The 51黑料 Public Schools board has hired a consultant to run its citywide plan for education, more than a year after school closures prompted the project.
Virginia-based received a one-year contract for $500,000 to produce a plan for the number and location of schools in the city, where the population of children has been steadily dropping.
Laverne Morrow Carter, the group鈥檚 leader, has degrees from 51黑料 University and Washington University and experience evaluating health and social issues across 12 states.
鈥淚 do not take on projects that rehash problems,鈥 Carter said Wednesday at a meeting of SLPS鈥 Citywide Plan for Education committee.
Carter鈥檚 group is expected to produce an action plan by June 2023 that isn鈥檛 鈥渏ust going to sit on a table,鈥 Carter said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not in my values. That鈥檚 not the type of work I鈥檝e done for 40 years.鈥
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Superintendent Kelvin Adams called on the 51黑料 School Board to create a citywide plan in 2021 following the closure of seven schools for low enrollment.
Enrollment in the district last year fell below 19,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. An additional 12,000 students attend charter schools in the city, which are publicly funded but operate independently from the district.
The Arch Community charter school in the Hyde Park neighborhood closed this summer with 100 students. One new charter school, Voices Academy, is scheduled to open in fall 2023.
A previous effort to transform the city鈥檚 public education system fell apart last August after SLPS board members accused outside groups of undermining the district.
Better Futures STL included representatives from , , , and others to 鈥渞eimagine an equitable K-12 public education system.鈥
Adams and Mayor Tishaura O. Jones were co-chairs of Better Futures鈥 advisory council. Both pulled out following backlash from the school board.
In October, the SLPS board launched the citywide plan committee, led by board members Alisha Sonnier and Antionette Cousins and including Alderman Carol Howard, 14th Ward, and Wilford Pinkney, the city鈥檚 director of children, youth and families.
Jones 鈥渢emporarily halted鈥 her administration鈥檚 involvement with the citywide plan in February, until 鈥渁ll the school systems 鈥 SLPS, charter, parochial, independent 鈥 (are) at one table as equal partners 鈥 to address concerns of every family.鈥
Organizers with the citywide plan include charter school leaders Candice Carter-Oliver, CEO of and Gerry Kettenbach of the , Cousins said earlier this month.
Posted at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30.
