Katherine Wessling and David Lee Jackson, Jr. easily won seats on the St. Louis Board of Education tonight with 37 and 30 percent of the vote respectively.
Proposition P also passed easily with 70 percent of the vote.
UPDATE: Only 6.85% of the city’s registered voters came out to cast ballots Tuesday, a record low, according to election officials.
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April 3rd, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Let me be the first to wish both of them good luck and good wishes. I hope that they can bring the needed peace, stability, and change to the board and the Schools.
The children. Please don’t forget the children.
April 3rd, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Godspeed to the newly elected school board!
Voter disenfranchisement is not something to be taken lightly by the voters or done carelessly by those in power.
If there is sanity to be achieved in the state vs. SLPS situation, it must begin with an objective look at what is happening NOW, and less focus on the origins of blame, consequential though they may be.
Some real-time issues to consider:
1. A critical look at the DESE website clearly reveals that there are many school districts with situations MUCH more dire than that of SLPS, and test scores MUCH worse.
2. There is a district in place which the state has taken over: Wellston. How has the state managed that situation? They had to invent a new accreditation category to stem the financial ruin that was caused by students leaving the district. Wellston’s test scores remain far lower than any St. Louis school.
3. There are a number of charter schools operating in St. Louis already. How are they fairing? Their test scores are lower than the lowest of St. Louis schools.
At some point, someone with common sense should begin to question the whole NCLB law and its processes whereby American society has begun devouring itself.
Why and when did people begin to see schools and teachers as “the enemy” to be conquored instead of looking at poverty and crime as issues that deeply affect the performance of students; issues to be conquored by all of society? Was it not when someone said it would be in our “best interest” to consider that “all children can learn” and tacked onto that silently the phrases “at the same rate, no matter what situation they live in”? All things considered, has this policy been in our “best interest”? Is this making society better?
Make no mistake. What we are witnessing in this state vs. SLPS crisis was the inevitable outcome of NCLB policies. I shudder to imagine what may become of America if we proceed with these policies to the 2014 target. By then, nearly every district in the country will be failing AYP and subject to takeovers.
Common sense is a pretty good crystal ball.
April 3rd, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Damn Ariel, you’re on a roll.
I have an idea…
The city can open all the Charter Schools they want…but require that they MUST be schools offering alternative settings to the kids who need it the most.
Instead of making the SLPS a system of special education by pulling the top kids out…why not REQUIRE that charter schools serve those kids who need the most help?
Charter schools must be alternative schools. Open as many as we need to “leave no child behind”.
Then the SLPS would (theoretically) steadily improve in test scores as the disruptive and learning disabled children began being served elsewhere.
Right now (there may be exceptions that I don’t know about) the charter schools just kick them back to the SLPS and further damn the system.
Open a charter school that cannot reject any child and pay the staff good money…THEY DESERVE IT. (But make them be accountable.) Maybe offer one year contracts for good money. But PAY THEM if they can do the job.
420 should push for “combat pay”.
April 3rd, 2007 at 11:08 pm
I realize that was completely off the subject. Congrats to Ms. Wessling and Mr. Jackson!
April 4th, 2007 at 6:25 am
JH: Of course you know the reason that won’t happen is that charter schools operate FOR PROFIT and special education students are quite expensive to educate.
I think they want to download all the free federal grant curriculum and consultants from Reading First and soon Math Now, and use their NCLB loophole to hire uncertified teachers to spout the federally scripted curriculum. It is much more likely that they will conveniently fail to have on staff teachers qualified to serve students with disabilities, and so continue to fail to admit such students.
I am getting awfully cynical. Here’s another way it could go down: The new board and our elected officials END THIS NIGHTMARE by reinstating SLPS and throwing Open Court, Reading First and NCLB in the trash where they richly deserve to be. I can dream, can’t I?
April 4th, 2007 at 8:08 am
I am indeed happy for the winners of this School Board Election; I think the children are the real winners.
April 4th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Congratulations to Katie and David.
Jim Heger’s suggestions are on target.
