2006

by Peter DownsJanuary 1, 2006 –– As the year 2005 wound to an end, the culture of deception at the top of St. Louis Public Schools continued. On December 23, 2005, St. Louis Public Schools…

Below are answers from school district administrators to questions from St. Louis Board of Education member Peter Downs regarding items on the administration's consent agenda for April 18, 2006.Textbook items: (Numbers 4, 5, 11, 12,…

The vice-president of the teachers union asked the St. Louis Board of Education yesterday to put on next week's regular board meeting agenda a proposal to require employees who have opted not to join the…

Kristen Hinman has a very good article on Superintendent Dr. Diana Bourisaw's new directive to her staff to ensure that all participants in the district's basketball program are eligible to play according to the state's…

Former Superintendent Creg Williams told Channel 4 reporter Anne Steffens that he resigned today after talking to his family and close friends. He said he was not fired or forced out as has been reported.…

COLEMAN GETTING CANNED? The Source, a Republican blog, claims that a battle is brewing between Minority Floor Leader Maida Coleman and fellow Democrat, State Senator Tim Green. The Source says Senator Chuck Graham, the Assistant…

by Peter DownsThe St. Louis Board of Education on January 17 approved a fundamental change in the way students are admitted to magnet schools. The board voted 4-1 to give preference for admission to magnet…

An article in Friday’s Post-Dispatch gives props to Pub Def for our political coverage throughout 2006. Thanks to political reporter Jo Mannies for the love. French, who operates Pubdef, said political activists at all levels…

We reported yesterday that Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill pulled an "all-nighter" Friday and Saturday, campaigning 24-hours straight, hitting diners, firehouses and factories talking to voters working the late shift. Here's more from the…