St. Louis Public Schools Watch
By Cara | May 10, 2010
St. Louis Schools Watch
Charter Schools Value Principals
By Susan Turk
April 23, 2010–St. Louis–Four St. Louis charter schools are eligible to apply for federal School Improvement Grants, because they are on the state’s list of lowest performing schools. The Watch has spoken with representatives from two of them to learn their plans regarding the grants. It has been repeatedly trumpeted that charter schools are superior to traditional public schools because they are free to be innovative. Their methods are supposed to be exemplars to be followed by the traditional public schools. It is therefore notable that representatives of both of the charter schools contacted by The Watch would like to be able to access the grant money, but they do not want to have to fire their principals to do so.
Charter schools are at a disadvantage as far as choosing one of the four remedial programs required by the grants because two of the remedial models are not workable. They don’t want to close themselves down and they are already charter schools so can’t use the conversion model. That leaves Turnaround and Transformation, both of which stipulate that the school principal be replaced.
Lift for Life Academy has indicated that it would not apply for a grant if it meant having to replace their principal. Construction Career Academy has reported that it will apply under the Transformation model, but that since they have already begun an improvement program, they will request an exemption from replacing their principal. Exemptions are possible under certain circumstances.
The charter schools are fortunate. They have not been subjected to the spotlight the mainstream media placed on the SLPS last week in regard to the SIG program. Sixteen SLPS have designated either for the Turnaround or Transformation programs. Superintendent. Kelvin Adams has indicated that he will remove the principals from these schools and that they will have to return to teaching if they wish to continue working for the SLPS. Although he did leave room for consideration of individual cases to remain at the rank of principal and be transferred to other schools. Several of these principals are veterans respected by students, parents and staff,
One can only hope that Terry Houston is considered. It would truly be tragic if he were removed from Roosevelt HS, given the phenomenal job he has done transforming that school’s learning environment. But if he were removed, for him to be prevented from applying his extraordinary leadership skills in another school setting would compound the injustice to which these principals are being subjected.
Given the extreme budget constraints currently being visited upon the SLPS, and the need to appear responsible and doing everything possible to regain accreditation, it is understandable that the administration would want to avail itself of the SIG grants. But it is notable that a charter school is going to take a pass if it means having to sacrifice a principal.
It is unfortunate that the federal government will only provide funding to improve a school if its leadership and staff are sacrificed. People who have devoted their lives to educating disadvantaged children are being victimized, their careers disrupted, rather than given the resources to be successful. Given that academic success in disadvantaged communities is often predicated upon the development of strong trusting relationships between a school’s students and staff, one wonders if the draconian requirements of these grants are just another in a long series of programs designed to suppress rather than improve public education.
Concerning the other two charter schools on the list, Ethel Hedgeman Lyle lost its charter and will close at the end of the school year. The Watch has attempted to contact the administration of Paideia Academy to learn their plans regarding the SIG program, but they had not returned phone calls. Paideia lost its sponsor last year and is desperately trying to find another one to remain open. If it does not succeed, it will close.
Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Academy, St. Louis, Loses its Charter
April 29, 2010–Jefferson City–State education officials were informed today that Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Academy (EHLA), a charter school in downtown St. Louis, is unable to continue operations for the remainder of the current school year.
The sponsoring institution, Missouri Baptist University, today issued a notice of immediate revocation to the long-struggling charter school on the grounds that an insurmountable financial crisis has created health, safety and welfare issues for the students.
The academy was founded in 2000 and was originally sponsored by Harris-Stowe State University. MBU assumed sponsorship of EHLA in 2005.
The St. Louis Public Schools, MBU, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Missouri Charter Public School Association are working to ensure a smooth transition for the nearly 800 EHLA students enrolled in grades K-12.
Effective Friday, April 30, the St. Louis Public Schools will take over the operations of the EHLA facilities for the remainder of the school year. EHLA students and staff will remain in their buildings. SLPS Superintendent. Kelvin Adams reported that overseeing the operations of EHLA, “won’t impact the SLPS financially based on the state aid we will receive.” Adams also stated that district officials would meet with EHLA parents. An effort will be made to recruit EHLA students back into the SLPS for next year.
It is amazing that this happened with 5 weeks remaining in the school year. And, one has to wonder what their “insurmountable financial crisis” was if there is enough money for the cash strapped SLPS to run the school without incurring financial problems. Efforts to contact EHLA’s administration for comment have been unsuccessful
Riverview Gardens RIP
April 28, 2010–St. Louis–Will we soon read this headline in the mainstream media?
For the past two days the Post-Dispatch has reported on the Riverview Gardens School District, which has been unaccredited for the last three years. In accordance with Missouri state law, on June 30 it will lapse and the state board of education can either replace its elected board of education with a three member appointed board or dissolve and attach the district to another district.