April 4th, 2007 at 10:51 am
House Bill 1231 introduced by Rep. Cunningham March 29 includes the following:
13. Upon the reestablishment of the transitional school district and with the permission of the special administrative board, the office of the MAYOR of a city not within a county may apply to the state board of education to be granted the authority to operate up to ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of the district’s schools as charter schools.
(caps mine)
Let the games begin…
April 4th, 2007 at 11:09 am
House Bill 1281 introduced March 30 by multiple sponsors includes this language:
2) Exploration of alternative forms of governance for the district, including development of a plan to divide the transitional district into metro districts, each developed around a high school and its feeder middle and elementary schools, but sharing the tax base of the metropolitan district. The plan shall offer an odd number of metro districts, but no fewer than five, drawn as geographically compact as possible;
HOW, EXACTLY, CAN THEY TAKE OVER A SCHOOL DISTRICT USING A DESEGREGATION AGREEMENT THEN USE THE POWER OF THE DESEGREGATION AGREEMENT TO RESEGREGATE THE DISTRICT?
April 4th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Also in HB 1281:
;] Every student in kindergarten through third grade shall be placed in a reading program and a math program until the student reaches grade level performance, except that the provisions of this subsection shall not apply to students receiving special education services pursuant to sections 162.670 to 162.999;
GOD, I HATE BEING RIGHT. READING FIRST, MATH NOW, AND NO SPECIAL ED STUDENTS.
April 4th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Count on the Post Dispatch and the rest of the media to jump on two things:
The low turnout.Got to hand it to Slay for his strategy of not wasting a half million dollars to run losing candidates after last year’s embarrassment–that helps explain the lower turnout, which will be used by Slay’s office for public relations purposes.
The cries of outrage that instead of putting the children first, there will be a lawsuit to try and make the state board of education quit breaking laws.
April 4th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
What a waste of time and energy.
Nobody was disenfranchised–they were too lazy to vote.
As, I see it, school board members have no role now–why have an election?
Give the parents of city children vouchers and let them decide where to send their children to be educated.
April 4th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
CWEGuy said…
What a waste of time and energy.
Nobody was disenfranchised–they were too lazy to vote.
As, I see it, school board members have no role now–why have an election?”
Charter school graduate?
No one was disenfranchised—yet. That does not happen until June 15th.
Are you being critical of those who did bother to replace a couple of Slay’s incompetent bozos—or are you being critical of those who did not receive the half million bucks this year to get themselves to the polls?
No one knows what role the board will play—-even if the courts do allow the state board’s illegal maneuvers to stand.
There is no guarantee of that. That is why there are three branches of government.
No charge for the civics lesson.
April 4th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
KJOE, bravo and well said! It just occurred to me that those state legislators who are for private education and vouchers, etc. should only be allowed to propose bills covering such education.
And those legislators in favor of public schools should be the ones proposing bills for public education because they care about public education.
Why should sworn enemies of public education be allowed to create any laws or statutes affecting those who rely on such a time-honored concept?
Just a thought. They could have as much fun hamstringing private and parochial education as they do public education for a change.
Does that make sense?
April 4th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Yes Helen, it does make sense.
The problem is that instead of straight forward bills, we get add on and add on and add on with crap that only by a ouija board and a strong drink can you even figure out how they relate.
Requirements for a parochial school (and by association, private school)….that makes you unpatriotic and against God. and we can’t have that in a democracy can we?
April 4th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Actually, I am a product of a public school system that actually educated students–at least until the lawsuits ended “tracking”, but, that’s another story.
The sad fact is that decades of political abuse, benign neglect, parental uninvolvement, and union power grabbing have left the state with no choice but to take over the SLPS and clean house. However, I fear that it will result in a bunch of political hacks replacing the current group…with no benefit to the students or the city.
I live in this city and I love it. However, if I could not afford to send my children to private schools, I would not live here. Sending children to a St. Louis public school is tantamount to child abuse.
BTW, I don’t need a civics lession, kjoe. I fully understand our tri-cameral system. I don’t see how the necessary takeover of a failed school system illegal. The laws, as I understand them, require the takeover when a school system fails. What I don’t understand is why it took so long.
I believe the SLPS has been criminally negligent for decades and I do not see any way that 2 new board members are going to change that. The only option I see is to shut down the current system and start over with a clean slate.
