Bourisaw Resigns, District gets 6th superintendent in 5 Years (while waiting on 7th)
So much for stability.
After being authorized to continue its reign over St. Louis Public Schools for three more years, the appointed Special Administrative Board announced yesterday that superintendent Diana Bourisaw had turned in her resignation two weeks ago. They then voted to appoint Dr. John A. Wright as the new interim superintendent to serve while they search for the district’s seventh leader in just 5 years.
This isn’t the kind of “stability” the public was expecting when the state took over the city schools, not that the public was asked their opinion or anything.
Recent Superintendents
John Wright (May 2008)
Diana Bourisaw (July 2006-May 2008)
Creg Williams (April 2005-July 2006)
Pamela Randall Hughes (Dec 2004-April 2005)
Floyd Crues (July 2004-Dec 2004)
William Roberti (July 2003-June 2004)
Cleveland Hammonds (1996-2003)
David J. Mahan (1990-1996)
St. Louis Public Schools’ statement on the appointment of Dr. Wright:
Tonight, the Special Administrative Board of St. Louis Public Schools engaged John A. Wright, Ph. D., to serve as interim superintendent until a permanent superintendent is hired this fall. Dr. Wright has worked as an educator for nearly 35 years. Most recently, Dr. Wright served as interim superintendent in the Normandy School District in St. Louis County.
According to Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Special Administrative Board (SAB), Wright is being brought on to oversee day-to-day-operations over the summer and help facilitate the transition between Dr. Diana Bourisaw, the outgoing superintendent, and the hiring of a permanent superintendent.
Sullivan said, “Dr. Wright’s interim appointment will be effective July 1, 2008 to allow some overlap before Dr. Bourisaw leaves at the end of July. At that time, Dr. Wright will then step in and guide the district through the start of the next school year. He will oversee all pending actions, ‘back-to-school’ efforts, and all other projects designed to ensure the smooth and successful start to school year 2008.”
Dr. Bourisaw tendered her resignation in a letter to the SAB on May 15, 2008. Sullivan explained that this latest move was necessary to ensure that the district maintain control of the timing of the next transitions.
“We believe it is in our students’ best interest and in the best interest of the district that we keep more control over the timing as best we can,” Sullivan said. “Contracting with a new interim at this time ensures that there will be no interruption in that office during the very critical back-to-school planning efforts.”
Wright holds a bachelor of science in elementary education from Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, Missouri. He earned a master’s in school administration and a doctorate from St. Louis University. Dr. Wright also holds a number of specialized certifications on all grade levels and has served in an advisory capacity to the Governor’s Advisory Board under Kit Bond as well as to schools of all formats including private and parochial. He has served as an elected member of the board of education for University City. He retired in 2004 but returned to education last year as an interim at Normandy. Now he will help see the St. Louis Public Schools through this latest transition period.
Sullivan said, “Dr. Bourisaw stepped in at a very critical time and she has done a great job of implementing education initiatives and moving those programs forward over the past two years. The superintendent search is presently in the hands of an outside search firm and a broad-based community committee headed by SAB member Melanie Adams.”
About This Author: Antonio D. French is a writer, political consultant, and newly-elected Democratic Committeeman living in north St. Louis, Missouri. Have your own opinion about this story? Go ahead and leave a comment. But be respectful to others and show you own a pair by actually using your real name. Anonymity is cowardice. And don't forget to subscribe to our feed and get PubDef stories delivered right to your feed reader or email inbox.
Comments
Can someone answer this question in a short and simple paragraph-?
What has caused the problems for our children in the St. Louis Public Schools ?
The problems of the children are largely due to the parent(s). They are the biggest influence(s), hopefully plural, on the child’s life.
The SLPS, people want a piece of the political power, the state, SAB, Slay, City, elected boards, unions as well as others. Most want what’s best for the students, but when they cannot agree on a course of action, it creates problems.
That is two paragraphs, sorry, but there are two questions.
I knew it would be difficult; however I think the answers are connected; As one who attends most board meetings elected and SAB-My heart breaks to witness the lack of parental participation and I personally believe that even though rejected-members of the elecgted board should be present at all meetings. David Jackson has tried to fulfill that mission
What impact will this latest ruling have on the next scheduled School Board Election?
There are two levels of what is wrong. Number one is generic—you can go to many cities where they have similar difficulties, and they have taken years to develop. Milwaukee, where they have had charters and vouchers for years, is in terrible shape—they have gone to Cincinnati to try and figure out what can be done right. There are many ways to do it wrong.
