such a way as to elicit positive answers about charter schools, school choice via the use of vouchers, and providing favorable quotes concerning the three school board candidates who are former Teach for America corps members and charter school proponents, Adam Layne, Tracee Miller, and Daniel McCready.  The push poll also asked about support for a mayor appointed school board.  One person called referred to the poll as a phone survey and reported, “The survey definitely wanted me to say that I was in favor of vouchers and "school choice." Polls with questions which slant potential answers are not taken to collect data.  They are administered to form opinions.  The question about appointed boards gave away one of the sources.  Appointed boards are highly favored by former Washington University Chancellor Dr. William Danforth, who previously served as the settlement coordinator for the St. Louis Desegregation case and chair of the appointed task force which recommended the state takeover of the SLPS in 2006. Dr. Danforth will never concede the return of the elected board to governance. Additionally, the Watch has learned that former Teach for America corps member and State Director of Policy for the Sinquefield funded Children’s Education Alliance of Missouri, Katie Casas, representing a new group funded by Sinquefield and the Danforth Group has been interviewing school board candidates attempting to get them to support charter school expansion in the city in exchange for their endorsement. Casas left CEAM in 2018 to form her own Jefferson City  lobbying firm, Nexus Group. With the impending return of the elected board, charter school interests see an opportunity to take over the elected school board to further their agenda.  Between now and April 2, money will flow to these candidates. It is incumbent on citizens who support SLPS rather than charter school expansion to be alert to the infusion of money and how it will impact the campaign. The three Teach for American candidates are all from out of state and have lived in St. Louis for less than 10 years.  They are all young and do not have children of their own. But they all have backgrounds in the growing private not for profit education sector of our national economy which is being funded by people like Bill Gates, the Waltons, and the Kochs, nationally among many others and Rex Sinquefield and the Danforths locally. These three candidates represent the interests of those who promote the privatization of public education. It would be a tragedy if any of them are elected to our soon to be empowered school board. The Watch usually waits to editorialize about school board candidates until after publishing their questionnaire responses.  But the campaign activity that has already taken place warrants this early alert. Link to another update and the candidates' responses to Susan's survey can be found here.

Tracee Miller Response to SLPS Candidate Survey (via Susan Turk)

