After a nationwide search, a public forum and several interviews, Kelvin Adams, chief of staff of the Recovery School District in New Orleans and former St. Louis Public Schools human resource director, will circle back to St. Louis to take the helm of Missouri’s largest public school district.
He becomes the beleaguered St. Louis Public Schools’ seventh superintendent in five years.
On Friday morning, Adams was already hard at work, although he doesn’t officially start until Oct. 20. He met with media and the Special Administrative Board and ate chicken nuggets with students at McKinley Classical Junior Academy Middle School.
He said the St. Louis job presented a “unique opportunity.”
“I look forward to the challenge because, quite frankly, it’s a journey,” he said. “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
In the wake of high turnover of superintendents, the district signed Adams to a three-year contract. He will be paid $250,000 annually. He could be paid more if the district meets certain targets, such as AYP, attendance and enrollment. He succeeds Diana Bourisaw, who left the position in July.
“Illness and death are the only two things that can separate me from this district,” Adams told media.
Although he has no experience serving as superintendent, he won over the other two finalists n Donnie Evans and Eric Becoats n whom the administrative board brought to the city two weeks ago to audition for the job.
Of the three finalists, Adams was the only candidate with previous professional experience in St. Louis. He also had worked in a district that was under State control, as is SLPS.
Melanie Adams, a member of the SAB, said one of the reasons the administrative board chose Adams was because they believed he would be a “better fit.” The other finalists had obvious career blemishes that might have hurt their chances.
Adams’ colleagues described him as child-focused, dedicated, ethical, honest and someone who can build and motivate a team.
During an interview earlier this month, Adams said the number one problem confronting St. Louis is student achievement.
“Our schools are desperately in need of changes, but the changes required are complex and difficult,” he said at last month’s meeting with the public. “It doesn’t take one person riding in on a white horse to change the whole district.”
He plans to put in place some key reforms he used to help New Orleans schools. He mentioned an extended school day, increased autonomy for principals, augmented work-study opportunities and enhanced merit pay for good teachers. He did not rule out downsizing schools or cutting programs to address the district’s budget issues.
As far as charter schools, he said he would use the competition to strengthen city schools.
“I’m in favor of the best possible education for students, whether charters can provide that or we can provide that,” Adams told the American.
Charters schools, publicly funded schools that are independently governed, have drained St. Louis schools of students and resources for the past eight years.
The district currently operates 16 city charter schools with Mayor Francis G. Slay opting to bring more to rival the city’s sinking school district.
Critics maintain that charters threaten the traditional public education system.
“You can’t be competitive when you’re taking money away,” said elected board member Peter Downs. “It’s a bit naive.”
Adams, 52, has spent virtually his entire career in New Orleans, with the exception of the 2006-2007 school year, when he worked as a middle school executive director and then as executive director of human resources for SLPS. He was responsible for the recruitment, selection and retention of all district employees.
In his years working in New Orleans schools, he was the principal of Marion Abramson Senior High and principal of Fannie C. Williams Middle School. He also had served as a teacher, an executive director, an area superintendent and an associate dean.
As chief of staff, he played a key role in helping revitalize the New Orleans district devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He was credited for increasing graduation rates from 39 percent to 67 percent in one year.
Adams received his doctorate in education leadership from the University of New Orleans in 2005. He has a master’s in elementary education from Xavier University and a bachelor’s in elementary and special education from Northeast Louisiana University.
He will wrap up business in New Orleans before starting here as superintendent this month. He said he would spend his first six months on the job evaluating the resources of the district.
Parents, teachers and community leaders seem to be happy with the SAB’s decision.
“I think of the three candidates, he was the best choice,” said former elected board member Ron Jackson. “His temperament is serious and focused, and he has experience in working in difficult environments.”
Members of the elected board, on the other hand, were not as accepting.
“The best choice for the SAB would have been to keep Bourisaw in place,” Downs said. “The second best choice would have been to cancel the search and ask her to come back.”
Rex gives $100K to Slay
Yesterday, the Post-Dispatch reported online that a political action committee set up by multi-millionaire financier and political activist Rex Sinquefield is contributing $100,000 to Mayor Francis G. Slay’s re-election campaign.
Sinquefield is a generous funding source for elected officials who promote the privatization of public education.
“Mayor Slay’s commitment to the renewal of urban education and continued leadership, especially as an ardent supporter of charter schools echoes the missions of the Public Charter Schools of MO-East PAC,” a release said.
