‘Concerns’ acknowledged after St Louis Public Schools superintendent’s sudden leave of absence

Shanxi Omoniyi, The Lion

The St. Louis Board of Education has placed its school superintendent on an abrupt leave of absence weeks before the school year, citing concerns after her brief one-year tenure.

Superintendent Keisha Scarlett’s furlough isn’t voluntary, but she has not been fired “at this time,” board President Toni Cousins said in an interview with St. Louis Public Radio.

“One of the priority alarms that we would say was in regards to one of the communications directors that we had,” Cousins said, referring to an online post where the new employee explained intentions to “float” between her St. Louis job and Houston home. “That was one of our concerns.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Superintendent Millicent Borishade will take over as acting superintendent before classes begin Aug. 19, the board said in a statement.

“We are fully confident that, under Dr. Borishade’s leadership as Acting Superintendent, there will be no interruptions in the ongoing work and preparations for the upcoming school year,” the statement reads.

‘Challenges during her tenure’

Scarlett became superintendent only last July after serving as chief academic officer and assistant superintendent of academics at Seattle Public Schools. In addition to working as a teacher and principal, she had also worked as that district’s chief of equity, partnerships and engagement.

“The district has faced challenges during her tenure, particularly involving declining enrollment, student transportation and aging building infrastructure,” journalist David Cazares writes. “Enrollment in the district has been declining for decades and was down to about 16,540 students in the 2023-24 school year. Many schools are at half-capacity or less.”

The district also is working to address a $35 million operating budget shortfall after it approved $32 million in staffing pay, according to Fox News. As a result, the board of education is considering a proposal to discontinue a tax rollback instituted two years ago.

“In 2022 Saint Louis Public Schools chose to voluntarily reduce our tax collection rate for a year due to a large influx of federal dollars,” George Sells, the district’s director of communications and marketing, wrote in a statement. “We did not need as much from city taxpayers, so we did not collect it. This resolution provides the option to return to the unreduced rate since those federal dollars are no longer available.”

The district has struggled with low academic performance for years, acknowledging “a significant economic cost to having a weak educational system for our entire region.”

Only 6% of St. Louis schools had 50% or more of its students meet state standards in English and math, according to 2016 data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“We have created a pipeline that produces less resilient and economically competitive residents,” the city’s website reads. “Our city’s ability to attract new residents and families is negatively impacted by the performance of our public schools. Our city’s ability to attract new companies and employers is negatively impacted by having a poorly educated workforce.”

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