Link to main article and other candidate responses here. Tracee Miller April 2019 School Board Candidates Questionnaire Please supply a brief autobiography including relevant employment and academic degrees   I come from a very middle-of-the-road town and schools in Indiana, but from a family of teachers who inspired a love of learning at a young age. In the same way that some children fantasize about a dream home or car, she regularly spent afternoons imagining the perfect school. It wasn’t until I met my husband and visited his elite prep that I realized that my dream was a reality only for folks who could afford it. The distance between his academic experience and my own was vast, but the distance between mine and those of my SLPS students is infinite. I’ve lived in St. Louis since graduating from Mizzou, and have worked in St. Louis Public Schools as a middle school math teacher, and then as a contractor coaching teachers and managing academic intervention programs. I now work at Khan Academy where their mission is to provide a free world-class education to everyone everywhere. I have undergraduate degrees in English and Secondary Education, an MEd, and am currently a PhD student in Education Policy at UMSL. The SLPS is currently governed by an appointed Special Administrative Board, whose current term ends June, 30 2019. The elected board has limited responsibilities. While possible, it is not guaranteed the elected board will return to power during the term for which you are running because the state board of education may extend the SAB for as many terms as they wish. Why, then, are you running? If you believe the elected board will return to power, please explain why. I believe that the elected board will return to power because the community will demand it. The Special Administrative Board does not represent the community in the same way as the Elected Board, and the Elected Board is committed to the community values of transparency, accountability, and accessibility. I am running for this position because I believe in the ability of the Elected Board to improve in its current decision-making capacity, to come back into power, and to make decisions that reflect the diverse community that we serve. What is your understanding of the role of a school board member and what do you want to accomplish as a board member? The candidate did not supply a response to this question. Are you the parent or grandparent of children who currently attend or recently graduated from the SLPS? Did you attend and/or graduate from the SLPS? Have you ever worked for the SLPS or are you related to a current or former employee? Are you now or have you in the past served as a board member? If you are not an SLPS parent, graduate, former employee or relation of one, or board member, do you have any other connection to the SLPS? I am the godmother of a student who is a senior in SLPS, thought I did not attend school in the district myself. I worked as a 6-8 teacher and contractor in grades 2-12 in schools across the district. I have no served as a board member, but I have experienced the impact of board decisions from a wide variety of angles and look forward to addressing them so that others have an easier path than my godson has had as a student, and easier than I had in my multiple roles with the district. What are your thoughts about the Special Administrative Board which currently governs the district? I understand the necessity, under Missouri law, to appoint this board, and respect their vote to return power to the Elected Board. I have not seen transparent decision-making or foundation change while this board has been in power, and I look forward to the possibility of change with the transition. What is your understanding of the impact of charter schools on the SLPS? Should more charter schools open in the city? There is no one-size-fits-all opinion of charter schools, and I believe that our focus should be on provide high-quality education to all students in the city. The SAB is currently developing a not for profit corporation called the Consortium Partnership Network which will be governed by its own appointed board and whose purpose will be to govern the lowest performing schools. Meramec and Ashland elementary schools have been assigned to the CPN for the 2019-2020 school year. The CPN will be empowered to contract with private not-for-profit companies to manage these schools. If returned to governance, the elected school board will have an as yet undefined oversight role regarding the CPN but no direct oversight of the schools they are assigned. What are your thoughts on this? The teachers, families, community, and school staff know their students best and this may provide an opportunity for low-performing schools to address the needs of their students in more appropriate ways than the current cookie-cutter decisions passed down by the district. That said, all schools should be held to the high standards and measures of accountability. Do you have any ideas to improve public confidence in SLPS and improve enrollment? Ensuring that schools have the financial ability to invest in their students in ways that align with the student and community values will, in turn, empower them to more effectively involve the community in its operations and culture. For example, giving principals the power to hire their own staff will ensure cohesion among the adults in a school, will build a culture of understanding and excellence, and will improve confidence in the school’s ability to serve its children. As families feel connected to their schools and feel confident that their children are valued and receiving high-quality education, enrollment will improve. The Missouri legislature usually considers bills that would expand school choice by expanding charter schools, using