[TGE-mail] SLS Watch (fwd)

[streeter at SLU.EDU]

Carla Mae Streeter, OP
Aquinas Institute of Theology
23 South Spring Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63108-3323
streeter at slu.edu
phone: 314-256-8882
fax:   314-256-8888

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 08 Apr 2007 17:05:02 -0500
From: Chris Freeland <Chris.Freeland at mobot.org>
To: streeter at SLU.EDU
Subject: RE: SLS Watch (fwd)


Carla Mae - If you would like to send these to the list please do so directly.  I am no longer managing the e-mail list.  Hope all is well!

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: streeter at SLU.EDU [mailto:streeter at SLU.EDU]
Sent: Sat 4/7/2007 6:04 PM
To: Chris Freeland
Subject: SLS Watch (fwd)

For your info., Chris...

Carla Mae Streeter, OP
Aquinas Institute of Theology
23 South Spring Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63108-3323
streeter at slu.edu
phone: 314-256-8882
fax:   314-256-8888

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 06 Apr 2007 16:01:01 -0500
From: slswatch <slswatch at speakeasy.net>
To: s6 <slswatch at speakeasy.net>, s7 <slswatch at speakeasy.net>,
     s8 <slswatch at speakeasy.net>, s9 <slswatch at speakeasy.net>,
     s10 <slswatch at speakeasy.net>
Subject: SLS Watch

Is It Bye-Bye SLPS?

by Peter Downs

April 7, 2007 -- Missouri's education department has confirmed that St.
Louis city children attending private or parochial schools can transfer to
county public schools at city taxpayers' expense.

On April 2, Diana Bourisaw, superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools, sent
an email letter to Kent King, the state commissioner of education, in which
she asked:

"We are receiving calls from parents who are seeking entrance into county
schools.  Most of these calls are from Caucasian parents of children
currently enrolled in private or parochial schools.  Since we do not have a
budget for these students, is DESE setting aside funds to pay tuition?"

Although not responding directly to that question, Robert Taylor, the
education department's supervisor for the St. Louis area, told the area's
association of school districts, called the Cooperating School Districts,
that St. Louis Public Schools will have to pick up the tab for city private
school and home schooled students who enroll in public school in the county
after the city district loses its accreditation.

John Oldani, in an email to the member districts of the Cooperating School
Districts, wrote that, according to Taylor:

"The law (Section 167.131) states that any resident student in an
unaccredited school district has the opportunity to transfer at that
district¹s expense to an accredited district.  (Emphasis added.)  In the
case of the St. Louis Public Schools, "resident students" include those
presently enrolled in a public, private, parochial, charter or home school."

On April 6, DESE (the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)
released the following list of additional questions and answers regarding
the effects of its political decision to revoke the accreditation of St.
Louis Public Schools:

State Education Officials Issue "Questions-and-Answers" About the St. Louis
Public Schools

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education today issued a detailed
list of questions and answers about the St. Louis Public Schools¹ impending
loss of accreditation and its impact on students, families and neighboring
school districts.

The State Board of Education voted last month (March 22) to classify the St.
Louis Public Schools as "unaccredited," with an effective date of June 15,
2007.  Under state law, St. Louis students may have the opportunity to
transfer to an accredited district in St. Louis County, at the expense of
the St. Louis district.

State education officials compiled the following information from questions
they have received to date from parents, legislators and school officials.


Questions & Answers about the Status of the St. Louis Public Schools
and Student-Transfer Issues

1.  Can the St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) appeal the State Board of
Education¹s decision to classify the district as unaccredited?  How long
will an appeal take?  Will an appeal change the date for the loss of
accreditation?
The St. Louis Board of Education has 30 days from the date of the State
Board of Education¹s decision (March 22) to appeal to the commissioner of
education.  There is no prescribed time for a response.  It is unknown
whether an appeal might affect the June 15 date for the district to become
unaccredited.