In St. Louis, there is a specific situation over the last five years—and the case can be made that it is the bold action necessary—Mayor Slay has had an attitude of “we must destroy the schools in order to save them.” His solution is a greatly expanded role for charters. The drop in performance from 2003 was what enabled the state takeover. The elected board and people like Dr. Bourisaw were obstructions in this overall solution—they were trying to do things to save what needs to be largely destroyed, which will create the vacuum in which the charter concept will thrive. I have my doubts. They are going to have to do better than hiring people like texascan. Kipps will be the big public relations deal next year.
With Bourisaw’s firing, and the 3 additional years from the state of no one in their way——we shall see how this plan plays out.
Opinions from the school watch:
Dr. Bourisaw Resigns
by Susan Turk
At tonight’s SAB meeting SAB CEO Rick Sullivan announced that SLPS Superintendent Dr. Diana Bourisaw submitted a letter of resignation two weeks ago on May 15. Rumors have been flying about the appointment of an interim superintendent for the past week, but a resignation was not suspected. When asked when her resignation would become effective Dr. Bourisaw would only say the end of July, not a specific date. She said she had no specific plans for the future and that she had wanted to stay until a new permanent superintendent was hired and then her voice, breaking with emotion trailed off, leaving this reporter to surmise that it had not been her wish to resign, that it was requested by the SAB.
The Watch has learned that the SAB told her in March that they did not want her to help with the transition of the new permanent superintendent, that they wanted her gone before the new one took over.
More Information About Dr. Bourisaw’s Replacement
by Susan Turk
during this evening’s SAB meeting Rick Sullivan asked his fellow SAB members to approve a 90 day contract with Wright with an additional 90 day renewal clause. The motion passed unanimously and without discussion. It implies that the SAB does not expect to have a new permanent superintendent in place by the beginning of school on August 18.
The announcement, coming as it did one week after the State Board of Education extended the SAB’s life for three years as it was statutorily required to do to prevent the SAB’s automatic dissolution, provided further evidence that the excuses the state board used for appointing the SAB to run the SLPS in 2007 were perfidious .
MRS 162.1100.12. states “The transitional school district in any city not within a county shall be dissolved on July 1, 2008, unless the state board determines, prior to that date, that it is necessary for the transitional district to continue to accomplish the purposes for which it was created.” That is what the state board voted to do on May 21.
Regarding the excuses offered in 2007, then State Board President Peter Herschend and DESE Commissioner Kent King repeatedly evoked the lack of stable governance in the SLPS, 6 superintendents in 4 years, a bone of contention mentioned in the December 2006 Danforth-Freeman Report which was commissioned by King to justify the removal of the SLPS’ accreditation and imposition of the SAB. That the SAB will be responsible for forcing 3 different superintendents on the students and staff of the SLPS in a matter of a few months demonstrates that the state board’s concern for stability is conveniently situational.
Indeed in re-authorizing the SAB May 21, King was quoted as saying that the SAB was the stability. Superintendents apparently are mere figureheads. Just exactly what the new superintendent’s job will entail is a matter of surmise. The Special Administrative Board is empowered to make the administrative decisions normally reserved to a superintendent and they are making them. Before they hire a new permanent superintendent the SAB will have produced a comprehensive long range strategic plan, its complimentary budget and a CSIP. There won’t be much for the new supe to do but carry out their orders.
By the way–the Post Dispatch printed a slightly rewritten version of a letter I submitted to the editor yesterday, in which I referred to her strongly worded advice in May of 2007 to not bring in TexasCan.
I am just on the sidelines watching. I have never met Dr. Bourisaw, and have never received any communications from her or her assistants.
There is a lot in Dr. Wright’s history that seems to be good. His main intellectual work when he was younger dealt with desegregation in st. louis. I am guessing her is a couple years younger than John McCain. Maybe they can just keep signing him up 3 months at a time.
But, by all means, go ahead and spend a lot of money on a national search. That is how they found Creg Williams.
They need to be careful—I get the feeling that, like Bourisaw—he doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Maybe Slay and Kent King and Sullivan will accept a reality check from a male person.
John Wright has served as Assistant Superintendent in the Ferguson-Florissant Public Schools since 1975, following that district’s merger with the Kinloch Public Schools, where he had been Superintendent for the previous two years. His duties have included Public Relations, Federal Programs / Pupil Services, and Personnel since 1984.
He became a teacher following graduation from Harris Teachers College in 1962 and was named Principal, three years later, of the John Griscom School for Socially Maladjusted Students (Grades 4-12). He later served in the Webster Groves Public Schools before his appointment as Superintendent in Kinloch.
Dr. Wright holds a Ph.D. degree from St. Louis University, where he wrote a dissertation on “The Desegregation of the All-Black Schools that Existed in St. Louis County Prior to 1954.”
