This week Superintendent Diana Bourisaw marked her first six months at the helm of the city’s public schools by listing some of her administration’s accomplishments.

“Thank you all for making my first six months at the St. Louis Public Schools so enjoyable. I am very proud of the work we have done in such a short period of time, including:

• Opening schools on time despite numerous obstacles.
• Developing an updated Comprehensive School Improvement Plan that will continue to move the St. Louis Public Schools towards full accreditation.
• Raising over $21 million in new grants for the 2006/2007 school year. In addition, the District is working to raise $20 million in scholarships for students in the class of 2010.
• Restructuring the central administrative office in a manner than improves communication while also reducing costs.
• Reaching out to community partners, parents, elected officials, teachers, and other stakeholders. The District also reintroduced the School & Home newspaper throughout the community.
• Establishing new attendance targets for schools which have boosted the attendance at all levels.
• Increasing the number of permanent, certified teachers in classrooms. This year the District has 50 long-term substitutes compared to approximately 200 in past years.
• Increasing accountability at all levels of the organization.
• Expanding the use of current technology. For example, our Human Resources Division will soon be completely paperless. Further, a new workforce management system approved by the Board of Education is expected to improve fiscal accountability and increase school security.

“These accomplishments would not have been possible without the hard work and cooperation of administrators, principals, teachers, board members, and parents,” said Bourisaw.

Congressman Lacy Clay’s office proudly announced today that the St. Louisan was unanimously chosen by his Democratic colleagues to chair the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, the Census and the National Archives.

The chairmanship, which is one of five selected by the majority members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has primary oversight responsibility for the 2010 Census, an enormous $12 billion national project that will determine political reapportionment and the distribution of billions of federal dollars.

“This is a historic moment, and I deeply appreciate the confidence and trust that my colleagues have invested in me,” said Clay in a press release.

“The census is one of the most powerful tools that the federal government has to help African-Americans and other minority communities. In 2000, the national census missed at least three million people – mostly the poor and minorities. But as the Chairman of the Census Subcommittee, I will use all the government’s resources to see that this never happens again. Phoenix-like we will rise up and ensure that every American is counted.”

Congressman Clay’s subcommittee will also have oversight responsibilities for the National Archives and Records Administration, which safeguards essential evidence and historical records from U.S. Presidents, the Congress and the federal courts. It also has responsibility for the management of sensitive and classified information through the Office of Information Security Oversight and for monitoring the enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act.

A video message posted on his website today suggests that the junior senator from Illinois will indeed be running for President.

Click here to view the agenda for Thursday’s meeting of the State Board of Education. Early on the very full agenda is a report on St. Louis Public Schools by DESE Commissioner Kent King.

And tomorrow, the local Board of Education will meet for a work session and an administrative board meeting. Of note is an addition to the agenda for next Tuesday’s regular meeting: an “update from the Mayor’s office” following the President’s Report.

The agenda was prepared by Board President Veronica O’Brien — without the input of the district adminstration, according to sources — and Ed Rhode, spokesman for Mayor Francis Slay, was not immediately aware of any such “update”.

Developing…

The Work Session will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Administrative Building, 801 N. 11th Ave., in Room 108 and is open to the public. The Administrative Board Meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Room 108 and is also open to the public. The agenda is as follows:

WORK SESSION AGENDA 5:30 P.M.

1. Call to Order

2. Roll Call

3. Finance Report (Revised GOB and Non-GOB Budgets)
Mr. Enos Moss, Treasurer/Interim CFO

4. Discussion

5. Kronos Report
Mr. Terry Laster, CIO

6. Discussion

7. Adjournment

ADMINISTRATIVE MEETING AGENDA 7:00 P.M.

1.0 Preliminary

1.1 Call To Order / Roll Call

1.2 Placement of Items on the January 16, 2007 Regular Board Meeting Agenda

a) Call to Order/Roll Call
b) Pledge of Allegiance
c) We Are Up To Good Things
d) Public Comments
e) Approval of Minutes
f) Superintendent’s Report
i) Presentation by Superintendent
ii) Finance Report
iii) Consent Agenda
g) Board Resolutions
i) Approval of election ballot and legal notice
ii) Resolution on Management and Oversite of the Office of the Board of Education
iii) Resolution to direct Superintendent to conduct a district-wide survey of all employees and parents to determine their feelings regarding either a full or partial State takeover of the St. Louis Public Schools
iv) Resolution regarding Internal and External Board Communications
h) President’s Report
i) Update from Mayor’s Office
i) New Business
j) Information Requests
k) Announcements

1.3 Adjournment

The St. Louis Teachers Union is holding a press conference this evening to ask for the public’s support in urging the Missouri Board of Education to decline requests for a state takeover.

