Missouri Education Board Lowers St. Louis Public Schools to Provisionally Accredited Status

This article was originally published in Missouri Independent.

The Missouri State Board of Education stripped St. Louis Public Schools of its status as fully accredited onTuesday a move the only opposing board member called a “messaging device.”

The school district has been downgraded to provisionally accredited.

“Lowering accreditation is a broad signal and by itself does not fix audits, stabilize transportation or strengthen governance,” said Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge, a board member from Pasadena Hills.

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The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education planned only to raise accreditation during the state board meeting Tuesday, boosting the Osborn School District from provisional to full accreditation following its hiring of a superintendent in order to meet certification requirements.

The department has been looking at factors like superintendent certification and financial security to determine whether a school district is fully accredited since the launch of the Missouri School Improvement 6 in 2022. Any changes to accreditation based on MSIP6 scores are not supposed to be implemented until next year, which has drawn criticism from state lawmakers who want low-performing schools penalized sooner rather than later.

State board member Kerry Casey, of Chesterfield, asked the board to lower St. Louis Public Schools to provisional accreditation based on factors outside of MSIP6. She cited leadership instability, transportation issues, a poor rating from the State Auditor and the district’s late submission of its annual financial report to the state.

“(My recommendation) is strictly based on the fact that they have experienced significant change in the scope of effectiveness of their programs and their financial integrity upon which their original designation was based, and they have failed to comply with the statutory requirement,” Casey said. “If we do not make this lower classification change, we are not doing our job.”

Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger said she was “very dissatisfied” that the district turned in its financial report late and thought about recommending to lower its accreditation. But she didn’t think the move would solve any problems.

Charter schools can open in areas where a school district has been provisionally accredited for three or more consecutive years. But state law already allows charter schools in St. Louis.

“The provisional tag on the school district is not going to make that big of a difference,” Eslinger said. “Why I did not make that recommendation is I’d rather have them at the table with me and working with me.”

A spokesperson for St. Louis Public Schools could not be immediately reached for comment on the board’s decision.

State education officials have been working with the district, Eslinger said, and the department has convened a group of school leaders and local stakeholders to brainstorm solutions for St. Louis Public Schools and other underperforming districts.

“Putting those plans together, I see good things ahead for St Louis,” Eslinger told the board.

When she took office as commissioner in 2024, St. Louis Public Schools’ leadership did not return calls or emails, she said.

“We do now have a relationship, and we’re being very honest and upfront about the issues that they have,” Eslinger said.

Westbrooks-Hodge, whose district includes St. Louis, was the only board member to speak against Casey’s motion. She pointed out that the district had incremental growth in its annual performance reports, and she worried it was being singled out.

“Using reclassification primarily to send a message risks blurring the distinction MSIP6 intentionally draws between academic performance and governance or financial stress and risks, weakening the consistency and credibility of classification systems statewide,” she said.

Casey and the other five board members voted by voice in favor of the motion.

Last January, Casey made a similar motion but did not receive a second supporter to spur a vote. In reaction, the American Federation of Teachers St. Louis called for Casey’s resignation from the board. Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin shared her support for Casey’s decision on social media, saying: “This has long been needing to happen but for some reason hasn’t.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, Casey also requested that the department provide a report on underperforming schools statewide by the board’s April meeting. This motion received unanimous support from board members.

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.