vouchers, education savings accounts or tuition tax credits making it possible for students to attend private schools using public money or depriving the state of general revenue so parents could use their own money for private tuition without suffering tax penalties. The Trump administration promotes school choice and may re-allocate Title I funding away from providing low income children with extra resources to master reading and math toward expanding school choice options. School board members will be faced with an uphill battle in a struggle to attract and retain students to our school district. How will you respond to these challenging developments? Part of this is answered in the above question about improving trust and enrollment. We must work to enact policy that improves the quality of SLPS, and actively advocating for money for public schools and students and against measures that take away high-quality options for students in public schools.   What are your thoughts on the following legislation being considered by the Missouri legislature this year? HB130 Sponsor: Carter This bill specifies that the State Board of Education shall terminate the St. Louis City transitional school district if the district is classified as provisionally or fully accredited. Terminating the transitional school district shall return governance to the elected board of the school district. Since the SLPS is fully accredited this bill would have the effect of immediately returning the elected board to governance. HB629 Sponsor: Quade Beginning with the 2020-21 school year, this bill requires specified charter school applications that are approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) to not become effective until approved by the voters of the district in which the charter school is located. The bill requires that the charter approval be submitted to the voters of the district at the next municipal election or, if the next annual school election is more than 60 days away, at a special election. A majority vote is required for approval of the charter school application. I support the termination of the transitional state that SLPS is currently in, in accordance with Missouri law. The candidate did not answer about HB629 What are your thoughts on SLPS magnet schools? Having taught at a magnet school, I found that many do not in fact emphasis their purported area of focus. However, many of our magnet schools have higher academic outcomes than other schools. Unfortunately, the application process for charter schools can be complicated, and the quality of education all SLPS buildings should be excellent. I believe that families and students should have options that fit with their values and desires for their children’s future, but the path to those options should be more readily available to everyone. What are your thoughts on neighborhood schools? Many neighborhood schools have a negative reputation in the city; however, this is the result of policies that require one-size-fits-all policies that do not take differences between neighborhoods and students into account, as well as policies giving little choice to school staff (particularly principals and teachers) who know their students best. I believe that the path to high-quality neighborhood schools is within close reach. What ideas do you have to help students learn? All students learn differently, and have different curricular, instructional, and extracurricular needs. Our schools should be empowered to invest in what their students need, whether this is more support staff, higher-quality curriculum and resources, professional development (particularly on culturally relevant pedagogy and other topics that impact relationships and not only instructional strategies), and a focus on evaluation measures that support teacher growth so that they can, in turn, help their students thrive. If you ask me about what ideas I have to help students learn in different and specific contexts, I can, in most cases, give you an extensive description.  What do you think about the MAP tests and standardized tests in general? There is too much at stake with standardized tests, from funding to people’s jobs to student futures. In addition, these tests have been shows be biased against marginalized populations. While I believe it is important to measure academic growth and performance, I strongly believe that MAP scores are not a holistic representations of student ability or growth, and that these tests in general create an environment in schools that prevents joy in learning rather than fostering it. Approximately 70% of SLPS high school graduates who enroll in college must take remedial courses. What policies would you promote to lower this statistic? There are policies in place that encourage social promotion, as well as policies about how teachers must allocate grades and make determinations about passing students. I would encourage policy that promotes in-school tutoring for students, more support staff to ensure that students’ holistic needs are being met, courses designed specifically to prepare students for transitioning to college that include work study opportunities, and more investment in teachers and schools so that the improvement in overall quality of education in SLPS will impact this statistic. In the past the elected school board has been criticized as dysfunctional. Local media have unfairly perpetuated this impression. How would your election to the board help to dispel this inaccurate perception. As a member of the board, I would ensure transparency and accountability to the public. I am skilled at communicating and considering the perspectives of those who don’t agree with me, and would ensure that the board establishes goals, norms, outcomes, and retrospectives to meet our community’s expectations.

