VIDEO: Interview with Ron Jackson

At the last meeting of the St. Louis City School Board, the board majority surprised many by voting to drop the word “interim” off the title of new Superintendent Diana Bourisaw, effectively making her the leader of the district for the foreseeable future.

The 4-2 vote, which happened in a closed meeting, occurred after some stern objections from the board’s minority — most notably from board member Ron Jackson who stormed out of the meeting before the vote was taken.

Jackson sat down with PUB DEF this afternoon to talk about that vote, the current state of St. Louis Public Schools, and why he thinks the state should step in to take over the district.

Part 1: Why were you upset by the actions of the board majority this week? (approx 4 mins)

Part 2: Do you agree with fellow board member Bob Archibald that school boards should not be elected by the public, but rather appointed by governors or mayors? (approx 8 mins)

Part 3: Is this all just “sour grapes”? Would you and Archibald be calling for a state takeover if you were still in the majority? (approx 2 mins)

Part 4: Can you see why some people may be fearful of a takeover of SLPS by this governor’s administration? (approx 1.5 mins)