By Antonio D. French
The Post reports this morning that Mayor Francis Slay and board member Robert Archibald think four of the seven members of the St. Louis School Board may be ready to fire Superintendent Creg Williams.
Reporter Steve Giegerich must have read The Watch or our sister site, PUBDEF.net, earlier this week when we reported that board member Ron Jackson had been in contact with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regarding the tensions between the board and Williams.
Without a mention of our story, Giegerich wrote, “Jackson’s concern over what he called ‘board dysfunction’ led him recently to contact [DESE] about a potential state takeover of the school district, Missouri’s largest.”
The Post stopped short of also re-reporting our sources’ claims that Slay also contacted DESE about taking over SLPS. But that part of our story is what prompted board president Veronica O’Brien to blast Slay in an email to the mayor and copied to several other people.
“Your office needs to stop! Can you folks get over the fact that you lost both elections,” wrote O’Brien. “Back off and run the city! Stop calling [DESE Commissioner] Kent King and trying to hurt the children. Do you know what you look like?”
O’Brien went on to tell Slay, “I never hear you talk about the children only Creg. If Creg is gone it is your fault. Grow up Mayor Slay — run what you can — the city and not the school district.
“Your people destroyed the district and if all they did came out it would destroy you. Please, please back off we have all had enough of you!!”