Barbara Anderson Responses to SLPS Survey (via Susan Turk)

Link to main article on SLPS Elections. Barbara Anderson Please supply a brief autobiography including relevant employment and academic degrees completed.  (one paragraph},  Born and raised in St. Louis, I am a graduate of St. Louis Public Schools, as are my husband, daughter, and granddaughter.  I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Harris Teacher’s College, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Webster University.  I also hold a Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership and a Doctorate in Education from St. Louis University.  I have been a student, parent, grandparent, literacy coach, and principal.  These experiences give me a unique perspective as to what happens in our educational institutions on a ground /grass roots level.   I have taught on the elementary, middle, and university levels throughout my professional endeavors.  I am first, and foremost, an educator. The SLPS is currently governed by an appointed Special Administrative Board, whose current term ends June, 30 2019.  The elected board has limited responsibilities. While possible, it is not guaranteed the elected board will return to power during the term for which you are running because the state board of education may extend the SAB for as many terms as they wish.  Why, then, are you running?  I am first, and foremost, an educator.  Having been a student, parent, grandparent, teacher, instructional coordinator, and building principal, I have a unique perspective as to what really happens on a daily basis in our classrooms.   If you believe the elected board will return to power, please explain why.    The district has achieved full accreditation.  It was originally stated that should the district achieve full accreditation, the elected board would transition back into decision making power.   What is your understanding of the role of a school board member and what do you want to accomplish as a board member? My understanding of the role of a board member is that that person is one of a group who is dedicated to a shared vision of solid and effective educational foundation for all students.  Board members must have high expectations for all students and staff.  It is expected that St. Louis Public Schools will be the framework for this expectation.  (Inspect what you expect. Dr. Lynn Beckwith} Are you the parent or grandparent of children who currently attend or recently graduated from the Public Schools? Our granddaughter, Chanel Smith, a graduate of Clyde C. Miller, is our most recent graduate of St. Louis Public Schools. Did you attend and/or graduate from the SLPS? I first attended SLPS at the age of four at Marshall Elementary, and graduated from O’Fallon/McKinley in June, 1970. Have you ever worked for the SLPS or are you related to a current or former employee? I was first appointed as classroom teacher in Sept., 1976.  I retired from St. Louis Public Schools on June 30, 2012.  Have you, in the past served as a board member? I have never served as board member. What are your thoughts about the Special Administrative Board which currently governs the district? The State Appointed Board was appointed according to state guidelines.  Since the district has achieved full accreditation, it is time for board members elected by the community to transition into authority. What is your understanding of the impact of charter schools on the SLPS?  Should more charter schools open in the city? Charter schools are here to stay.  I do not believe that charters are a cure all for our district.  School choice is needed for parents to make educational decisions for their children.  Parents must be convinced that the best educational choice for their children is St. Louis Public Schools. The SAB is currently developing a not for profit corporation called the Consortium Partnership Network which will be governed by its own appointed board and whose purpose will be to govern the lowest performing schools. Meramec and Ashland elementary schools have been assigned to the CPN for the 2019-2020 school years.  The CPN will be empowered to contract with private not-for-profit companies to manage these schools. If returned to governance, the elected board will have an as yet undefined oversight role regarding the CPN but no direct oversight of the schools they are assigned. What are your thoughts on this? CPN is not a viable solution for failing schools.  We must take a look at successful schools.  We must duplicate/imitate what is working and eliminate what is failing.  Instead of creating more divisions/programs, (charters/CPN), we must take a look at what is working and duplicate it.  CPN is not a solution.  CPN will simply ignore the real problems of attracting and retaining quality educators and instructional processes.  Instruction is not about the program, it is about delivery by qualified professionals. Do you have any ideas to improve public confidence in SLPS and improve enrollment? I do.  We must stop playing the blame game, and drill down to what is going to move our students forward.  We must present a district climate and culture that attracts the best and brightest educators.  We must create a district that encourages post- secondary skill training.  We must stop teaching our students that they cannot be successful unless they leave their communities.  We must ask our parents why they choose not enroll their children in SLPS and honestly address their concerns. The Missouri legislature usually considers bills that would expand school choice by expanding charter schools, using vouchers, education savings accounts or tuition tax credits making it possible for students to attend private schools using public money or depriving the state of general revenue so parents could use their own money for private tuition without suffering tax penalties. The Trump administration promotes school choice and may re-allocate Title I funding away from providing low income, children with extra resources to master reading and math toward expanding school choice options. School board members will be faced with an uphill battle in a struggle to attract and retain students to our school district. How will you respond to these challenging developments? I cannot emphasize enough the importance of making SLPS the first choice for education.  Parents are always going to make the choice that best benefits their children.  It is our job to make sure their choice is SLPS.  Anything else is a farce. What are your thoughts on the following legislation being considered by the Missouri legislature this year? HB130 Sponsor: Carter This bill specifies that the State Board of Education shall terminate the St. Louis City transitional school district if the district is classified as provisionally or fully accredited. Terminating the transitional school district shall return governance to the elected board of the school district. Since the SLPS is fully accredited this bill would have the effect of immediately returning the elected board to governance. The last time I checked, and according to the school signs I have observed, the district is fully accredited.  I believe the requirement states that once accreditation is achieved, decision making should be returned to the authority of a duly elected community based board of education. HB629 Sponsor: Quade Beginning with the 2020-21 school year, this bill requires specified charter school applications that are approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) to not become effective until approved by the voters of the district in which the charter school is located. The bill requires that the charter approval be submitted to the voters of the district at the next municipal election or, if the next annual school election is more than 60 days away, at a special election. A majority vote is required for approval of the charter school application. Again, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of convincing parents and caregivers that SLPS is the first and best choice for the education of their children.  