Here we go again. We’ve seen what happens when the commissioner of education recommends and the state board approves replacing elected boards of education with appointed boards. Wellston, which was governed by a state appointed board for 5 years is being dissolved this June 30. It is being subsumed into the provisionally accredited Normandy school district. And the number of accreditation standards St. Louis City meets has dropped since it was subjected to the governance of its appointed SAB in 2006.
So, what is the point? How many school districts will be subjected to this “remedy” before the people who make the decisions determine that it does nothing to improve educational outcomes for our students? I know this is Missouri but, how many times will our legislators have to be shown this does not work before they will change the law? Are our children doomed to being assigned to ever growing school districts, as “failing” district after “failing” district is attached to neighboring districts that never seem to improve their academic achievement and subsequently fail themselves? Is Hazelwood, which is currently listed as under “district improvement level 3 corrective action” and whose East Middle School is on the list of lowest performing schools in the state, going to jeopardize its full accreditation to welcome Riverview’s students into its schools?
And where is the accountability for DESE? There are dire consequences when districts don’t meet their standards. But when the state (DESE) steps in and places an appointed board in control and that board fails to improve the district do careers end at DESE when they fail? Do heads roll anywhere but in the districts and their schools? DESE failed to improve a 600 student district, Wellston. And if DESE can’t fix the problems for 600 students is it competent? Should it be replaced?
Where is the accountability for our legislators, who have not fully funded the foundation formula, continue to cut K-12 spending, and have never funded pre-k? Well, technically we can vote them out of office.
The point being the farther you move from the classroom, the less accountability, the fewer consequences, there seem to be.
Do we, as a community, a state, a society really want to fix this? Or do we prefer the entertainment of having our preconceived notions and our biases, preserved, reinforced, and unchallenged?
Meanwhile, the St. Louis area continues to lack representation on the state board of education. Matt Blunt and now Jay Nixon are accountable for that. Anyone going to stick that to the governor?
News You Won’t Read in the Post
March 4 was a day dedicated to supporting public education. Thousands of people rallied and marched in many cities across the country.
April 15, 2010–Tallahassee–After huge teacher call-ins (at least 6,700 teachers in Miami/Dade school district alone) and scores of student walkouts, along with a huge rally and other actions, including a “sit-down” (turned meeting with Governor Crist) at the Governor’s office which BAMN carried out with 11 students and teachers from Miami yesterday, Governor Crist announced today that he had vetoed the legislation that would tie teacher pay to students’ standardized test scores, penalize teachers who work in inner-city schools, burden students with more high stakes standardized tests and promote the further privatization of public education.
April 16, 2010–Detroit–Big Victory today for teachers, students, parents, and the citizens of Detroit!
Judge Wendy Baxter issued a temporary restraining order barring appointed Emergency Financial Manager Robert C. Bobb from proceeding with the school closings, testing, all forms of academic control, etc.
Senator Keaveny Favors A Charter School
If you live in the 4th state senatorial district, the one that used to be represented by convicted felon Jeff Smith, you might want to acquaint yourself with what the guy who was appointed to fill out his term is doing. Senator Joe Keaveny has filed a bill whose summary follows.
“SB 956 – This act allows charter schools whose mission includes foreign language immersion and whose instruction is wholly conducted in a foreign language for at least the first two years of a student’s enrollment to enroll four year old children and include them in their average daily attendance and weighted average daily attendance count for state aid. To be eligible for enrollment in a foreign language immersion charter school, a child must have attained the age of four before August 1 of the school year beginning in that calendar year.”
This bill affects only the French School and the Spanish School of the St. Louis Language Immersion Charter School which opened in one building on Papin Street last fall.
The bill has yet to be voted out of committee and hopefully it never will because the state of Missouri does not pay to educate four year olds. Public school districts, which offer pre-k do so without state aid. So, for Keaveny to sponsor a bill that would fund pre-k for a charter school says a lot about him. It should be noted that Keaveny accepted a $5,000 campaign contribution from charter school promoter Rex Sinquefield. Considering he did not have to run a campaign to be appointed to office, he didn’t need the money.
Were this bill to develop legs, it would create massive problems. Language Immersion is not the only charter school that would like to offer free pre-k. The other charters could be expected to also demand legislation and can you imagine the school districts allowing the charters to receive another unfair advantage .
Given that the legislature is in budget cutting mode and that important programs like summer school and Parents as Teachers are being eviscerated in Jeff City, it is unlikely that Senator Keaveny’s bill will pass this year. But it says a lot about his priorities that he would sponsor it.
Fortunately for the 4th district, Keaveny has an opponent in the August Democratic primary, Jim Long. Long is a retired St. Louis Police officer and a graduate of Cleveland HS. You can learn more about Long by visiting his web site, http://www.jimlongforsenate.com/
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Please note, The Schools Watch has a new mailing address, P.O. Box 1983, St. Louis, MO 63118. Our email address continues to SLS_Watch@yahoo.com
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