St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Diana Bouriaw is one of 17 applicants to be the next head of the Cincinnati Public Schools, according to a Cincinnati newspaper.

Bourisaw, who has led SLPS since July 2006, decided not to re-apply for her job after the Special Administrative Board unexpectedly announced they were searching for a new superintendent.

Considering the relatively small group of educators with experience leading urban districts, Bourisaw may have an advantage on her competition for the Cincinnati job. In fact, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, several school board members there have specifically said experience in a large, urban setting is a high priority for the roughly 34,000-student district. Bourisaw is just one of seven applicants from school systems with more than 20,000 students. Enrollment in SLPS was 32,135 last year.

People will be taking their hopes and frustrations about public education to the streets, rallying against reform efforts that include any kind of privatization.

“Free, public education is the cornerstone of a democracy,” reads the e-flyer. “Public education is under siege by those seeking to privatize it for a profit. Together, we will call for a more equitable system of public education for all and ensure literacy as a basic civil right.”

The Defend Public Education Rally will take place Wednesday, April 30, starting at 6:00 PM at the Old Courthouse downtown. It will feature Thunderheart, a group of traditional Native American drummers, and speakers, including:

• Rebecca Rogers, Literacy for Social Justice Teacher Research Group, Acting for a Better Community Committee, Professor of Education, UMSL
• Ora Lewis-Clark, YMCA Literacy Programs, Advocate for Adult Literacy Education
• Donna Jones, Parent, member of the Elected School Board, St. Louis Public Schools
• Chad Beffa, SLPS parent, public school advocate, and candidate for State Rep (67th District)
• Byron Clemens, Regional Vice President, AFT Missouri
• Jackie Taylor, Literacy President Group
• Chuc Smith, Instead of War and Retired SLPS Math Teacher
• Cynthia Peters, World Education and The Change Agent

A change is coming, yet again, for St. Louis City Schools.

The St. Louis Public Schools Special Administrative Board has approved the plan for school reconfigurations, building closures and the school calendar for the 2008-2009 school year. Three schools including Mitchell, Gunlach and Wilkinson Early Childhood Center will close while Lyon and Blow will be consolidated to create one school.

The recommendations were made by Superintendent Diana Bourisaw at March 10th’s board meeting. The plan calls for the reopening of one school and the closing of four others. Several elementary schools will also be affected, being restructured to preschool through grades fifth or sixth.

In a release from the district Bourisaw said the changes address concerns “voiced by our parents, students and community members.” She said the changes will improve facility usage and will enhance the district’s “academic offerings” and continue have “environments conducive to learning.”

The plan is the result of several community forums held by the district during February and March where Bourisaw listened to public comments and concerns before submitting her recommendation to the board.

According to a press release from St. Louis Public Schools the changes include:

The consolidation of Lyon with Blow to create a kindergarten through eighth grade program.
The reassignment of Mitchell students to Hamilton and Ford
Reassigning Gundlach students to Ford, Lexington and Laclede
Wilkinson Early Childhood Center will move to Roe
Carver will become an elementary school

Schools slated to be reconfigured are:

Henry, Mason, Shepard and Monroe will change back to preschool through sixth grade
Hamilton and Oak Hill will be preschool through fifth grade again
Hodgen will expand to preschool to sixth grade

School calendar changes include:

The first day of school will take place during the third week of August, this year being August 18
Next year the regular school year will increase from 175 to 176 days, comparable to other school districts
The calendar will also include six built-in snow days, allow for school exams to happen before winter break, to extend winter break and include a heat advisory plan

A group of parents, staff, and elected board members from St. Louis Public Schools have come together to start a fund that will support the appeal of the court case against the state of Missouri. Before it’s too late, the 600 For Our Schools group wants to encourage more people to take action in what is happening to the public schools and the people that are being affected by the decisions being made.

Many people will be receiving a $600 tax rebate from the federal government in May. This group is asking able citizens to reinvest their rebate into the future of SLPS. To help, they are inviting everyone who can to pledge as much of there $600 tax rebate as possible. Their immediate goal is to have 100 pledges by April 1.

According to the group, a thriving democracy relies on a healthy public school system.

“Public education, especially public education in the city, is under a systematic political attack that threatens to destroy an institution that was built with care over the past century,” said the group’s Internet appeal. The situation with our public schools is a serious matter, they say, and all should take it seriously.

To pledge or find out more information about, visit www.600FOROURSCHOOLS.org

Thursday, February 28, 2008, the Special Administrative Board held a meeting at the Saint Louis Public Schools’ headquarter. While the meeting was in order, parents, teachers, students, voters, and tax payers gathered outside the building to show there support for Dr. Diana Bourisaw.
The rally started at 5:30 PM. Candles were handed out and lit while participants of the rally read letters from supporters that couldn’t make it, discussed other issues, and introduced new ideas on helping the SLPS. This rally was a public statement about the decision to seek another superintendent.
Nearly 55 supporters gathered sharing the same opinion about Dr. Bourisaw. They stressed how Diana Bourisaw took this position during a difficult time in the SLPS. She made every effort to respond to emails, phone calls, and questions asked concerning the public schools. “No one could ever do the job Dr. Bourisaw has done and it was a big mistake to fire her,” said many of the teacher and parent supporters.
Around 7:00PM, everyone went into room 108 in the Administration building where the meeting was being held. They lined the walls and silently continued to support Dr. Bourisaw.