The challenges that the St. Louis City Schools face.

"The challenges that the St. Louis City Schools face, from low test scores to lead paint in aging buildings, are legion. But this is not a time for shrill public voices to cry, "When are you gonna fix this? or legions of educators, administrators and legislators to think, in private, "This is so broke, I really don't know if anyone could ever fix it.

The problems the City schools system has faced have been well documented: Infighting at all levels, safety issues ranging from weapons to antiquated structures, inadequate transportation and low educational achievement.

Most significant, the Missouri State Board of Education in March 2007 took over the City schools, which had lost accreditation. In 2006, there was a 55 percent graduation rate; 19 percent of students dropped out. Cumulative debt by 2006 had reached $25 million. A transitional school board was appointed to run the District for at least six years. Since 2003, the District has had seven superintendents.

Meanwhile, concerned parties both from inside and outside the City schools have been working hard to reverse the fortunes of the troubled District, home to 35,000 students.

Kelvin Adams, Ph.D., knows a little about crises in an educational system. He comes to St. Louis from New Orleans, another city district whose schools are being run by the State. Add in the incomprehensible effects of Hurricane Katrina on a District already hamstrung by budget shortfalls and the crushing poverty endured by students. Although not superintendent, Adams was chief of staff for the Recovery School District in New Orleans. He also has some experience here, having served as executive director of human resources for St. Louis Schools in the 2006-07 school year.

Adams does not wish to dwell on the past, or on the legion of long-term issues that he has inherited. As the City schools’ eighth superintendent in five years, he says that everyone must look forward, and take on each “opportunity” individually. A thoughtful man, Adams reflected awhile on each of this reporter’s questions before responding.

“You have to know what the problems really are,” Adams says. “Take them one at a time. The plan would be that, once you solve one problem, it morphs into solving another.”

The chief issue, what led to the State takeover in the first place, was poor student achievement. In 2006, more than 60 percent of 10th graders scored at a level “below basic” in math on state standardized tests.

Some in the District see a comparison between what it faces locally to what Barack Obama has waded into with the profound spectrum of problems facing the country. “Grandfathered” issues characterize the challenges on a national and local level. Anyone who expects dramatic changes to occur immediately is naïve. Obama has said it probably will take more than one term to get a handle on the country’s most pressing issues. Adams and others in the District emphasize that “fixing” the St. Louis schools isn’t going to happen overnight, either.

“If the 20th (of January) is when Obama comes in, he’s not going to fix it by the 24th!” Adams exclaims. “It took us awhile to get here. It will take awhile to fix it. I can only take it from where I am, and try to make it move forward. While I’m glad the public is so vocal and engaged, we can’t solve all of these problems. We can’t even try to solve all of them.”

Rick Sullivan, CEO of the State-appointed board, likes what he sees so far in Adams. “He’s hard-working and he gets right to the point,” says Sullivan, who, as former CEO of McBride & Son Companies, one of the region’s top homebuilders, knows a little about building things to last. “We selected a very experienced and qualified superintendent, which is only one part of a comprehensive plan for the schools that required a great deal of community input.

“Our focus has been on student achievement,” Sullivan says. “Meanwhile, stability in the governance and administration both are essential to long-term progress.”

Sullivan and the Transitional Board’s other two members Melanie Adams and Richard Gaines have made, and will have to make, tough choices as the district makes progress. Facilities have deteriorated. Addressing the lead-paint problem could cost upwards of $3 million. Much of the work centers on reconfiguring the schools to best serve the district at large. Some may have to be mothballed, others razed.

“We are undertaking a full review of all facilities to determine their most efficient use over the next 10 years,” Sullivan says. “Among other numerous operational improvements that are under way, we are requiring continuous improvement in every operating area of the district.

We’ve identified programs and strategies that are successful, and are expanding them throughout the district. At the same time, we need to eliminate programs or processes that don’t work at all; that is, don’t lead to improvement in student achievement.”

Neither Adams nor the Board can accept the status quo. Facilities and personnel are both under intense scrutiny. Soon after he arrived, Adams has made unannounced school visits to observe how the City’s teachers teach. He took great pains that this did not become a media event; he had to see for himself without commotion or interference.

Adams will fold what he saw and heard into his ongoing approach. But by no means is he going simply on “feel.” Data will tell the story. And disaggregating data, breaking it down into relevant, manageable chunks, is essential.

“We can only make decisions based on the data,” Adams emphasizes. “I won’t have a chance to talk with every student or every educator. The data accomplishes both, and will support conversation with both parties.”

As Adams points out, everything in education bears on everything else. When student achievement increases, so does enrollment, and then the resources to support the efforts will begin to flow. Then, community trust and involvement will increase as well. Adams says that he is gratified by the support he has received from citizens, City Hall, and local business leaders. Everyone needs to get behind the effort, or it is doomed to fail.

“It’s all linked together,” he notes. One frustration for Adams, among others, is the state of technology in the District. Analyzing data is only as good as the hardware and software that exists to crunch the numbers. But, like lead paint, it won’t be a problem solved this week or next.

Adams says he is confident that support will continue, and says that Board members and the community have been “forthright in what they see my role to be.”

“I don’t see any hidden agendas,” he says, then breaks slowly into a smile. “Of course, if there were any, I wouldn’t see them anyway.” Courtesy of Bill Beggs Jr., in St. Louis Commerce Magazine, St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA).

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