Saint Louis
CitySide
St. Louis Front Page presents St. Louis CitySide, an overview of the City Government of Saint Louis. From time to time, we will take an indepth look at many of the projects in which the city is involved and how these projects will affect residents and visitors.
 Advance Saint Louis' Second City Wide Meeting - Concerned Citizens Work to Change City Government
Yes Vote by St. Louis School Board Meets a Strong No by Parents and Teachers
Advance Saint Louis' First City Wide Meeting Begins the Journey to Change City Government
Advance Saint Louis Launches Citizen Planning Process to Change St. Louis City Government
'The Game of Their Lives' to Be Filmed in St. Louis
Mayor Slay Marks Mid-Term in Office
If the Cardinals Leave Downtown St. Louis, It's Lights Out for St. Louis
Public Hearing on Proposed Mississippi River Crossing
Missouri Governor Holden Signs Bill Which Changes Property Tax Policy
Loss of Cardinals Baseball Would Create Large Hole in St. Louis Economy, Says Mayor Slay
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Darnetta Clinkscale, president of the St. Louis School Board, read a prepared statement to a small jeering audience of parents, teachers and school support staff prior to a vote by the board approving the budget for 2004.
St. Louis School Board Votes Four to One to Approve 2004 Budget
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by Bob Moore, SLFP.com
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), August 6, 2003 - Less than one month after receiving recommendations from the consultant team of Alvarez & Marsal to close 16 city schools and reduce support staff by nearly 1,500, the St. Louis School Board voted four to one to approve the school budget for fiscal year 2004.
The vote came following a special meeting at Vashon High School where parents, teachers and support staff passionately expressed their dismay and anger over proposed budget cuts.
"Our goal is to manage the budget without compromise to the education," stated St. Louis School Board President Darnetta Clinkscale. As members of the audience shouting and jeered, Clinkscale proceeded to outline the board's position on the proposed budget. She noted that the board was attempting to put more resources into the classrooms to improve the academic performance by students.
Yolanda Brown, bus driver, strongly questioned the increased ratio of students per teacher and the proposed transportation changes.
Bettye Jett, parent and teacher, told the board that her three children wanted her to say that Rochelle Moore (member of the School Board) was neither crazy, disillusional, nor paranoid. "If you lay off a teacher's assistant, you affect the way I do my job in the classroom."
Mary Armstrong, president of the teacher's union, called for an independent state audit of the proposed budget. "Although there has been some progress, it's the progress that we need to have at this time."
Herman McGahee, parent, said that if the board passed the budget, he would personally ask every parent and every teacher not to show up at their schools.
Following his statement to the board, Rev. Eugene Fowler, Congress for Racial Equality, told Saint Louis Front Page that "There's no way that an issue of this magnitude should just be one that is not given any consideration to the public."
"We all understand that change has to be made. But change does not take place without process or organization. Teachers, the employees of the district, should have been made aware exactly as to what was going to happen and how it was going to happen," stated Fowler.
"That way, when it came to us the public, we would have been able through documentation to know whether this was a clear shot and that something needed to be done," he said.
"I was here Monday and it was shocking to me to find out that they were $90 million in the hole. But when the question was asked, 'Where was the documentation to prove that, they used an approvement of a letter from the state who has not been a friend to Kansas City nor St. Louis. And what are we talking about - black folks. So, to have a group of people when you look out at Schoemehl. I'm not saying that because he's involved is a bad deal. But Vince has a relationship with the black community that is highly questionable from the standpoint even as mayor. He did very little to garner a respectful relationship with the community. He had no agenda that was in the best interest of the community," continued Fowler.
"I am going to put together a team of community people. We will spend our own money to publicize the fact that if this thing passes, there should be no child sent to no school in this town until such time that we as a community are comfortable with what it is that they are saying needs to happen," stated Fowler.
When asked if the protest was based on race and not economics, Fowler responded adamantly, "Don't misread me. Racism is a reality. That's a reality. Economics is one... How can you spend $5 million to deal with an issue that everybody I talk to in the district says that they could have got answers to and gotten an agenda and would not had to spend no money. I know some educators in this town that could have and would have been willing. Cause we all know that the system needed to be overhauled. That's not the question. The question is whether or not the way they are talking about overhauling is in the best interest of the community. Quite naturally due to the fact that 80 percent of the children are black and more than 90 percent of the educators are black, we don't even need to raise the question of race. The question becomes whether or not this was being done in the best interest of the black community let alone the city. That's the question," stated Fowler.
The school closures are expected to save about $15 million a year, according to a draft of the School Consolidation Plan handed out at the July 15 meeting. That plan cited declining enrollment of 65% since 1967, physical condition and age of the buildings, poor level of academic achievement and a financial crisis of an estimated $90 million.
In a letter to members of the board, William V. Roberti, acting superintendent, stated, that "the center piece of the effort was full employment for teachers and redeploying non-instructional resources into the classroom to enhance student achievement and outcomes."
"We are committed as a team to having a successful opening of school on September 8 and pursuing our new Literacy-Based Education Program in the 2004 school year," stated Roberti.
The schools include Walnut Park, Scullin, Lowell, Hempstead, Cook, Des Peres, Emerson, King Tri-A, Cupples, Marshall, Williams, Carver, Jackson, Waring, Roe and Garfield. All but four of the schools are north of Delmar. The closings will affect more than 3,000 students, their families and teachers.
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Audience members gave Rochelle Moore a standing ovation at a special School Board meeting held at Vashion High School.
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Yolanda Brown
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Bettye Jett
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Mary Armstrong
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Herman McGahee
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Rev. Eugene Fowler
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