You can drop the “interim” from Diana Bourisaw’s title.
While the vote was far from unanimous and included the standard theatrics, the St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education has made Bourisaw its superintendent.
Board president Veronica O’Brien, William Purdy, Peter Downs and Donna Jones voted in favor of dropping the interim title. Ron Jackson stormed out of the executive session meeting without voting. Robert Archibald and Flint Fowler voted against the move.
“After viewing first-hand the abilities of Dr. Bourisaw, the board felt there was no need to look further for a new superintendent,” said O’Brien.
“We have the perfect leader right in front of us,” she added.
Bourisaw was named interim superintendent in July.
“I have enjoyed my first seven weeks serving on an interim basis,” Bourisaw said.
“I’m looking forward to continuing in this role permanently and working with our excellent staff to improve the school district,” she said.
Prior to joining the St. Louis Public Schools, she served as the president of Education Options, a Missouri consulting firm specializing in organizational, policy, accountability, and financial reviews focusing on high poverty districts. She has also served as the executive vice president of DHR International, an executive search and consulting firm, since 2003.
She was the interim state supervisor for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, a position in which she oversaw accreditation reviews for school districts across the state.
Bourisaw has served as a superintendent of the Fox C-6 School District, an 11,000-student school district in Arnold, Mo., and as area superintendent in the Sacramento City Unified School District, a 50,000 school district in Sacramento, Calif.
