The St. Louis Board of Education voted Friday to terminate Superintendent Millicent Borishade after a contentious 15-month tenure marked by controversy over school closures, union opposition and deepening concerns about the district’s direction.
Borishade said she was fired “without cause” following a four-hour closed session at district headquarters. Under her contract, she will receive roughly $750,000 in remaining salary and health benefits through June 2028.
“I know that I’ve done my very best and I’m leaving (SLPS) much better than I found it,” she said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
A divided district
The dismissal comes two months after more than 2,000 teachers and support staff approved a no-confidence petition citing “numerous and troubling concerns” about Borishade’s leadership. The American Federation of Teachers Local 420 had criticized her handling of plans to relocate tornado-damaged schools and her July release of a consultant’s report proposing the closure of 37 of 68 district buildings. The St. Louis Public School districts serves a population which is 76-78% African American. The tornado impacted his some predominantly Black neighborhoods in St. Louis such as DeBaliviere Place and The Ville.
“Our students need a fresh start with a superintendent who wants to move, rebuild and invest in strong St. Louis Public Schools,” union president Ray Cummings said earlier. “It is time to turn the page and look forward towards the future of public education in the city of St. Louis.”
The board has not yet announced interim leadership.
A brief and stormy rise
Borishade, hired by former Superintendent Keisha Scarlett in 2023 as chief of schools, became interim superintendent after Scarlett’s firing that summer. Scarlett’s ouster, for what the board said were hiring-protocol violations, further fractured the district’s leadership.
Borishade was elevated to the permanent role in February on a 4-1 vote “without a national or local search,” the St. Louis American noted in an editorial in August that called for her firing.
Her tenure was defined by efforts to navigate an aging and under-enrolled system. District leaders have warned for years that falling enrollment, population decline and eroding tax revenue threaten SLPS’s ability to sustain nearly 70 buildings, many in poor condition.
Mounting pressure
The St. Louis American editorial urged the board to negotiate a buyout of Borishade’s contract, arguing that she lacked “the skills or political savvy to seriously address the numerous and complex issues … that are preventing our students from getting the education they deserve.” The editorial also warned that the district’s instability could invite state intervention, noting Gov. Mike Kehoe’s recent remarks suggesting possible state oversight of SLPS.
The editorial described a district “on track to slide further into decline,” pointing to low test scores, graduation rates and college readiness. It also highlighted long-term structural problems — shrinking enrollment, a declining tax base, and deteriorating facilities — that Borishade was tasked to confront.
What’s next
Borishade’s proposed recommendations for permanent school closures were scheduled to be presented Monday, but the meeting has been canceled, according to the Post-Dispatch.
In the wake of her firing, uncertainty looms over how the district will proceed with its restructuring and recovery from the May 16 tornado that damaged multiple schools. Union leaders and community advocates say the next superintendent must rebuild trust with teachers and families, stabilize enrollment and restore public confidence in a system that has struggled for decades to deliver equitable results.
First of all Saint Louis Public School District is a horrible school district and it has been for many many many years so it’s not her fault. They have very substandard teachers so I don’t know how the teachers union have the gall to complain about the superintendent when they are some of the worst teachers on the planet. In the article it said she did not have the political saviness that’s just a nice way of saying she didn’t lie enough and she didn’t kiss enough butt. What they need to do is get rid of the school board and start with a younger better educated School Board that is more relatable to the students. I really can’t speak to her performance however I had a child in St Louis Public Schools and they are the absolute worst.
You say “you can’t speak to her performance” but you can speak to the performance of hundreds of teachers? I have been an SLPS parent for 13 years and, for the most part, we have had exceptional teachers. The district obviously has its issues, but slamming all educators like you did is uncalled for.