From the Desk of…
Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent
Fixing the St. Louis Public Schools
It seems everybody has a plan to fix the St. Louis Public
Schools. Several bills pending in the Missouri legislature
include plans to improve student achievement. Some believe
that opening more underperforming charter schools is the route
to improving educational outcomes. Other ideas include school
vouchers and open enrollment so that parents can choose the
district where their child attends.
Unfortunately, these competing plans have left many of us
struggling to stay on track with the plan we know will work.
Earlier this year, we launched our Comprehensive School Improvement
Plan. It is the plan we know will work because we developed
it based on the current needs of the district. This plan is
the real plan for improving education for all of our students.
We cannot sit and wait for someone to rescue the St. Louis
Public Schools. That is our job as teachers, administrators,
parents, and community members. The power to fix the system
already exists within each of us. The plan is in place. Now,
let’s continue our work.
Board Approves Facility Recommendations
The Board has approved our proposed facility recommendations
for the 2007-2008 school year.
Highlights of the plan include:
• Bunche International Studies Middle School students
will relocate to the current Madison Alternative School site
at 1118 S. 7th St.
• Three new alternative programs for chronically disruptive
students, K-12, will be introduced at the elementary, middle,
and high school levels, at buildings yet to be determined.
• The expansion of McKinley Classical Junior Academy
will add the 9th grade for the upcoming school year. At the
end of the 2007-2008 school year, district officials will examine
the success of adding grades to the popular gifted magnet program.
• Students from the Lafayette 9th Grade Center will relocated
to Humboldt.
• The Ashland Elementary Annex will close. Preschool
and kindergarten students will move to the main Ashland building.
These new plans address the concerns voiced by our parents,
students, and community members. By improving our overall facility
usage, we’ll have the opportunity to enhance our academic
offerings while keeping our students in environments conducive
to learning.
The district held several community forums during March and
April. The facilities committee and I considered public comments
before submitting final recommendation to the board.
Central to the reorganization plans for next school year is
the need to increase the number of alternative education programs
throughout the district. Each program would serve up to 150
students. The students would benefit from new curriculum and
research-based instructional models specifically targeted to
the needs of these students.
Discussions are currently underway with the Big Picture Company
(www.bigpicture.org), an organization that specializes in developing
individualized instruction for students.
Other facility changes slated to go into effect include:
• Reopening Meda P. Washington as an early childhood
center
• Increasing the capacity of Central Visual and Performing
Arts High School, which would also house a newcomer center
for non-English speaking residents
• Reconfiguring Cleveland @ Pruitt Naval Junior ROTC
to accommodate grades seven though twelve
• Closing Euclid Montessori Elementary, Lafayette, Webster
Middle, Ashland Elementary Annex, and Turner Branch
• Altering the grade configurations at some schools
The plan calls for a total of five facilities to be closed.
In addition, the district anticipates placing 11 properties
on the market for sale during the next school year.
Special Board Meeting, May 7 at Noon
The Board of Education will meet during the day on Monday
to discuss the proposed Employee Separation Plan (ESP). If
approved, the plan would offer district employees who have
12 or more years of service an early-exit incentive.
| 