Folks, our city has turned a corner in the last few years. There is a sense of optimism that is palpable and people are wanting to move back into the city. What stops them? In my opinion, a fresh start with a new, vibrant, school system would have people moving in in droves.
April 5th, 2007 at 1:17 am
Perhaps I am the one getting the civics lesson. I have heard of a bi-cameral legislative branch (a senate and a house of representatives) but I have never heard that strange word cameral applied to the three branches of government. Why not.
The two new board members were going to be able to change one hell of a lot of things.That is precisely why there was such a rush to do the takeover now—TO PREVENT A CHANGE IN POWER!!!
Mayor Slay had his slate, and they gave slps miserable failures with Roberti, and almost as bad with Creg Williams. Last year, 2 people were elected to replace Slay’s people, and for a while, they had enough to get a few things done. But Slay still had 4 members, counti8ng the one he disowned, the erratic O’Brien.
With the election of these two, dumping stil 2 more of Slay’s people, there was going to be a solid majority of 5, who would vote for a new president to replace O’Brien and reduce her status to the minority of 2. All five support Bourisaw. There was going to be relative peace and a coherent direction established—not a situation the press could constantly be making fun of as they did with Slay’s appointees.
That solid majority of 5 was a horrifying thing to the powers that be—they pulled stunts like requiring Bourisaw to provide 5 years of information instead of 2 on the last accreditation point—and the review of accreditation was coming a year early——they were willing to not bend the rules—but eliminate them, make up new rules—whatever it took to stop this 5-2 majority who were elected against the wishes of Slay and the republicans.
You are backing the status quo with the takeover—as the Who said—meet the new boss—same as the old boss.
April 5th, 2007 at 9:27 am
Cweguy: I have a hard time understanding why you and those on your page are so quick to lay the blame for urban children’s problems solely at the feet of a school district. Where was the state’s responsibility all these decades? The city’s? The people’s?
For all these decades you speak of, everyone in Missouri and St. Louis knew that SLPS was dealing with the children of neglect, abuse, lead poisoning, poverty, crime, chaos and despair every day. What did the REST of society do to SUPPORT SLPS in its efforts to educate these children?
I have been in SLPS for decades. I can tell you the answer is LESS THAN NOTHING.
Instead of developing programs and policies that effectively addressed the needs of these children and their families FOR ALL THESE YEARS, the government of Missouri and St. Louis chose to give the city a credit-and-favor-bought facade. Now, all the REAL problems of these children are messing up the ILLUSION of prosperity they have created. Now they are looking for someone to blame for THEIR OWN negligence.
How can anyone even DREAM that the state and city government can “clean up” ANYTHING? As Jesus said, “You hypocrite! First remove the beam in your own eye…then you can see more clearly how to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”
April 5th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Inspecteur Clouseau ici: Ariel, comment dis-je quelquechose? (How do I say something?) Eh bien, I will just give it a try.
Ariel, as to your last paragraph, permettez-moi to say a very, very, très, très grand “Amen” and also a merci beauçoup.
Mes amis, there is some good stuff on this blog. Keep up the good work.
Au revoir et perhaps à bientôt!
April 5th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Ariel, once again, erudite, well thought out and with a large word count. Please tell me how this is possible on a school day at 10:30 AM? Even if you are not a teacher, I doubt that there is a position in the District that pays for posting propaganda.
I read today that NCLB was up for renewal in Washington. Maybe you could get a gig as a paid lobbyist to get Congress to vote it down. That would leave the worries of the classroom to someone who cared more for appropriate use of time.
Said the angry taxpaying, stay at home father of two special needs kids.
April 5th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
cweguy, I resent your reference to my choice to send my child to SLPS as “child abuse”. On which SLPS school or schools (be specific, please) are you basing your opinion? First of all, SLPS has had the number one ranking high school in the state of Missouri - academic ranking not sports. They have also had schools in the top ten ranking for elementary and middle. This has been the case since well before the mayor’s henchmen arrived on the scene and squandered our accreditation points.
