Dr. Bourisaw’s Top Focus is Accreditation

In 2002, the SLPS were provisionally accredited. If it had not been for the impending end to the desegregation program within the district, the district would have been unaccredited at that time, but instead was given an additional nine years to meet the requirements for accreditation. 2011 is the target date by which the district must meet those state requirements, and for which Building Towards 2011, a strategic plan, was developed by the previous district administration. Since taking office, the current Superintendent, Dr. Diana Bourisaw, had promised to review the strategic plan, which she has done and has made her recommendations to the school board.

At the school board meeting last Tuesday, the Superintendent said, “The immediate goal for all of us should be accreditation for our district. As such, we will focus on the performance standards established under the Missouri School Improvement Plan (MSIP), including academic achievement for all students, career preparation, graduation rates, and attendance rates.”

Dr. Bourisaw’s presentation noted several key areas where the strategic plan is deficient:

• None of the initiatives were fully funded for the 2006/2007 school year. It would require an additional $71.4 million this year alone to fund the many programs.
• The total cost to implement the plan between now and 2011 exceeds $528 million.
• There is a lack of information on how the strategic plan will improve attendance and graduation rates, two areas that have been ignored in recent years.

The Superintendent, in her presentation, proposed the following areas for focus: achievement standards based on improved MAP scores, scholastic preparedness based on ACT scores, and educational persistence as measured through graduation rate and attendance rate. You can view the Superintendent’s entire report here.