Local 420 is asking the board to consider three points before any action is taken:

1.) Allow the current administration and duly elected St. Louis Board of Education until 2008 to gain accreditation,

2.) Uphold voters’ right to elect board members and maintain local control of the school district,

3.) Hold a series of public hearings to gain insight from the stakeholders of St. Louis Public Schools.

The press conference will be at the headquarters of Local 420, 2710 Hampton Ave, at 5:00 p.m.

Due to the late notice, Pub Def won’t be able to attend the press conference. But if anyone else records it, feel free to give us a copy and we’ll post it.

In her weekly e-newsletter, St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Diana Bourisaw announced this week that 76 of the district’s 96 schools have reached attendance goals she set shortly after assuming the post in July.

“Earlier this year, I established attendance rate targets for all schools, including 95% for elementary, 92% for middle/junior high, and 90% for high,” said Bourisaw.

“At the end of the first month of school, I highlighted those schools that met or exceeded those targets. I’m pleased to again share with you that nine more schools have been added to the list for the first half of the 2006-2007 school year.”

Bourisaw indicated that eight out of 17 high schools, 15 out of 18 middle schools, 51 out of 57 elementary schools, and 2 out of 4 alternative schools have reached those targets.

The St. Louis City school board is holding a special meeting tonight at 5:30 p.m. in the Foundation Room at the Administrative Building, 801 N. 11th Street. The Special Meeting will begin in open session and move into closed session to discuss personnel matters.

UPDATE: Coleman has retained her leadership position.

Democrats in the state legislature are in Jefferson City today to meet and select their leaders. For some time it has been rumored that State Sen. Maida Coleman, the current minority floor leader, will be challenged for her post. Back in September, Coleman sat down with PUB DEF to discuss this challenge.

Sources tell PUB DEF that Coleman’s future might rest on the vote of her newest colleague, State Senator-elect Jeff Smith. A vote by Smith for Coleman would help insure his fellow St. Louis Democrat another term leading the Senate’s minority party.

But if Smith were to instead vote for Sen. Chuck Graham, who is challenging Coleman for the position, it would help place control of the Democrat’s House and Senate agenda squarely in Columbia, MO, which is where Graham and House Minority Leader Jeff Harris are both from.

The Democrats will meet to vote at noon.

And in the Legislative Black Caucus… there is word that State Rep. Rodney Hubbard (St. Louis City) will be challenging State Rep. John Bowman (St. Louis County) for the chairmanship.

Though the caucus’ rules have stated that the chairmanship should alternate between City, County and Kansas City legislators, Bowman (who is the current chairman) lobbied to have that rule changed.

Check back later for more…

UPDATE: Coleman has retained her leadership position.

UPDATE 2: From Sen. Coleman’s office:

After a two-seat pick up two days ago, Missouri Senate Democrats returned Sen. Maida Coleman (D-St. Louis) to her position as Minority Floor Leader during the first caucus meeting of the new Senate members.

“While Missouri didn’t make the dramatic gains of Democrats at the national level, picking up two Senate seats and five House seats is notable,” she said. “Missouri is a cautious state, but we laid the groundwork for 2008.”

Sen. Coleman said the Democrats look forward to working with the Republican majority, especially on key issues like restoring the Medical Assistance for the Working Disabled program. She added that she hopes the House can be convinced to pass the strong Medicaid provider fraud bill which passed the Senate last year.

Other leadership positions went to Sen. Chuck Graham of Columbia, Assistant Minority Floor Leader; newly re-elected Sen. Frank Barnitz of Lake Spring, Caucus Chairman; and Sen. Yvonne Wilson of Kansas City, Caucus Secretary.

Sen. Coleman emphasized that the Democratic caucus is strongly united and will be acting in the best interests of Missouri’s citizenry.

“Democrats will be outlining our legislative priorities more fully in the coming weeks,” she said. “I hope Republicans will take notice of the changing political air nationally and in Missouri and focus on solving problems.”