Newer and Fewer School Buildings

Why do we need newer school buildings?

There are many systemic problems that plague our system of schools, many of which are rooted in our city’s history of racist policy-making that severely inhibited Black residents' access to housing, education, financial capital, and careers.

Building brand new modern school buildings is a step toward addressing those wrongs, the impacts of which are still felt today. In addition, new buildings would alleviate critical core educational issues such as school safety; challenges in food service and transportation; staffing vacancies and efficiencies; climate and culture; and neighborhood presence.

Why do we need fewer school buildings?

Public schools in the City of St. Louis have some of the lowest enrollment of any city in the country. Our city's education resources are stretched thin — there's not enough money, time, staff, or opportunity to reach every student. Education leaders are forced to make tough decisions with the limited amount of money they have and not every school is able to provide the high-quality academics, athletics, arts, and activities that students deserve. Both SLPS and charter school organizations will need to determine the appropriate number of schools for their student population and the goals of their school communities.

Do schools need to close?

Yes, both SLPS and charter schools need to close. Ideally, this effort will be coordinated from the system-level so leaders and policy makers from SLPS, charter schools, and city government can collaborate by sharing data and plans to develop a coherent, cohesive system of public schools. 

Will new schools be built?

Yes, if this goal is adopted by SLPS, charter, and city leaders, new schools will be built. The average age of SLPS schools is 87 years and capital needs are expected to cost more than $1 billion over the next twenty years. While some charter schools have been able to afford new construction, many are located in retrofitted warehouses, old churches, or old SLPS buildings so their capital needs are likely to be cost prohibitive too. St. Louis deserves new, modern, safe facilities and the most efficient, effective way to get them is the construction of new schools. New schools would also mean new athletic facilities, performing arts spaces, science laboratories, and other spaces that are necessary for high quality educational experiences.

By including city leaders in this planning and construction process, new schools could be intentionally built to stabilize neighborhoods, attract and/or retain residents, provide community services, and connect into other city improvements like streets, parks, water, housing, and industry.

As a way to mitigate past policy harms, new schools should be built prior to closing old schools. This will keep school communities intact and build trust with the community as there will be less of a fear of broken promises.

How will we decide which schools should close and where new schools should be built?

School Location Planning = Neighborhood Planning = Urban Design

Schools are anchor institutions and community hubs. Neighborhoods and cities are built around them. Every decision made about their location has the power to create or destroy a neighborhood. For decades, St. Louis education leaders have made these decisions in isolation without collaborating with other education entities or city planners to develop a long-term plan. Going forward, we need to prioritize data-driven and research-based decision making and strongly consider long-term and short-term policy implications.

Right now we don't have the data necessary to make these decisions. While it is true that schools need to close and others need to be built, it is extremely important that these decisions are made thoughtfully so that further harm and trauma is not inflicted on vulnerable residents, neighborhoods, and school communities. We will need to know current and projected data about adult population, child population, where students live, student mobility, city development, finances, poverty AND SO MUCH MORE before we are able to determine the appropriate locations for schools. SLPS has some of this data regarding their students and schools. I'd expect that some or even all charter operators have this for their students and schools. What we are lacking is this data in one place for the city as a whole.

Once collected, that data should be shared between SLPS, charters, city government AND the general public (while also protecting student privacy by anonymizing data). Transparency and honesty will be critical values to adhere to throughout this process. The data will guide what follows but the specifics will be determined by the SLPS superintedent, charter school executive directors, school board members, charter board members, city planners, and other policy makers. It is critical that the people who serve in these positions are thoughtful, inclusive collaborators who are able to work with people of varying experiences, perspectives, and ideas. This planning attempt will fail like all the others that came before if our leaders are unable to compromise. Throughout the process, we should expect them to conduct extensive community engagement and an in-depth planning process that includes the perspectives of students, families, City residents, teachers, school staff, and technical experts.

How would it be funded?

There will be several phases to this project. Each of them will require different amounts of funding and from different sources.

The City could offer small planning grants (less than $500,000) from the Rams Settlement to SLPS and charters who are interested in reducing the number of schools they operate. This would ensure each LEA was engaged from the beginning of the process and has the agency to enlist their own technical experts like demographers, architects, urban planners, etc. These grants could also pay for community engagement events, the exploration funding options, research, travel to other districts/cities, or any other need the LEA has related to the development of a plan to reduce the number of schools and build new, modern buildings. 

Based on their plans and in conjunction with their school communities, each LEA will determine which of their schools should remain in operation and which should close. Then they will determine their ability to raise funds (philanthropy, bonds, new market tax credits, grants, etc.) and if they want to construct entirely new buildings or do a significant rehabilitation of existing ones. Ultimately, all LEA’s will create a plan to reduce the number of their schools and improve their facilities which they will then implement.

