2005

A Letter to the Editor from Helen Louise HerndonToday's leading editorial in the Post-Dispatch, a scathing criticism of the school district, is somewhat overdue. All along, its editors and commentary page editor refused any articles…

For a few minutes, Friday's Board of Aldermen meeting was turned into a forum by backers of a proposed civilian review board. Members of the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression, who are pressing for…

November 9, 2005 -- St. Louis Schools Watch has a redesigned blog. Stories from the newsletter published by Peter Downs, parent and former school board candidate, can now be seen online at www.SLSWatch.PUBDEF.net

St. Louis School Board member Bill Purdy called the program "a national scandal" and "a travesty" and refused to vote for it at the school board meeting on October 11. Fellow school board member Ron…

December 1, 2005 -- At today's meeting of the Public Safety Committee of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, there was debate on the selection of members to a possible Civilian Review Board that would…

December 1, 2005 -- Fifty years ago today, a 42-year-old Southern black woman made a decision to no longer be a party to her own disrespect. Rosa Parks said “no” to the question of her…

A common rap against St. Louis Public School parents is that they don't get involved. Somebody forgot to tell the parents at Dewey International Studies Elementary School.On the weekends of October 8 and October 15,…

Democratic Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay, Jr. (D-MO) joined Republicans yesterday to pass the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act of 2005. If made law, the bill (also known as the "Cheeseburger Bill") would prevent people…

A new textbook committee began meeting October 17 to evaulate social studies textbooks for middle school. As of October 12, district administrators were still looking for parents to sit on the committee, but as one…

Future of Gifted Education, Magnet Schools in DoubtBy Peter DownsNovember 22, 2005 –– Last Friday, David Welch, director of gifted education programs for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, gave representatives from metropolitan…