From the Desk of…
Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent
Preview of 2007/2008 School Year
As this school year draws to a close, I wanted to take this
opportunity to share with you some of the planned improvements
for next year, such as:
Improving Teaching and Learning
• The St. Louis Public School District has received
a grant to pay for both strategic planning and organizational
assessment services. The intent of this process is to create
the best choice in urban education by improving core functions,
such as teaching and learning in our classrooms;
• We will have literacy coaches at many schools beginning
next year in all grades – kindergarten through 12;
• Professional development sessions will be held monthly
and the sessions will be mandatory for all school staff; and,
• Expanding services to our English Language Learners
(ELL), especially at our new ELL center at Central VPA.
College Preparation and Admissions
• We will be increasing the number of middle and high
schools that participate in AVID (Advancement Via Individual
Determination). Next year, 18 of our schools will offer this
college preparation program that is proven to help students
prepare for college through specialized curriculum and tutoring;
• College Summit will be expanded to 1,400 seniors.
College Summit is an award-winning, results-driven program
which builds the capacity of schools to increase their college-going
rate and foster the kind of culture that helps all students
stay on track academically. So far this year nearly 850 St.
Louis seniors who participate in College Summit have applied
to at least one college or university. These numbers do not
include our seniors at Metro High School, or students who apply
to colleges outside of the College Summit program;
• Earlier this year I announced the new Class of 2010
Scholarship program. Incoming 9th graders who agree to certain
conditions, including good attendance, an average grade point
average, and no serious disciplinary infractions, will be eligible
for scholarships; and,
• All of our high schools will either be accredited,
or in the process of becoming accredited, by the North Central
Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement.
This should ease any issues students may have in applying for
admission to college.
Increased Rigor
• All high schools in St. Louis will offer a minimum
of four Advanced Placement courses for students thanks to a
federal grant. Nearly 130 teachers have already been selected
and are in the process of being trained;
• We will also be expanding the number of seats available
for gifted students as our high-performing McKinley Classical
Junior Academy incorporates 9th grade students; and,
• I am actively seeking a university to sponsor a lab
school. I will share additional details with you as they become
available.
Alternative Education
• Three new alternative Big Picture (www.bigpicture.org)
schools will be opening next school year – one elementary,
one middle, and one high. Big Picture schools will be an alternative
setting for 450 chronically disruptive students. Big Picture
has over 40 schools throughout the country, including Detroit
and Memphis. They have a strong track record of success in
both attendance and achievement;
• We will be increasing the number of seats available
with Alternatives Unlimited by 100 (400 total) which will also
now include middle school students. Alternatives Unlimited
is a provider for our most at-risk youth who have committed
the most serious offenses; and,
• We are also renewing our agreement with ACE, a credit
retrieval provider that can graduate our students. ACE will
receive a contract for 300 slots.
Early Childhood
• A new early childhood program is being launched at
our Meda P. Washington facility;
• Expanding the number of early childhood seats; and,
• We are looking to start a new Reggio Emilio program
in St. Louis. Reggio Emilia schools offer specialized early
childhood programs for children aged three to six.
Budget
• Our budget for Fiscal Year 2008 budget will be balanced.
If you’d like additional details on the current proposed
budget proposal, I encourage you to attend our public hearings
scheduled this Thursday, May 24, at Compton-Drew ILC, located
at 5130 Oakland Avenue. The hearings are scheduled at 11:00
a.m. and at 5:00 p.m. in the school’s gymnasium; and,
• In an effort to ensure a balanced budget, our Board
of Education recently approved an early separation plan for
employees. Our goal is to reduce our payroll expenses through
attrition rather than layoffs.
Board of Education Meetings
During next Tuesday’s regular meeting, the Board of
Education is expected to pass a resolution that would create
the “John F. Bass Educational Campus/Complex.” Senator
Bass was very involved in the St. Louis Public Schools. He
attended Cole School and later Sumner High. After graduating
from college, he returned to SLPS to teach and was later selected
as the principal at Beaumont High School – a position
that would launch his career into politics.
I believe it is only appropriate to end this week’s
message with a quote from Sen. Bass found in Doris Wesley’s
book, Lift Every Voice and Sing: St. Louis African Americans
in the Twentieth Century, which is part of the Western Historical
Manuscript Collection of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
“We need to ask ourselves, who are we going to turn
the gauntlet over to? Who will stand on the shoulders of those
who have gone before? Young people who get involved in politics
need to understand about coalition politics, about working
together with other groups. They need to develop a council
of elders to advise them. You must stay informed about politics.
Know who is representing you, who is affecting your life.” – John
F. Bass
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