Next Tuesday, April 5, city voters will decide who will replace Bill Hass and Amy Hilgemann on the St. Louis School Board and whether Veronica O’Brien will retain her appointed seat.
Painful, controversial school reform was initiated two years ago by the then-new board majority, under the threat of imminent bankruptcy, low teacher morale and lagging student achievement. Many of these radical changes, avoided by the previous board, were harsh and highly unpopular. They were engineered by a highly paid New York-based corporate turnover firm, whose methodology created alarm and was seen by many as unwarranted, insensitive and indifferent to the community’s concerns. Despite some solid progress, the board has failed to make a convincing case for the highly disruptive but necessary downsizing of the district.
Whoever wins on April 5, the current majority will continue to have the power to dictate board decisions. Yet future decisions must reflect the need to build a more broad consensus. Community trust must be regained if the district is to meet its remaining fiscal goals and face its many instructional challenges under the leadership of its new superintendent, Creg Williams. Fortunately, a much-improved foundation has been put in place with the selection of a very promising superintendent, who should pave the way for dramatic progress in academic improvement.
We need to elect individuals with the requisite knowledge, experience and temperament to do the board’s difficult work on behalf of the district’s children in a more civil, collaborative manner. The board must be mindful of its essential task and recognize that the business of the district must be conducted in a way that reflects the board’s highest priority n educational excellence.
It was not a difficult decision for the American to endorse Flint Fowler for school board. As executive director of Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, he is a seasoned leader in advancing effective educational programs for African-American youth. His commitment to the development of city youth and demonstrated ability to work effectively within a complex organization to get things done are well known. His steadiness and experience at the grass roots can only help the board in the early stages of what will likely be a long struggle to regain lost community trust, state accreditation and financial solvency. We endorse heartily Flint Fowler for SLPS school board.
We have arrived more gradually at our appreciation for the candidacy of Peter Downs. After his failed bid for the board in 2003, Downs, a professional journalist, began to report diligently on the district in a newsletter that seemed at times unduly contentious and even demagogic in stoking controversy. He seemed willing to condemn any board decision without regard to merit or necessity. Over time, however, his attention to detail in understanding all aspects of the district’s business and pedagogy has impressed us with his seriousness and analytic capacity.
The question of Downs’ contentiousness remains. But, in the end, his credibility with those opposed to the present board majority’s decisions and style, and his depth of knowledge n which must reflect a depth of concern n overpower other concerns. Even if the balance of power leaves Downs in the role of board gadfly, it is likely that his role as a watchdog would be valuable and ultimately in the best interests of the children in the district. We endorse Peter Downs for SLPS school board.
Joe Moramarco impressed us in his presentation to the American’s editorial board with an account of his tenure on the St. Cronin parish council during a time of tumult and controversy concerning a priest expelled for improprieties and proposed church closings. These experiences would prove very valuable for someone joining the embattled SLPS school board. “I took the time to make sure we heard everybody,” Moramarco said of his role on the parish council. That perspective is essential for the school board’s effectiveness in aggressively pursuing public trust. While every candidate on the ballot acknowledges this need, Moramarco can point to having provided an ear to the public under similar circumstances.
He also strikes us as sensitive and sincere on the core issues of racism and poverty that confront the city of St. Louis and it public school students. Moramarco is a member of Metropolitan Congregations United and has joined its fight against poverty and racism. “If we can improve the schools,” he said, “it would be a step up for a lot of kids to get out of poverty.” This thinking is close to our own. Along with his proven abilities as a listener in a time of crisis, it earns Joe Moramarco our endorsement.