All eyes will be on St. Louis Public Schools tonight as Superintendent Kelvin Adams presents his suggestions to the Special Advisory Board about which schools to close.
The public meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. today (Feb. 26) in Gateway Complex, next to Gateway Middle School, 1200 N. Jefferson Ave.
District officials said Adams would consider public comments as well as the schools’ test scores, attendance figures and dropout rates before making his suggestions.
Last month, consultants from MGT of America recommended closing 29 schools, renovating 30 others and building two new elementary schools.
The district has roughly a $350 million budget with a projected $36 million deficit this school year.
If they implement all of MGT’s recommendations, it would cost the district $337 million and would save them between $20 million and $22 million over the next three years, SLPS spokesperson Patrick Wallace said.
President Barack Obama’s federal stimulus package might also help. Missouri’s economic stimulus package includes $1.3 billion for Missouri schools, with SLPS maybe getting $50 million, Wallace said.
But the district was unsure of when the money will arrive, which will be used for academic support, Wallace said.
Since MGT’s initial proposal, concerned families, school staff and city residents have poured out their concerns to SAB members before the board votes to reconfigure the district.
On Monday, the three members of the appointed board spent nearly three hours in front of the Board of Aldermen to discuss the proposed closings.
Alderwoman Dionne Flowers, who chairs the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, invited the SAB. Although the aldermen have no authority over the school board, Flowers called the meeting productive.
“We really want them to keep the line of communication open,” she said.
Many of the aldermen were concerned about the presence of more vacant school buildings in their wards. Some were also upset by MGT’s proposal to relocate Cleveland’s Naval JROTC program from Pruitt High School to Vashon.
Mary Armstrong, president of American Federation of Teachers Local 420, which represents St. Louis public school teachers and support staff, also ran down a list of concerns.
They include moving special needs students to another school, ensuring lead paint is removed from existing buildings and switching vocational programs to buildings that do not have the necessary equipment.
Last Thursday, a rally was held outside of Mallinckrodt Academy of Basic Instruction in hopes of saving the magnet elementary school from the closure list. There have been similar efforts to rescue Gateway High School.
Calling MGT’s assessment “flawed,” elected board member Peter Downs sees creating community schools – which would house things like health, employment and adult education services – as a more viable option.
“You have to look at it as what’s good for St. Louis,” Downs said.
The SAB has tentatively scheduled a vote on the recommendations at its March 12 meeting.