Luckily at least some of those high achieving schools still exist. Waring, of course, had to close so that the Grand Center king could sell SLU that land for their new stadium, but others somehow survived. Since deciding to send my child to SLPS, we have encountered dozens of highly qualified, dedicated teachers and principals there. Your sweeping generalization is one of the problems with those in your shoes. You are basing your opinion on limited experience of your own with SLPS. If your children are in private schools - good! I am happy that mine won’t have to be in classes with the offspring of an adult who thinks he has all the answers for what other people should do with their children.
April 7th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Trouble: You needn’t worry about my use of classroom time. Even teachers get lunch and breaks and days off. I am sorry my timing created a stumbling block for you. I sometimes compose my comments ahead of time and cut and paste them to post when I have time. Other times, words really do flow out of me just like you see them. I realize this may not fit the incompetent, illiterate picture you have of SLPS teachers, but you are incorrect to assume that I am using class time improperly.
Ironically, it was proper use of class time that caused me to become aware and vocal about NCLB policies. There are some VERY poor uses of classroom time associated with its policies which I doubt you even know about. For example, for the next three weeks or so, students will be engaged in taking the MAP assessments for at least half of the school day every day. This will disrupt all school schedules and new instruction for nearly a month. Are you also aware that NCLB’s reading program, Reading First, requires special ed. students who read significantly below grade level to stay in their classroom in grade level reading lessons 90 minutes a day and denies them the right to special education or resource services in small groups with a specialist during this time? Are you aware that it also requires gifted students who read significantly above grade level to do the same thing, cutting them off from participation in a gifted program during the “Reading Block” and forcing them into 90 minute blocks of instruction inappropriately below their ability every day?
Are these cases appropriate use of classroom time and school resources? Thanks for your complements on my writing, and I’m sure I could make a lot more money in Washington D.C., but I LOVE THE ST. LOUIS CHILDREN. My work is here.
April 7th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Sorry. “compliments”.
April 7th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
I got kind of bugged by this—I had never heard the term tri-cameral, before.
(”I fully understand our tri-cameral system.”)
I had always heard of bi-cameral legislatures—a house and a senate.
When I looked it up, the dictionary mentioned legislatures, or judicial bodies being divided. As nearly as i could tell from wikipedia, it appluies mostly to legislatures. It does not apply to the executive branch. There can be tri-cameral legislatures–they gave South Africa as an example. I am open to corrections—-kind of glad when things like this come up—keeps an old man learning.
The South African tricameral parliament consisted of three race-based chambers:
House of Assembly — 178 members, reserved for whites
House of Representatives — 85 members, reserved for Coloured, or mixed-race, people
House of Delegates — 45 members, reserved for Asians
April 7th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Bi-cameral only applies to legislative chambers according to Webster’s. (Which I still trust more than wikipedia for exactly this reason.)
April 8th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Ariel, I am not buying in to the cut and paste bit. I do not care who you really are. I think that it a shame that you feel necessary to impersonate a teacher and the credibility that you seem to think that the illusion gives you. I certainly do not have an incompetent, illiterate illusion of the teachers. People like you, who for what ever misguided reason, bring about the illusion of misuse of class time and therefore are making the teachers the target of all of the angry taxpayers.
Jim Heger-I hate to bring you into this diatribe. But, I respect the value added comments that you make that are most assuredly not posted during school hours. Thank you.
April 9th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Trouble: I have overestimated you. Attacking the messenger is classicly done as a straw grasp when one is unable to give a good response to the message.
April 9th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
trouble,
Thanks, but I must say Ariel’s comments and knowledge of what is really happening in many schools is quite accurate. I agree with much of it.
As far as posting during the day, I am not going to be drawn into identity guessing or unfounded accusations.
Also, despite what some people think and say, there are some pretty good safeguards in place in the SLPS to prevent staff from slacking. (I didn’t say there are not problems, it varies by school, etc.)
April 9th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
Ariel, I am just looking for the truth. Your ideas are controversial and sometimes they are just this side of Oliver Stone on the conspiracy meter. As I said previously, they are thought through and there is no doubt that you do believe them. I do not feel that you are doing the teachers of the SLPS a service by posting those thoughts during school hours. No matter who you are (while keeping up the teacher facade.)
Sometimes, I do feel like I am grasping at straws when searching for the truth on this forum.
Jim- as always, thanks.