| A curious election will take place in
St Louis on April 3rd. Seven candidates will compete for two seats on the city's
school board. The polls will open at 6am and stay open until 7pm. Staffing the
polling stations and counting the electronic ballots will cost taxpayers at
least $260,000. Two happy candidates will celebrate and take office-just in time
to have the state of Missouri complete the takeover of the district's schools
and give them and the other board members nothing to do for several years.
This election to nothing comes after years of falling test scores,
revolving superintendents, screaming matches between board members at public
meetings and a growing dissatisfaction with every aspect of public education.
The state board of education voted on March 22nd to take over the school
district, effective in mid-June. Some prominent figures endorsed this course,
including the mayor of St Louis, and even some members of the St Louis school
board. Others in the city, though, are deeply opposed and ready to fight about
it. Although the city schools overall have an amply deserved reputation for low standards, there are some good schools and many good students. The best students have the most to lose, fearing that the turmoil could damage their chances of getting into good universities. When the state education board voted on the takeover, a group of angry students, teachers and other members of the public tried to disrupt the meeting. Protesters are still trying to use the courts to stop the action, and the teachers' union has threatened a strike. Under Missouri law the city's schools will now be placed under a three-member board appointed by the governor, the mayor and the president of the board of aldermen. Governor Matt Blunt's choice of Rick Sullivan, the head of a building firm, has already been attacked because of Mr Sullivan's lack of experience in education and because he lives in one of the wealthiest suburbs outside the city. Mr Sullivan and the other members, who have yet to be appointed, have an almost impossible task before them. The district, which in the past five years has turned a $52m surplus into a $24.5m deficit, has already closed schools, cut services and squeezed spending hard. But as its critics point out, the elected school board still found plenty of money for tours and public relations. The trickle of voters turning out for the pointless board election will pass banners celebrating the new season of the world baseball champions. St Louis has made huge progress in attracting a new generation of young professionals to its downtown area, building new business developments and installing new infrastructure. The great failure in its schools puts all that in danger. |