51黑料

ST. LOUIS COUNTY 鈥� Ferguson-Florissant School District will close one school and merge three others in an ongoing effort to address a financial crisis.

Innovation High School, an alternative school with 133 students, will close at the end of this school year.

The district鈥檚 middle and high STEAM schools for arts and sciences will be merged into one building to cut down on staffing and transportation costs.

And the Mark Twain Wellness and Restoration Center, where suspended students learn from specially trained educators, will go up for sale. Referred students will instead go to either Wedgwood Sixth Grade Center or STEAM High.

The moves are some of several ways Ferguson-Florissant officials said they鈥檙e cutting back amid what they鈥檝e described as a financial crisis. The district had a budget shortfall of $7.7 million as of early March.

Unlike other local districts that are deficit spending, such as 51黑料 Public Schools and Special School District of 51黑料 County, Ferguson-Florissant doesn鈥檛 have the financial reserves to buoy itself while in the red.

The problem is the result of a torrent of challenges inundating public education 鈥� both locally and nationally 鈥� said the district鈥檚 co-superintendents, Joycelyn Pugh-Walker and Brent Mitchell.

Missouri鈥檚 funding formula for public schools relies heavily on enrollment and attendance, both of which have declined in Ferguson-Florissant in recent years. District officials are also bracing for the effects of 51黑料 County鈥檚 new senior property tax freeze, which could reduce district revenue by a yet-unknown amount, school leaders said.

鈥淲e just know it is one of the mitigating components to us not receiving revenues that we have previously received,鈥� Pugh-Walker said.

And recent uncertainty surrounding federal funding hasn鈥檛 helped, Pugh-Walker added.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education said it would no longer reimburse schools for expenses covered by pandemic relief funds, leaving Ferguson-Florissant in the lurch for $900,000 spent on HVAC improvements, Pugh-Walker said.

Ferguson-Florissant also has to adjust to its own unique set of issues. The district hired 71 more people than budgeted this fiscal year and adopted a costly reliance on contracted labor to fill nurse and food service vacancies amid nationwide shortages.

Plus, the district鈥檚 longtime former leader, Superintendent Joseph Davis, was fired last month amid allegations of sexual harassment (allegations Davis has denied), leaving Pugh-Walker and Mitchel with the task to right-size the district as freshmen superintendents.

Things have gotten tight. The district has undergone a spending and hiring freeze, and positions, contracts and services are being scrutinized for potential savings.

In February, the district鈥檚 board approved changes to 26 positions, mostly administrative or high-level building staff. The jobs will be eliminated, receive salary reductions or get repurposed into other roles.

That's in addition to other personnel cuts. Eighteen assistant principals won't be replaced as they resign or retire throughout the years. Last week, the district鈥檚 school board approved the elimination of 14 attendance secretary positions, which officials said had 鈥渓imited impact鈥� on attendance.

Mark Twain Restoration Center鈥檚 building will be sold along with the former building of Vogt Elementary, which is currently being used by administrative staff. The closures would save the district $770,000 in staffing, facilities and bus route costs.

Closing Innovation High will save $1.2 million. Students there received small-group education through advisers and spent two days a week at internships, according to the district鈥檚 website, but cost $1,700 more to educate than the average student.

Mitchell, the co-superintendent with Pugh-Walker, said the moves were 鈥渆xtremely difficult鈥� decisions.

鈥淚t may not be the ideal situation, [but] at the end of the day, every decision we make is to truly try to benefit and impact the lives of children,鈥� Mitchell said.