Closing public schools without public input is wrong

As St. Louis families continue to process and address the destruction from the May tornado, they are being hit with another withering blow — a proposal to shutter half of all St. Louis’ public schools.

Those schools are mostly in the northern part of the city, which is overwhelmingly home to Black families. 

Superintendent Millicent Borishade would have the public believe that the only way to deal with a diminishing student population and deteriorating school buildings is to close 37 public schools — going from 68 to 31 — starting in the 2026-27 school year. Let’s take a breath.

Instead of abandoning St. Louis communities by closing their public schools, the superintendent should be working with the community to offer a vision for thriving neighborhood public schools that are safe, welcoming and well-resourced. Shouldn’t this be job number one? 

Other than the seven public schools that were hit directly by the tornado, there should be a moratorium on school closures until the community has been meaningfully included in discussions about the problems our schools face, the district’s plan and alternative solutions. Borishade’s plan should not be accepted as a given. We won’t let that happen.  

There are three major problems with the district’s plan, which was developed by a consultant to the school district without an ounce of public input. 

The first problem is that it leaves entire communities without access to a public school by walking or a reasonable bus ride. Public schools are more than just buildings — they are the foundations of a democratic society where every child, no matter their ZIP code, has the right to learn, grow and thrive. Closing schools in predominantly Black communities, as is the plan, just months after a natural disaster, is cruel. 

The second problem is that the plan ignores the $160 million bond measure that passed in 2022 by 87% because most St. Louis schools are in varying states of disrepair. It is intended for facility acquisition, renovations, upgrades and improvements across St. Louis public schools and buildings. Given that nearly half of all public schools are over 100 years old, the public agreed there was an urgent need for facility upgrades and enhanced security. The superintendent shouldn’t act as if this money doesn’t exist.

The third problem is that Borishade’s plan could be a desire to close public schools and clear the way for more charter schools. The district is using the tornado as an excuse, and New Orleans’ post-Hurricane Katrina policy of replacing most public schools with charters as an example.

Opening charters was used as a solution to whatever ailed New Orleans schools, but they didn’t bring about the promised academic improvements and now the city is bringing back public schools. During that era, students paid a heavy price.

The just-released state audit of St. Louis public schools shows an astounding amount of financial impropriety over the last few years — money that should have been used to lift up our schools. The audit demonstrates that financial accountability of public funds is essential, something that isn’t usually required for publicly funded charter schools. It would be a disaster to waste more public school dollars. 

While Borishade’s plan primarily affects the Black communities in the northern part of the city, which is bad enough, it would have a devastating ripple effect on the broader St. Louis community. Who would want to live in communities without schools? That becomes an economic issue. 

Our students deserve an investment in public schools — both physically and academically. The easy solution is to say we should close them, wash our hands of them and allow outsiders (charters) to take over. The Black community in the north deserves better than this cynical, even unethical, approach.

Before Borishade’s school closure plan sees the light of day, there needs to be serious public debate that encourages real community input, such as at town halls and other public forums — not the just-for-show forums that were mainly attended by school district staff. We must protect the future of our public schools for the sake of every student in every St. Louis community.

Ray Cummings is president of AFT St Louis, Local 420.