ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has given St. Louis Public Schools the lowest possible rating.
Thursday afternoon, Fitzpatrick gave the district a rating of “poor” while recommending that the Board of Education strengthen oversight and reinforce its commitment to integrity and ethical values.
“The bottom line is the Board of Education is not an effective governing body and it is time for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to strongly consider whether the current board structure is the appropriate governance model for the St. Louis Public School District. Since our first report, the district has been downgraded to provisionally accredited status and it’s clear that if the Board remains in place it needs to take swift and dramatic action to turn things around for the kids who attend schools in the district,” said Auditor Fitzpatrick. “I realize the members of the Board are trying to move forward from Dr. Scarlett’s administration, but as our report shows, they have a lot of work to do in order to rebuild trust with the public and provide students with an environment that prioritizes their educational needs.”…