He has held numerous public offices, including service on several boards of education, as President of the Board of Trustees of St. Louis Community College, and as Missouri State Coordinator for the Educational Policy Fellowship Program of the Institute for Educational Leadership.
A recipient of numerous civic honors, he is also the author of Discovering African American St. Louis - A Guide to Historic Sites, published by the Missouri Historical Society and St. Louis Public Library in 1994. It was voted by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as the number one paperback that year
Missouri Historical Society? Sound familiar, as in Archibald and Schoemel?
That damn SLaY done done it again!
Glad you posted—I was wrong about Sullivan—he looked good on paper. I don’t know anything about Wright other than what is on-line.
I wonder if the pd will skip the annual story about opening day’s attendance this year, since there is no one left to beat up on. Nothing but good guys in control now. See no evil, write no evil.
I was never fooled by Sullivan.
Sullivan = McBride and Sons
McBride and Sons = new constructions
new constructions = tax abatement
tax abatement = less revenue for teachers’, police officers’, and firemens’ salaries
new construction = civic progress
civic progress = student mobility = hinderence to continuity of instruction
Bill, The extension of DESE’s “Tranisitional School District” for St. Louis has no effect on the Board of Education (BOE) for the City of St. Louis. The BOE is still a legal entity in the School District and the State of Missouri. SB 781 clearly stated the “Transitional School District” must be dissolved by July 1, 2008, unless its primary function was not achieved. My understanding of its primary function; was to bring stability to the District. Elections for the BOE must continue by State Law.
David—I tend to get kind of whiney about media coverage of slps issues——-I find myself constantly finding fault. But….would it be unreasonable to say that whatever Jay Nixon has been saying lately has been…..under-reported?
According to Board of Education Member David Jackson, Attorney General Jay Nixon, the Democratic candidate for governor, “has committed to begin publicly supporting, not only the St. Louis Board of Education, but that each School District should continue to be directed by boards elected by the people.” After meeting with Nixon yesterday, Jackson said that Nixon also will attempt to look at repealing SB 781, which initially was passed to implement the “Transitional District” which currently governs the SLPS.
Mr. Nixon had some concerns about DESE’s extension of the “Transitional District”, as well as, not knowing or seeing what progress the SAB had made since being in place for a year.
Transitional School District” must be dissolved by July 1, 2008, unless its primary function was not achieved. My understanding of its primary function; was to bring stability to the District.
Well. That action the sab took to hire Dr. Wright for 60 or 90 days, even though Bourisaw desired to stay and help the transition to a new superintendent, so that the “search” will bring in a new permanent superintendent in the middle of a school year—making it more difficult to evaluate the performance—guarantees the instability the sab needs to legally keep all its power.
Kind of like McCain on iraq—if things stabilize, and few soldiers are being killed—why worry about how soon they come home? But if things are not stable—that would be a terrible time to bring them home.
Obviously, very good article. Ms. Turk proves that Diana was run out of town on a rail. Obviously, the rail was greased. Her big problem was the fact that she was as white woman in a realm of black nationalism espoused by the Jesuit community. John Wright received his Ph.D. from SLU and Mr. Sullivan is a 1973 graduate of Rockhurst in Kansas City and on the board of directors of Habitat for Humanity. He appears to be very well intended and good hearted and obviously outvoted by the “black faction” on the board of Richard Gaines (Bd. of Alderman) and Melanie Adams (Mayor). Sullivan comes from the Governor. The voting is two Democrats and one Republican. He is being outvoted and will be gone if and when Jay Nixon gets elected which he probably will. That is why he was approved by the Democratic Senator in his district. Politics is a ‘ell of a thing and truth is irrelevant.
You haven’t been paying attention, obviously. Adams has sat silent and voted for everything Sullivan has wanted to do since this whole thing started–the only time Gaines and Adams bucked Sullivan was over the bid where they wanted to hire an African American but he wasn’t the lowest bid so they ignored their fiduciary duty to the taxpayers and gave the contract to the AA firm. Sullivan is never outvoted–Slay and Bob Archibald told Melanie Adams to vote with whatever he wants to do and she is following orders.
anon is correct. Ms. Adams and Mr. Sullivan have been in lockstep since the beginning of the SAB’s “reign”. This appears to be one instance where puppetry/shortsightedness/whatever has overcome racial and gender barriers. Gaines has raised some questions but lately nothing of any real substance has happened to slow down the Slay plan. Sullivan may very well be “well-intentioned” as Mr. Baine says, but he is NOT being outvoted on anything.
I will pray for Dr. Wright. He will probably end up being interim for a long time. No one decent will want this job given the current situation. The good people that will apply will be applying to get a better contract from their current employer.