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Haas William (Bill)
Please supply a brief autobiography. (one paragraph)
I'm a semi-retired corporate lawyer with 20 years college and secondary teaching experience, currently a daily substitute for Ritenour Schools. I've served four terms on the St.Louis School Board. Among my accomplishments are the 9th grade dropout prevention initiative in 2001 or so which people credit with preventing our losing accreditation, working with Mary Armstrong to settle teacher negotiations in 2005 when the Slay slate of school board members was trying to break the union, initiating the audit of the St. Louis Schools from my friend Tom Schweich's Auditor's office, and this past school year initiating a pilot program of a second qualified adult in early child classrooms to improve reading scores, and other initiatives to improve early childhood reading.
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 has the authority to extend the SAB for as many terms as they wish. Why, then, are you running?
I ran in 2010, after 5 year hiatus from the board, because I thought we would be regaining governing then, and was disappointed that we didn't. I think the writing is on the wall that we'll be regaining governance by June of 2019 at the latest.
If you believe the elected board will return to power, please explain why. The SAB is tired of governance, as is the community of their governance, and after their recent hearings, they recommended return of governance, and I think the state board is prepared to follow that recommendation.
What is your understanding of the role of a school board member and what do you want to accomplish as a board member? A board member sets policy (which means different things at different times), hires the superintendent, helps set goals for the district, and dialogues with the superintendent about means to reach those goals. The superintendent's role is to implement those plans to achieve those goals and generally administer the day to day operations of the district.
Are you the parent/grandparent of children who currently attend or recently graduated from the SLPS?
No
Did you attend and/or graduate from the SLPS?
No.
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? I was a substitute for the district for the 1991-1992 school year, and again for the school years between 2007 and 2010 after I went back on the board. And was a board member from 1997-2005, and again 2010 to present.
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? n/a
What are your thoughts about the Special Administrative Board which currently governs the district?
Dont get me started. Ok, you've got me started. I think they're well meaning and have done the best they can. It seems obvious that the SAB has been run by Rick Sullivan and Richard Gaines. I think 10 years is too long to have been in governance, but that is not their fault. Student achievement was essentially flat under them and I'm not sure what to make of that because I have high respect for Dr. Adams, so I can only assume that achievement was not an issue the SAB excelled in promoting. I think I would fault the SAB most on thinking they had a monopoly on wisdom and what was best for the district and not involving the Elected Board in a continuous dialogue and advisory capacity. The district would have been much better off for that collaboration.
What is your understanding of the impact of charter schools on the SLPS? Should more charter schools open in the city?
Charter schools hurt SLPS by taking away funds from the schools and make it harder to educate the remaining students left behind. On the other hand, charter schools seem here to stay, and our goal should be to lobby that they have to be subject to the same rules we are, with respect to acceptance and expulsion of students, and academics. And that the traditional schools are treated fairly with respect to finances. Money to the charter school might be phased in, and if a student is expelled, remaining money should be returned to SLPS. SLPS should not be complicit in establishing charter schools except perhaps with collaboratives like we may have with KIPP.
Our goal should be to offer such excellent education that parents don't feel that they children will get a better education in charter schools than they'd get in the SLPS.
The SAB is currently developing a not for profit corporation called the Consortium Partnership Network whose purpose will be to govern the lowest performing schools, possibly half of the district. The CPN will be empowered to contract with charter school operators to manage these schools. 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?
This is a complicated issue. At first I was against it even though it seemed like a done deal, until Dr. Adams told the board in response to my question that it was initially his idea. Tho he may have been required to say that even if it wasn't, I trust his judgment. We have the right to end it after a year or two, I believe. We need metrics to see if it works and then we should decide. But with such a complicated issue, I think it's important to have an experienced thoughtful person like myself on the board to evaluate and help oversee this new and different experiment and experience.
Do you have any ideas to improve public confidence in SLPS and improve enrollment?
I've always said that the district ultimately will have the public confidence and enrollment we've earned and deserved. And that will start with 3rd grade reading scores. If we don't solve that, we're not going anywhere good. For the 20 year period I've been on the board, 40% of third graders are still not reading at grade level. As long as that is true the district and the community are not going anywhere fast. When I recently ran for congress, third grade reading scores, rural, urban, and everyone in between was my number one issue and priority. And the key to changing that is a second qualified adult in the classroom, a certified TA, and I believe there are two different kinds. For those student falling behind, and behavior issues, and as Dr. Adams says, it just changes the culture of the classroom. During the 2017 mayor's race, I asked Dr. Adams how much this would cost. The answer was $12 million/year, and I think we need to go back to the community for a tax increase (about half or less of what we went for before, I believe) to do this. This needs to be our number 1 priority, and the community's.
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 their school district. How will you respond to these challenging developments?
WE MUST DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO OPPOSE THESE EFFORTS AND THAT WONT BE EASY. ELECTING REPRESENTATIVES WHO SHARE OUR VALUES WILL BE NECESSARY. THE CLEAN MISSOURI REDISTRICTING BILL MIGHT HELP.
During the 2018 legislative session, an unsuccessful bill would have provided for the election of St. Louis school board members by sub-districts rather than at large. School board candidates would have to live in and would only represent a geographical area of the city. It will probably be filed again next year. Would you support or oppose this legislation?
I think this is a complicated issue. One might think that this might lead to better and more fair representation, but people I respect oppose it, so that is my inclination, though I will also keep an open mind if this issue comes before the elected board that I'm on and we decide to take a position on it.
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.
FOR! WHAT WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR ALL THESE YEARS; LONG OVERDUE.
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.
SOUNDS GOOD FOR US
What are your thoughts on SLPS magnet schools?
I like them. We seem to need more of them.
What are your thoughts on neighborhood schools?
I like them. I think we should have more of them. I think parents like them too.
What ideas do you have to help students learn?
It's about third grade reading scores and a second qualified adults in early childhood classrooms, as discussed above. I've also long been (since before I was elected in 1997) of computer based learning, especially for students behind in their grade level studies and have often advocated for us to make more use of this, but hardware and software are expensive, but we should find a way.
What do you think about the MAP tests and standardized tests in general?
I know people object to use teaching to the test, but if we have to teach to something, teaching to recognized skills is a place to start. Other values are important, but our kids have to learn reading and math, and we have to know where they're at so we know where to improve, and well-designed standardized tests need to be part of that. One component of improving early childhood reading has always been regular testing to determine who is improving and who falling behind and who need intervention to catch up.
Approximately 70% of SLPS high school graduates who enroll in college must take remedial courses. What policies would you promote to lower this statistic?
It'd be nice if we could recognize and improve this before they graduate. Better reading by third grade will certainly help, and programmed computer-based learning. Skills tests before been allowed to graduate are controversial, but I'd be open to it if students without the skills are given intervention to acquire them.
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.
Oh, my. The Post Dispatch and other media has not been fair to the public schools since the Post supported the Slay slate of candidates and couldn't get themselves to admit they were terrible (and The American since Donald Suggs supported the takeover), either in news or editorial, and don't believe anyone who tells you they're independent. Goodness knows I've become a pest trying to educate the Post on this issue, and have failed.. I think the elected board should concentrate on the achievement of our students, and when that is successful, the media will acknowledge that and the job we're doing. It's not about the people we elect, it's about what they do once elected.