Trying to persuade parents that what looks good to you isn’t always good for you, is a losing battle.  Parents want to make the best choice for their children’s education.  We must convince parents that SLPS is the best choice.  Any other battle is a losing one.  The voting public must make appropriate decisions that will benefit student learners of all ages. What are your thoughts on SLPS magnet schools? We must eliminate the disparity between magnet, charter, and neighborhood schools.   All schools should afford opportunities for visual and performing arts, technology, athletics, and career skills, as well as basic educational foundations.  I do not like the idea that students are led to believe that they must leave their neighborhoods in order to get a quality education. What are your thoughts on neighborhood schools? The biggest disservice to learners today is that they are taught that they must leave their neighborhoods in order to be successful.  Attending neighborhood schools has become synonymous with having no other options.  This must change.  The only way to rebuild our neighborhoods is to remove the negative stigma of remaining in communities, and rebuilding our neighborhoods and neighborhood schools. What ideas do you have to help students learn? In addition to having fully certificated staff, a positive, nurturing, and safe environment, must be established for students, staff, and parents.  Educators must feel free to make educational decisions for their students.  Although it is recognized that some uniformity is required throughout the district, instruction involves risk taking and constant review and revision.  The only person who can make those decisions accurately is the person involved in the instruction of those students daily.  Other ideas include flexible classrooms and grouping.  Students who are engaged in teaching their peers are actually amazing teachers.  Their self- esteem is also exponentially enhanced.  A stable staff is vital.  Another strategy I used extensively, as a building principal, was to use the public address system as a teaching tool.  The staff and principal would determine the most important messages to convey.  School pledges, classroom rules and school rules of conduct are repeated daily.  This sends the message to students that these messages are important.  I actually became famous at the postal service office, and in the neighborhood, for my morning and dismissal announcements.  Adult staff members were able to convey consistent messages to students because the message was delivered consistently, whether I was on site or not.  It is also vital that students are recognized for following those rules.  These actions confer to students that positive behaviors will be recognized and rewarded.  School wide rules are few and far reaching.  At the school to which I was assigned, we had three simple rules:  come to school every day on time; complete class work and homework daily; and engage in good behavior at all times.  We conducted black history trivia contests every Friday.  These contests were designed to enhance writing, research, and reading skills.  The contest winners got a chance to enhance their classroom libraries by selecting books of classroom interest.  We also sponsored weekly writing contests.  These winners would read their submissions.  Another winning strategy was to engage in reader’s theater.  One would be amazed at the practice that would engage students to make their performances on the public announcement system highlight their reading skills. We also had student readers to make daily announcements. Every school should be able to engage in activities that enhance performance and comprehension skills for their sites. I believe that obstruction to instruction should not be tolerated. I believe that In School Suspension rooms should be established in all elementary schools, and that those classrooms should be staffed by fully certificated personnel (preferably with special education training).  Instruction should not be interrupted because of inappropriate behavior, and there should be better direction than “there will be no suspensions”. What do you think about the MAP tests and standardized tests in general? Although it is vital to measure progress, I think we place too much emphasis on one shot measurements.  I further have questions as to why SLPS changes requirements for success so often.  Progress monitoring is a much more useful tool.  The scoring of selected MAP sub-tests is subjective in nature.  Perhaps another instrument should be explored?  Missouri has one of the most challenging state mandated standardized tests in the country.  I don’t like the pressure placed on staff and students for performance on the MAP.  The whole idea for maximized performance on state mandated standardized assessments is for learners to be so comfortable with subject matter that pressure is minimal.  Standardized testing is problematic in educational circles.  Ours is the only profession where students are promoted with deficits.  Why do we blame teachers for the deficits of a poorly designed assessment instrument?  I am glad this is not how airplane pilots are trained.  Closer to home,  would you like to be trained to drive an automatic car and have to pass the driver’s test with a stick shift?  What is wrong with knowing what you are supposed to know?  Yet this is the requirement we place on classroom instructors.  Approximately 70% of SLPS high school graduates who enroll in college must take remedial courses.  What policies would you promote to lower this statistic? I would promote a policy of having a staff that is fully certificated for all professional positions in all buildings.  That would include an in school suspension room with a fully certificated teacher (preferably with SPED training).  I promote a policy that does not allow for overcrowding of classrooms.  Even more effective, is to employ special education teachers in overcrowded classrooms, when high classroom numbers are unavoidable.  Special education teachers are specifically trained to make individual education decisions based on individual student learner needs.  We must pursue and develop district policy that addresses the needs of all learners. I would explore current school calendars.  One of the biggest complaints of teachers is that so much time is wasted at the beginning of the school year in remediation.  In the urban setting, students no longer need time to perform seasonal agricultural activities.  Schools are air conditioned now, so there is no need to shut down schools for temperature concerns. In the past, the elected school board has been criticized as dysfunctional.  Local media have unfairly perpetuated this impression.  How would your election to the board help to dispel this inaccurate perception?   The only thing to be done is to conduct business professionally.  There is no time for personal disagreements.  Transparency, accountability, and accountability are vital for any functioning entity.  The only group to change this dynamic is the voting public.  It is our duty, as educators, to keep the citizens properly informed, and to engage in educational activities with the voting public