2.  There have been reports that various parties may file lawsuits to
challenge the state¹s actions regarding the SLPS.  Would such action change
any of the events slated for June 15?
Litigation is always possible.  We will not speculate about what impact a
lawsuit might have on the future course of events.

3.  There are many questions about the ability of SLPS students to transfer
to other districts when the district becomes unaccredited.  Where can they
go?  When?  Will a single agency handle the transfer requests?
State law (Section 167.131) gives students in an unaccredited district the
opportunity to transfer to an accredited district in the same or an
adjoining county.  Accredited districts, however, have the authority to
accept or reject non-resident students based on their own policies and on
their capacity.  For SLPS students, the opportunity to transfer does not
exist until after June 15, 2007 ­ and, therefore, not until the 2007-08
academic year.

Each school district in St. Louis County must decide whether it will accept
transfer students from the St. Louis Public Schools (in addition to any
students the district may now be serving through the VICC program), and how
many additional students it will accept.

State education officials are not aware of any efforts to create a
"clearinghouse" to deal with these issues.  The Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education does not plan to assume this function.

4.  Who will be eligible to transfer from the SLPS?  Students in private and
parochial schools?  Charter schools?  Must they enroll in the SLPS first?
The law (Section 167.131) states that any resident student in an
unaccredited school district has the opportunity to transfer at that
district¹s expense to an accredited district.  (Emphasis added.)  In the
case of the St. Louis Public Schools, "resident students" include those
presently enrolled in a public, private, parochial, charter or home school.

Although it is not mandatory that students formally enroll in the school
district before they could transfer, the SLPS has the authority to establish
a process for verifying the residency of students who seek to transfer out
of the district.

Students who reside in St. Louis County and currently attend a magnet school
in
St. Louis may not attend a different St. Louis County school district after
the SLPS is unaccredited.

5.  Who is responsible for payment of tuition for St. Louis students who
transfer to accredited school districts?
According to state law (Section 167.131.1), the St. Louis Public Schools
will be responsible for such tuition payments.  The SLPS also may be
responsible for the cost of transportation for transfer students, consistent
with the provisions of Section 167.241, RSMo.

6.  What is the tuition rate for students attending an accredited district?
Each school district that accepts transfer students from an unaccredited
school district may charge its current tuition rate, according to the
provisions of Section 167.131.2, RSMo.  The tuition rate may vary according
to the students¹ grade levels.

 7.  Who determines how transportation will be provided for St. Louis
students who transfer to accredited schools?
Under Section 167.131, the district of residence (St. Louis) must designate
a district or districts to which transportation will be provided at no cost
for students who elect to transfer.  The statute does not limit the number
of students who may be transported.
St. Louis must designate at least one accredited district to which it will
provide transportation, but it may designate more than one.

8.  Does the loss of accreditation by the SLPS affect compliance with the
desegregation settlement agreement?
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is not in a position to
comment about compliance with the settlement agreement.  Guidance on this
question should come from the parties¹ own legal counsel.

9.  What happens if there are financial shortfalls in the SLPS?
Budget issues that may occur within the St. Louis Public Schools will remain
the responsibility of the governing body of the district which is in place
at any point in time.  State funds made available to the SLPS are determined
by state appropriation and distributed according to the provisions of state
law.

10.  What impact does the reclassification of the St. Louis Public Schools
have on agreements between school districts in St. Louis County and the
Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation (VICC)?
The role of the VICC is a function of the desegregation settlement
agreement.  The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is not in a
position to comment about compliance issues under that agreement.  Guidance
on this question should come from the parties¹ own legal counsel.

11.  Are St. Louis County school districts required to make space available
for SLPS transfer students up to the class-size standards (minimum or
desirable) set by the state?
Each school district in St. Louis County must decide whether it will accept
transfer students from the St. Louis Public Schools (in addition to any
students the district may now be serving through the VICC program), and how
many additional students it will accept.   Each St. Louis County district
may use its own criteria to determine what its capacity is to accept
transfer students in various grade levels.

