For Immediate Release Contact: Johnny Little 314/345-2283

FOUR SUPERINTENDENT CANDIDATES HAVE BUSY DAY IN ST. LOUIS

(February 25, 2005) The four finalists applying for the top position in the St. Louis Public School District spent the majority of Thursday, February 24, touring schools and talking with community members, staff members, parents and administrators. The four candidates are Dr. Paula M. Dawning, Dr. John W. Thompson, Dr. Deborah Jewell-Sherman and Dr. Creg E. Williams. Ron Jackson, Chairman of the Superintendent Search Committee, said, “All four applicants are outstanding candidates who present a wealth of aptitude and talent. Our goal is to find the best fit for our district and for our students, and we’re working towards that.” More than 300 people attended a community forum at Carr Lane VPA Thursday evening from 5:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. Each candidate shared their vision on how they will close the achievement gap facing the St. Louis Public School District. Each candidate gave a 15 minute presentation, followed by 35 minutes of answering questions that were submitted to veteran journalist Hank Thompson.

Here is a brief profile of each candidate:

Deborah Jewell-Sherman
Deborah Jewell-Sherman is currently superintendent of the Richmond (VA.) Public Schools, a position she has held since 2002. The district serves 25,000 students and 4,000 staff in 51 schools with a budget of $260 million.

She reports to a nine-member board of education and was appointed on a 5-3 vote, with a provision in her contract that there had to be double the number of accredited schools in the district at the end of her first year. This unique goal was met, and she was recently given a 9-0 vote on a new contract.

John W. Thompson
John W. Thompson was most recently the superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools, a position he held since 2000. In this position, he was responsible for 35,000 students, 5,000 employees and a $480 million operating budget.

Under his leadership, test scores were monitored closely. On the state test, the district closely watched the percentage of students who qualified as proficient or advanced. These percentages were combined in what would be approximately equivalent to at or above the state average. For 2002-2004, the percentage of students in this category for reading in 5th grade improved from 37 to 43; in 8th grade, from 39 to 54; and in 11th grade, from 46 to 49. The highest growth was shown by African-American and free and/or reduced lunch students.

In this position, Dr. Williams is directly responsible for 58 high schools, 52 charter schools and a budget in excess of $500 million. There are about 100 individuals who report to him through six direct reports.

Among his first actions was the development of a five-year strategic plan for the high schools. The implementation of the plan resulted in a marked increase in the number of high schools reaching Adequate Yearly Progress according to criteria of No Child Left Behind from seven in 2002-2003 to 16 in 2003-2004.

Paula M. Dawning
Paula M. Dawning is currently serving as Superintendent of the Benton Harbor Area Schools, an urban district in Michigan serving 5,300 K-12 students (96 percent students of color) and 800 employees with an annual budget of $50 million – a position she has held since 2002. She has improved operating efficiency while moving the school district to data-driven decision making. She has increased accountability at all levels within the school district.

Dawning has provided the leadership to successfully pass the first tax levy for maintenance improvements in 17 years, garnering bipartisan support for the levy, which passed by a 2 to 1 margin and raised over $6 million.