Our schools need so many things. Why does the platform only have two goals?

I agree that our schools have so many needs. Most of our city's public schools struggle to academic success for all (or even the majority) of students; athletics and extracurriculars vary wildly from school to school; and teacher, administrator, and staff vacancies remain high. All of these topics, and many more, are of real concern. However, it is difficult for education leaders and policy makers to improve in these areas because we have way too many schools for too few students and intergovernmental and interagency communications are practically nonexistent. We will not see the improvement we want or deserve until our school system is properly sized to fit our population and we begin approaching it as a cohesive system of schools. For these reasons, the platform only has two goals: (1) newer and fewer school buildings and (2) a City Department of Education.

Is the City Department of Education a step towards mayoral control or other types of governance?

Absolutely not. I do not support mayoral control, appointed boards, or any governance model that is not a democratically elected board. While there is no perfect form of school district governance, a democratically elected board (when it functions well) provides the most transparency, public access, accountability, and oversight.

The City Department of Education will allow increased coordination and planning between SLPS, charter schools, and the City as a means to improve educational outcomes and offer increased accountability without changing the governance model. Establishing a City Department of Education will not replace or alter the SLPS school board or charter boards. They will still have the final say in how they engage with the City Department of Education and other education entitites; however, the hope is that all will voluntarily collaborate as that is the best chance we have at achieving success.

Is this a sneaky way to produce cookie-cutter schools and decrease individuality and autonomy?

No! This is not an attempt to produce a system of identical schools that assume all students have the same needs, wants, or goals. All schools have their own identity and there are many areas for improvement for public education in St. Louis that cannot or should not be addressed by a political platform. In fact, most decisions must be made at the school- or LEA-level including curriculum and assessments; parent-teacher organizations and family engagement; budget allocations; marketing and communications; the role of philanthrophy and fundraising; and alumni engagement. This political platform and/or its implementation does not change or eliminate those autonomies. Instead, this platform and its goals are intendend to push us to consider the system as a whole, recognizing that if any of our schools are struggling then the system and the City aren't operating optimally.

Aren't you worried about privatization efforts by The Opportunity Trust and other similar organizations? Wouldn't a major change like this given them a chance to take over?

Yes, I am worried about their privatization efforts by The Opportunity Trust and other similar organizations. These organizations have perpetuated our city's tendency to make education policy decisions in secret to advance special interests. However, the goals of this platform will decrease the possibility of their ability to take over our education system, not make it more likely. The Opportunity Trust and other privatization efforts prey upon weak spots in our system and its leaders. They are able to offer short term "solutions" like funding, staff, and organizational support to desperate schools and LEA's. Appropriately sizing our school system to our population and establishing consistent intergovernmental and interagency communications will strengthen the system making it less vulnerable to privatization efforts.

How did the public education system here get so complicated and confusing?

If you ask one hundred people this question you'll get one hundred answers. More than likely you'll hear about who is to blame or which policy ruined everything, a fact that supports the idea the need for a political platform like this in the first place. Honestly, everyone is right AND everyone is wrong. There's a long history here that we like to ignore because its too hard to acknowledge that we (or our allies either past or present) are also at fault for the system's dysfunction.

The system we have was created almost as if by accident through decades of policy decisions that were made largely in secret. It is complicated and confusing because people prioritized quick fixes over long-term strategy and policy decisions were reactionary and not proactive. If we want different outcomes we have to do things differently. That means having difficult but necessary conversations about what we want education in our City to look like. 

For dates of major educational policy events, please review this abbreviated timeline.

This platform is about education yet it doesn't include anything about academics. Why not?

Academics are the most important service school districts provide. It is my hope that we can someday have a political platform for education that focuses on academics, student services, and other inside-of-school topics, but unfortunately that isn't our reality yet. Our current system of public education has way too many schools for too few students and their locations are not connected to where people live. Our education leaders do not communicate well, or at all, with each other or city government leaders. If we want to improve our schools we have to first improve the foundation on which they are based and appropriate size our system for our population and build a structure for intergovernmental and interagency communications.

Where can I learn more about the author of this platform and her ideas?

The best place to start is the CityReform substack, a free newsletter offering commentary on  education in St. Louis. Go to cityreform.substack.com to subscribe or read previous posts.

What else can I read to learn more about education policy in St. Louis and/or related policy issues?

• 28 Years on the St. Louis School Board, 1953-1981: Rooting Out Corruption, Desegregating Schools in a Segregated Society, Coping With Massive Shifts of Population and Wealth - Daniel L. Schlafly (likely out-of-print but available from the St. Louis Public Library)
• The Broken Heart of America - Walter Johnson
• Children of the Dream - Rucker C. Johnson
• Citizen Brown - Colin Gordon
• The Color of Law - Richard Rothstein
• Cutting School - Noliwe Rooks
• Ghosts in the Schoolyard - Eve L. Ewing
• Poverty, by America - Matthew Desmond
• The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together - Heather McGhee
• Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door - Jack Schneider and Jennifer Berkshire

• Can We Stop Fighting About Charter Schools by Eve Ewing
• Choosing a School for My Daughter in a Segregated City by Nikole Hannah Jones
• Minnie Liddell’s Forty-Year Quest for Quality Public Education Remains A Dream Deferred by Kimberly J. Norwood
• The Making of Ferguson by Richard Rothstein
• The Sad Story of Public Education in St. Louis by Jeff Bryant