12.  Could a county district establish a "satellite" location in the city
for purposes of accepting transfer students from the city?
State law (Section 177.091.3) provides that a board of education may acquire
additional grounds when needed for school purposes.  If the directors of
both school districts involved agree, such grounds may be located outside of
the boundaries of the district and operated for school purposes.

 13.  In light of possible appeals and legal challenges, what is the
likelihood that the SLPS will remain unaccredited during 2007-08?
The Department will not speculate about what impact a lawsuit might have on
the future course of events.

14.  If the SLPS remains unaccredited for 2007-08, when will it be reviewed
for possible reclassification?
Review of the classification of the St. Louis Public Schools will be based
upon academic progress within the district.  District officials also may
request a re-review of the district¹s status at any time they believe it may
qualify for provisionally accredited or accredited status.

15.  Will summer school be required for all under-performing students in the
St. Louis Public Schools this year?
No.

16.  Will the SLPS be required to retain students who are performing below
grade level in their current grades for the upcoming school year?
No.

17.  Do parents have to wait until June 15 to contact St. Louis County
school districts about possible student transfers?
No.

18.  Will students be able to transfer to non-public schools at the expense
of the SLPS?
No.
____________________

SLPS Prepares for White Flight

By Antonio D. French
Filed Friday, April 06, 2007 at 7:59 AM

State intervention in St. Louis Public Schools may soon make a bad situation
even worse, and ultimately lead to a total collapse of the city's public
education system. That's according to the city schools' chief.

In a letter to the State Education Commissioner, City Schools Superintendent
Diana Bourisaw warns of hundreds, possibly thousands, of white families
looking to send their kids to St. Louis County schools on the city
taxpayers' dime.

"We are receiving calls from parents who are seeking entrance into county
schools. Most of these calls are from Caucasian parents of children
currently enrolled in private or parochial schools," wrote Bourisaw in the
letter dated April 2. "Since we do not have a budget for these students, is
DESE setting aside funds to pay tuition?"

One of the consequences of the SLPS being stripped of its accreditation is
that the already financially-strapped district will now have to pay for city
students to attend a neighboring fully accredited County district. This is
sure to make the budgeting process for the city schools next to impossible
since there is really no way of knowing how many students will choose to
attend city schools or how much county tuition the district is expected to
pay every year.

Superintendent Bourisaw also warns of a disruption to the district's
acclaimed magnet program, which by law requires a racial balance of
students. Waiting lists of black students wanting to get into these programs
are already a regular occurrence because there are often not enough white
students applying for seats.

"We anticipate the exodus of white students from within our magnet schools.
Currently our magnet schools barely maintain the racial balance required by
the desegregation agreement. Should this occur, our magnet schools will be
out of compliance by fall. As a result, they may need to close," wrote
Bourisaw.

Bourisaw warns the exodus of white and black students due to unaccreditation
and charter schools will place the district on the brink of insolvency.
____________________

CALENDAR

St. Louis Schools Watch is on the radio: Wednesdays at 7 a.m. on the Lizz
Brown Show on WGNU 920 AM. Programs are archived at
www.whiterosesociety.org. Also check out St. Louis Schools web log at
www.stlschools.org.

Tuesday, April 10, 7 p.m. Administrative meeting of the St. Louis school
board. 801 N. 11th.

Wednesday, April 11 ­ 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Carr Lane VPA ­ Auditorium - 1004
N. Jefferson Ave.

Thursday, April 12 ­ 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Roosevelt High School - 3230
Hartford St.
_________

The St. Louis Schools Watch was founded on the premises that parental and
community involvement are needed for good schools to flourish, and that
public participation is a cornerstone of democracy.

St. Louis Schools Watch offers information and analysis that we hope
contributes to a public debate over what changes are necessary to improve
St. Louis public schools, and what works.