Columnist Jamala Rogers
St. Louis Public Schools is poised to close more schools. Sad.
I attended one of the so-called public meetings being held across the city designed to get input from citizens. By now, most concerned citizens know how the school bureaucracy values their opinions and refused to be lured into the arena of farcical democracy.
The MGT America consulting firm, in the spirit of Alvarez-Roberti ghosts of the past, was given a $650,000 contract to produce a 10-year plan on our school facilities. I think MGT stands for Money and Good Times. The Special Administrative Board (SAB) ignored hometown firms that have similar or superior qualifications. So much for stimulating the local economy. The MGT reps that evening were all white, another slap in the diverse faces of local civic engagement groups.
As I came through the door of the school auditorium, a representative of MGT greeted us cheerfully. “We’re gonna have some fun tonight!” he said.
There is nothing fun about closing schools. In 1967, the St. Louis Public Schools boasted over 115,000 students. Some 40 years later, there are about 33,000. In the last several years, we’ve witnessed a 60 percent drop alone in student population. If this trend continues, we will only need a one-room school.
Since 2004, 26 schools have closed with the North Side receiving a disproportionate hit. Another couple of dozen will close at the end of this school year. And we’re supposed to believe that what citizens say will make a difference.
The other citizens who attended the public session included about 25 teachers, parents, students and alumni. Each participant was given a small hand-held remote control to cast our answer. (“Are we having fun yet?”) MGT had the technology to record our responses to the survey questions in a New York minute and to project it on the big screen for all to see.
At first, the survey questions seem to be no-brainers, almost condescending. How would you rate safety, physical conditions of the schools, etc.? We were asked to rate the importance of appropriate learning spaces, access to schools, heating and cooling and so on.
Then came loaded questions, like should the Louis Public Schools operate the right number of school buildings. Who defines “right”? The kicker climax question asked about the probability of support for a tax increase to improve school facilities. Don’t even think about it.
Anyone can take this unscientific survey as many times as they want. You can access it on the school district’s website. If I was a bettin’ woman, I’d bet the results of the survey will tell us that citizens support the closing of schools to save money and are willing to support the remainder of those schools with a tax levy.
We just got the bad news that almost a fourth of the city’s high school students dropped out last year, doubling the rate of the previous year. This came as no surprise to many given the unqualified leadership of the SAB. The St. Louis Public Schools has been on a slippery slope for a while, with no end in sight.
I didn’t have fun that night with the folks from MGT. I left with a heavy heart.