Area Districts Unite to Support Struggling Schools

Schools in the St. Louis area have agreed to provide services to two struggling districts, Normandy and Riverview Gardens, in order to help them remain financially solvent and improve student learning outcomes. Much of the news coverage on our region is negative, so I believe it is important to highlight that these schools and EducationPlus, a collaborative organization of districts, have voluntarily decided to help districts in need.

Normandy and Riverview Gardens are both unaccredited districts, and as a result students have the right to transfer to higher-performing districts. The 22 school districts that accept students from Normandy and Riverview Gardens have voluntarily come together to support these schools as they move toward reaccreditation. This week the House Budget Committee heard testimony on the voluntary agreement reached in June.

When Governor Nixon announced this collaborative effort, he inaccurately labeled it a “historic agreement,” despite the fact that it was not formalized in writing. Nixon also failed to send any staff to the committee to discuss the arrangement. Despite the lack of transparency on Nixon’s part, the committee heard valuable testimony from EducationPlus on the schools’ efforts.

The 22 districts have each offered to undertake at least one activity to assist Normandy and Riverview Gardens, such as instructional support, professional development opportunities, or curriculum assistance.

Parkway Schools has agreed to assist Normandy through administrative support and professional development for beginning teachers. The district will also collaborate with Riverview Gardens to improve its high school math and science courses. Ladue and Pattonville will work closely with Washington Elementary School in the Normandy district. A Ladue School principal will provide administrative mentoring to the Washington Elementary School Principal, and district leaders will meet to review data and determine professional development needs.

I applaud the 22 districts for making these offers of assistance without any mandate or financial incentive from the state. When entities in the St. Louis area voluntarily work together and support one another, it demonstrates our community’s capacity to grow and move forward.