VIDEO: Board gets on board to help save Cleveland High, will maintain and secure

As was expected, the St. Louis School Board voted last night to move the students and staff of Cleveland NJROTC High School to Pruitt Middle School. They also voted to approve a proposal to work with the newly formed group dedicated to raising private funds to repair and upgrade Cleveland with the goal of eventually bringing the students back.

The resolution, proposed by board member Bill Purdy, also directed the district to continue to provide basic maintenance and security to Cleveland after relocation so that the building is not vandalized and does not fall further into disrepair.

Purdy’s resolution replaced one approved earlier in the meeting which was submitted by Superintendent Creg Williams. Williams’ proposal also moved the students out of Cleveland for the 2006-2007 school year, but it did not address what SLPS was going to do with the building once empty.

Board members Ron Jackson and Bob Archibald said they believed that the issue of repairing Cleveland should not be considered seperate from the numerous aging buildings owned by the district, each with their own structural and maintenance-related problems.

Archibald added that he believes the district still has too many schools for the number of students it serves. “We really need to have seventysome schools, not ninetysome,” he said. He suggested that Cleveland be included in a broader discussion held over the next three months on how to address the district’s infrastructure problems.

Several people addressed the board on the issue of preserving the 93 year-old building, including Alderman Craig Schmid; attorney Matt Ghio, a board member of Landmarks Association which has joined the Alliance to Save Cleveland High; and Travis Reems, also a member of the Alliance. See videos:

The board approved the measure with Archibald, Jackson, and Board President Veronica O’Brien voting against it.

Click here to download Purdy’s resolution.