2006

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…

COMMENTARY We observed back in January that the 20% increase in St. Louis’ crime rate coincidently matched the proposed pay increase for Police Chief Joe Mokwa. Perhaps now that St. Louis has once again been…

Dr. Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools, today announced the appointment of Terry Houston as the new principal at Roosevelt High School."Mr. Houston is the right person to lead Roosevelt High. He…

The following is a letter from an exiting administrator in St. Louis Public Schools:Since I am now leaving the BOE (my position for improving student performance on ACT and AP examinations has been eliminated), I…

by Peter DownsMarch 20, 2006 -- Richard Pack made a modest proposal to the St. Louis Board of Education on March 14: teach children how to focus by teaching them chess.Pack said he was a…

This letter was submitted to the Post-Dispatch by school board members Veronica O'Brien, Bill Purdy, Donna Jones, and Peter Downs in hopes it would be considered for publication on Sunday, September 3. They requested the…

St. Louis Public Schools will be holding a press conference today announcing former NBA star Anthony Bonner as Executive Director of Community Outreach and new head basketball coach at Vashon High School.The press conference will…

THE POST NEEDS ADS — For the second day in a row, the Post-Dispatch ran a full-page ad pleading with political campaigns to advertise in its pages. “Attention Candidates: We can help you win the…

Despite repeated assertions by the school board president, St. Louis Public Schools maintains that Vashon’s new basketball coach does not make a $125,000 per year salary. As late as yesterday in a “You Paid for…

Senator Jim Talent told moderator Tim Russert on “Meet the Press” this morning that he would have voted for to go to war in Iraq even if he knew there were no weapons of mass…