There is still much work to do!

Yes, it is true that I will no longer be the Superintendent of the Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) at the end of December. No, I am not finished with my work for the young people of St. Louis.

The opportunity to serve as superintendent of Saint Louis Public Schools has been a unique blessing for the past 14 years. The challenge for me to use my time and talents to improve the lives of thousands and thousands of children was the driving force for the work.

With the tremendous help of parents, teachers, Saint Louis Public School employees, Board members, unions, and the community at large, we have made a difference. However, there is still much to be done.

Together, we placed a priority on early childhood education and more than doubled the number of seats for pre-kindergarten children in the city. We passed two bond issues and a tax levy that have and will provide facility upgrades, technology advancements and increased safety and security systems. However, there is still much to be done. 

Thanks to the extremely hard work of dedicated teachers and committed students and parents, we did what many thought could never be done: SLPS regaining Full Accreditation. However, there is still much to be done.

Under the guidance of the Special Administrative Board and later the Board of Education of the City of St. Louis, we erased a $60 million deficit and now have an appropriate fund balance. Our teachers’ pay is more than competitive and our starting salaries are among the highest in the region. However, there is still much to be done.

We built relationships between St. Louis’ business community and our schools that didn’t just provide support to buildings. They were not just volunteers. They became a part of the SLPS family that is now part of our foundation. However, there is still much work to be done. 

While we celebrate the SLPS successes, we must also acknowledge the dark days and dedicate ourselves to doing better in the future.

Too many young people are experiencing trauma on an almost daily basis. What can the community commit to do to solve this crisis?

Too many schools have had to close, resulting in educational chaos for students and parents. We must get better at working together to prevent these closures. The City-Wide Plan is an opportunity for reducing the chaos. 

As I pass the baton of leadership on to the next superintendent, I make this commitment to all of you. I will continue in some small way to work for young people, whether here in St. Louis or elsewhere. The work started together is not complete. There is still much to be done.

Words truly cannot express how thankful I am to St. Louis for welcoming me into this community just over 14 years ago and supporting SLPS throughout my tenure as superintendent. It has been by pleasure!

I will see you around.

Kelvin Adams is retiring on Dec. 31, 2022, after serving as St. Louis Public Schools superintendent for 14 years.