Daniel Mcready SLPS Candidate Responses to Survey (via Susan Turk)

Daniel McCready, SLPS Candidate Response to Survey (Via Susan Turk)

Link to main article on SLPS (and other candidate responses) is here.

Please supply a brief autobiography including relevant employment and academic degrees completed. (one paragraph)

I'm from Cincinnati, Ohio, I attended public schools K-12. I earned a BA from Denison University in Economics, Religion and Spanish. I taught 3rd and 5th grade math at Bond Hill Elementary, a Cincinnati Public School. I learned from master teachers an important lesson: kids need to love their teachers if they're going to learn.

After attending graduate school at WUSTL, I fell in love with St. Louis. My wife and I bought a home in Benton Park West. I started working for KIPP Victory Academy immediately following graduation.

The SLPS is currently governed by an appointed Special Administrative Board, whose current term ends June, 30 2019. The elected board has limited responsibilities. While possible, it is not guaranteed the elected board will return to power during the term for which you are running because the state board of education may extend the SAB for as many terms as they wish. Why, then, are you running? If you believe the elected board will return to power, please explain why.

I’m running because my wife and I are building a life here in St. Louis and, like many city residents, we’re trying to decide what schools would make a good fit for our future family. Regardless of whether power is restored to the elected board, I believe that it’s important for St. Louisans to engage with educational issues, specifically how we ensure that the children of St. Louis have choice-filled lives. If my run for school board gives me a platform to discuss new ideas with engaged citizens, then I’ve already won.

What is your understanding of the role of a school board member and what do you want to accomplish as a board member?

It’s the job of a school board member to enact policies that improve scholarly achievement across the district. I’d like to focus specifically on student culture, because children learn from people they love. It starts with collecting information on how children feel about their school, their teachers and their administrators.

Are you the parent or grandparent of children who currently attend or recently graduated from the SLPS? Did you attend and/or graduate from the SLPS? Have you ever worked for the SLPS or are you related to a current or former employee? Are you now or have you in the past served as a board member? If you are not an SLPS parent, graduate, former employee or relation of one, or board member, do you have any other connection to the SLPS?

I have no connection to SLPS. I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio and attended public schools K-12 there.

What are your thoughts about the Special Administrative Board which currently governs the district?

I believe that the Special Administrative Board has allowed us as a city to hit the reset button on how our elected board should operate. That being said, the SAB was never expected to be permanent and should, now that the district is accredited, be dissolved.

What is your understanding of the impact of charter schools on the SLPS? Should more charter schools open in the city?

I believe that this is a question about quality, not quantity. Parents shouldn’t have lots of bad choices, they should have a handful of good choices that can create a pathway for their child to lead a choice-filled life. Bad charter schools should be closed as quickly as possible, because they don’t benefit families and they can damage functioning schools.

The SAB is currently developing a not for profit corporation called the Consortium Partnership Network which will be governed by its own appointed board and whose purpose will be to govern the lowest performing schools. Meramec and Ashland elementary schools have been assigned to the CPN for the 2019-2020 school year. The CPN will be empowered to contract with private not-for-profit companies to manage these schools. If returned to governance, the elected school board will have an as yet undefined oversight role regarding the CPN but no direct oversight of the schools they are assigned. What are your thoughts on this?

I would need more information about this before forming a substantive opinion.

Do you have any ideas to improve public confidence in SLPS and improve enrollment?

The candidate did not answer this question.

The Missouri legislature usually considers bills that would expand school choice by expanding charter schools, using vouchers, education savings accounts or tuition tax credits making it possible for students to attend private schools using public money or depriving the state of general revenue so parents could use their own money for private tuition without suffering tax penalties. The Trump administration promotes school choice and may re-allocate Title I funding away from providing low income children with extra resources to master reading and math toward expanding school choice options. School board members will be faced with an uphill battle in a struggle to attract and retain students to our school district. How will you respond to these challenging developments?

I think it’s important for schools to quickly implement what’s working in other successful schools in the city, be they charter or traditional public schools. I also believe that building out the resources that neighborhood schools can provide families as hubs for healthcare, job-training, networking can be leveraged to attract new enrollees.

What do you think about the MAP tests and standardized tests in general?

I think it’s important that assessments are able to be used by teachers to inform their instruction. It’s unacceptable that schools get standardized tests back months later, given modern technology. That being said, tests let teachers and parents know that children are learning what they are teaching. If designed well, they provide a road map for future growth.

The candidate did not answer any more questions.