After vowing an oath to only represent the St. Louis public schools and pursuing no conflicts of interest within the district, three newly elected school board members-Brian Marston, Karen Collins-Adams and Allisa “AJ” Foster-were sworn in Tuesday evening.
Board members also elected Karen Collins-Adams as the new president of SLPS Board. Former president, Antionette ‘Toni’ Cousins, who was elected to the position in 2021 did not win her reelection bid.
Three seats were open, including Cousins.’ Matt Davis, the board’s vice president, and Natalie Vowell both decided not to defend the other two open seats. Ten candidates sought election to the board. The three who won-Marston, Collins-Adams and Foster-were all endorsed by St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Megan Green.
Voter participation in this year’s school board race was tepid compared to the 2021 competition. The total number of votes cast was 116,323 compared to almost 130,000 four years ago. The city reported 50,477 ballots cast for a 25.7% turnout, well below the 29.2% turnout in 2021, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
In a statement, Superintendent of Saint Louis Public Schools, Dr. Millicent Borishade welcomed the new board members and spoke to the challenges ahead for SLPS.
“I extended a warm welcome to our newly elected board members, President Karen Collins-Adams, Secretary Brian Marston, and AJ Foster, as well as my continued appreciation for the service of our returning members,” Borishade stated, adding:
“I am eager to collaborate with each of them to address the significant challenges facing Saint Louis Public Schools.”
There are challenges indeed. Ongoing federal funds for low-income schools and students with disabilities are at risk as President Donald Trump’s administration moves swiftly to demolish the U.S. Department of Education.
Cousins faced calls to resign following a chaotic late summer start which included bus transportation woes and the fallout from the abrupt dismissal of former Superintendent Keisha Scarlett for allegedly misusing funds and violating hiring protocols, all of which Scarlett has denied.
Borishade addressed some of those concerns as well in her letter.
“I have been surprised by the systemic issues that have plagued our district for years. These challenges, as highlighted in recent reporting, are not new, but their impact is deeply concerning,” she wrote in her statement.
“As I’ve begun addressing these issues, I’m confident that what the Board and I will agree on is that our immediate and decisive actions are necessary for our schools.”
Marston, the only school board member with children in the district, according to the Post-Dispatch, was also elected Secretary of the board Tuesday. He shares some of Borishade’s concerns but has his own ambitions for the board.
“I want us to come together as a team and have all the board members working well together with everybody pulling together to help our kids,” Marston said.
“I think we need to do some team building and once we’re all communicating well, we can extend that out to the students, journalists and the wider community.”
Borishade said she expects the board members “to conduct a thorough review of the district’s operations,” as well as her role as superintendent.
“I also welcome their scrutiny and look forward to building a productive working relationship as I believe we all have the same mission in mind: to ensure SLPS provides every student with a quality education that helps them fulfill their potential,” she said.
“I am confident that together we can navigate these challenges, celebrate our victories, and create a brighter future for our district.”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.