What can the mayor do?

We can't afford to wait for the City Department of Education to be established to begin this project. The mayor will need to immediately create a position for and appoint a cabinet-level staff member to participate in this effort. The person appointed may (or may not) be the person she ultimately appoints to the long-term position of Director of the City Department of Education. What is most important that this position be appointed immediately. The fragmentation inherent to our city's public education system means that there will need to be a concerted effort to repair old relationships and build new ones before this work can begin in earnest. Having a specific person dedicated to this in the Mayor's Office will be a great first step toward bringing people and data together.

In addition, through her role on the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, the mayor can consider how city funds could be allocated to this work.

The mayor will also need to demonstrate strong leadership. School closures are hard on students, families, educators, residents, and neighborhoods. The mayor will need to be an emphathetic listener, helping City residents to process and mourn the loss of their schools. She will also need to ensure the planning and construction of new schools occurs without allegations of corruption or influence of special interests.

What can the Board of Aldermen do?

The Board of Aldermen can become active members of the school communities for the schools in their wards by building a relationship with the school leader; allocating ward funds to address needs around the school like streets, parks, lighting, and/or vacant properties; connecting volunteers with the school; and inviting school staff to attend neighborhood association meetings. In addition, they will also need to demonstrate strong leadership in much the same way the mayor does. They should advocate for the best interest of their ward and its residents throughout the school closure and school construction process by ensuring thorough community outreach and ethical data use. Aldermen will also need to reject unethical and illegal practices like accepting bribes and steering contracts or funds to friends and family.

The Board of Aldermen can use committees to hold hearings on education topics and invite experts to testify about data, research, and policy options. The process they are using to gather information and ideas about how to spend the Rams Settlement can serve as a model for how they might engage with education policy ideas.

What can the SLPS school board do?

The SLPS school board can and should continue the process already underway for the facilities master plan and Prop S spending. The data they have already gathered will be instrumental in determining which schools should close and where new schools should be built. The SLPS school board should ensure this information is readily available to the general public, other education leaders (like charter boards), and city officials. There is nothing to be gained by keeping this information secret. The SLPS school board should consider incorporating this data into presentations at the regular business meeting rather than just at the Real Estate Committee meetings which have a lower viewership. 

The SLPS school board should develop a matrix to guide their school closure and opening decisions. While there have been many updates about Prop S spending, there have been very few, if any, open discussions among board members and district about how those projects and schools were chosen and what specific data were used in making those selections. This represents an area for improvement as they go into future planning for infrastructure projects.

The SLPS board should also begin researching the fiscal impact of school closures and exploring possible funding streams for new construction of new buildings. One major opportunity is the approval of bonds, like the one issued for Prop S in 2022, that require taxpayer approval.

What can charter boards do?

Different charter boards will have different responsibilities as these projects progress. Single campus charter schools (e.g., Biome, Soulard School) will not have to consider consolidating schools, so, assuming they are financially-viable and have the needed student enrollment, they will continue to operate. Multi-campus charter schools (e.g., KIPP, Momentum, Confluence) will need to determine how many schools they need and where they should locate. Other schools (e.g., Kairos, Atlas) are considering grade- or site-expansion and will need to determine if that is a responsible decision to make given the current trends in population. It is important to recognize that each of these charter school operators face different challenges and they cannot and should not be expected to come to the same conclusions.

Charter boards can begin gathering data about their students and schools, enlisting the assistance experts and researchers when appropriate, so that they are prepared to share with other education leaders and city officials when the time comes. Like the SLPS board, charter boards should be transparent with that data, sharing it readily.

Since charter boards cannot issue bonds, they will need to consider private donors, new market tax credits, and other possible funding streams to pay for these projects.

SLPS is the sponsor for Confluence, so SLPS will need to consider Confluence's future in addition to that of SLPS. SLPS should also consider if they are willing to sponsor additional charter schools who may determine through this process that they are too small to operate as individual LEAs.

What can City residents do?

City residents need to prepare themselves for school closure conversations. Whether or not this newer and fewer idea is adopted by city and education leaders, many SLPS and charter schools will close in the coming years. We simply do not have enough students or population to sustain the number we have. City residents should advocate for school closure processes that minimize trauma, injustice, and non-democratic practices. They should encourage their elected leaders to support the construction of brand new school facilities as a means to stabilize neighborhoods and grow the City's population.

City residents can become familiar with the candidates running for school board, alderman, and mayor. By asking questions at candidate forums and town halls, city residents can set the expectation that all candidates for office are expected to be informed about education issues and have a plan for how they can be involved in their improvement. City residents should vote for candidates who best represent their priorities for public education and those who value a cohesive, functioning system of public schools.