Forgiveness
Last week, we reported that the St. Louis Planning Commission was planning to hear rezoning plans for the development of a new QuikTrip gas station at the edge of the Tiffany Neighborhood. But as it turns out, the Planning Commission removed the topic from its agenda. Following the loud public outcry leading up to the meeting and 103 comments submitted (101 opposing the development) both QuikTrip the Planning Commission apparently read the room and tabled the plans.
QuikTrip later withdrew its application to rezone the tract for a gas station development late last Wednesday afternoon.
We want to make sure this outcome is reported correctly because this victory demonstrated the power of the people when they rally around a common goal that serves the public’s interest. We are pleased to share this David over Goliath win.
Trust
Last week, the St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education voted 6-1 to take over the sponsorship of Confluence Academies, which currently counts just under 2,500 students throughout its six locations.
The highly-controversial vote received a wide range of support, internally and externally. Advocacy organizations like Solidarity with SLPS vocalized their support of SLPS assuming the sponsorship role rather than, for instance, Saint Louis University or an Opportunity Trust-affiliated organization. AFT St. Louis, Local 420, which represents more than 2,000 SLPS teachers, lent its support, as well. However, not all SLPS teachers supported the move.
With SLPS assuming sponsorship of Confluence Academies, the Board of Education also assumes control of Confluence and its board of directors. Where Confluence previously has been able to evade Sunshine Requests, the charter school system no longer will have that excuse. This move, opposed by some, adds a layer of public accountability and transparency that did not exist previously for the charter school.
We’ve also heard rumblings that the Confluence board may be dissolved – that would make sense for a final goal of converting the existing charter schools into public schools under the SLPS’ umbrella. The transition would undoubtedly be long and difficult. But if this Board of Education can achieve this change, they could create a model for other area districts – and districts across the country – that are seeking to regain public ownership of charter schools. Most St. Louis charter schools have been shown to have very short shelf lives, so if SLPS can navigate a fair and sustainable path forward to assume control while preserving stability for students – the Board of Education may be onto something significant.
That said, if SLPS is going to have to pick up the pieces as charter schools continue to collapse, both the Boards of Education and Aldermen would serve St. Louis school children by best adhering to the October 2021 non-binding moratorium on opening new schools – public, private, and charter – in the city. Allowing charter schools to continue to open as others are forced to close, with SLPS picking up the slack, essentially turns our city’s public education system into a money laundering operation for charter schools. A band-aid on a knife wound.
We hope that the Board of Education is able to follow through with this initiative, for the sake of St. Louis’ children and their future.
While Confluence implodes after nearly 20 years, southside Alderwoman Cara Spencer (Ward 20) has quietly made some moves to help another charter system, Kairos Academy, expand its campus in the Marine Villa neighborhood. Most impacted neighbors didn’t even know that a new school was planned, and only found out when the developer, Urban Improvement Conglomerate (UIC), approached them about purchasing their homes.
Our readers will, of course, recall Kairos Academy as the pet project of Jack Krewson, a Teach for America alum and son of former mayor Lyda Krewson. Kairos opened its first school in Dutchtown for the 2019-2020 school year. Disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, less than 20% of its teaching staff is accredited and much of the staff in inexperienced, as well as they’re suffering large operating deficits.
Spencer has skipped a countless number of board meetings since her 2021 mayoral loss to Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. She’s burned bridges and scorned her once-close allies. Residents have complained about her lack of responsiveness to trash pickup, slowness to approve development plans, and general inaccessibility. Yet, she seems to have been responsive to Kairos’ overly aggressive plans.
Among many of Kairos’ problems that Spencer can’t help is the lack of neighborhood support. Last week, Spencer appeared in the Marine Villa neighborhood Facebook group to invite the neighborhood to a community town hall on Wednesday to discuss plans to demolish a number of historic buildings across six blocks. Demolition would include the Harmony Apartments complex, half a dozen or so 100+ year old buildings, and the historic No. 3 Fire Station, built in 1918 and intended to be a museum for St. Louis Fire Department.
All of those buildings would have to be leveled for the charter school system’s plans to be successful. Therefore this feels like a good place to point out that Kairos is in only its third academic year. Because of the pandemic, Kairos has never been required to conduct state testing. In its most recent report to the Missouri Charter Public School Commission, Kairos failed to meet basic standards for compliance and reporting.
In other words, it’s entirely too soon to decide whether Kairos Academy should be expanded and furthermore the school should listen to the surrounding neighborhood residents, cultural preservationists, and educational professionals. In a city where six charter schools are facing closure if not for SLPS intervention, opening a new one shouldn’t even be a consideration.
Hope
Finally, we would like to celebrate the release of 22-year old Hala Salameh, a St. Louisan who is Palestinian-American, who was wrongfully detained by Israeli Defense Forces last week while Salameh was visiting with family in the West Bank. Her detention did not capture global attention, but we nevertheless recognize and denounce Salameh’s treatment.
We are happy to hear that Salameh is safely on her way back to St. Louis, and as far as our final holiday wish, we ask for hope for the release of all political prisoners.