profiles | july 2024 | American School & University

Study says nearly half of St. Louis public schools will have to be replaced in the next decade

Nearly half of the 68 public schools in St. Louis are in such poor shape that they will need to be replaced or closed in the next 10 years, an architecture firm has told the school board.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that according to the assessment by Cordogan, Clark and Associates, if all the buildings stay open, the cost of upkeep for St. Louis Public Schools will reach an estimated $1.8 billion by 2044.
The district has $28 million in immediate needs for plumbing, electrical, roofing, HVAC and other structural concerns, the firm estimates.
The figures do not include the 20 or so vacant school buildings still owned and maintained by the district. The average age of St. Louis school buildings is close to 90 years old, district leaders estimate.
Adams Elementary, built in 1878 in the neighborhood now known as Forest Park Southeast, is the oldest school in the district.
The number of students in the St.. Louis district has steadily fallen since peaking at 115,543 in 1967. This year, enrollment in kindergarten through high school is 16,542. After decades of declining enrollment, schools are only half-full, on average.

Atlanta district chooses finalist for superintendency

The Atlanta school board has named Bryan Johnson, the executive vice chancellor and chief strategy officer at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, as the sole finalist for its superintendent's job.

Fox 5 Atlanta reports that Johnson, who served as superintendent of the Hamilton County (Tennessee) district in Chattanooga from 2017 to 2021, will replace interim Superintendent Danielle Battle.

While leading Hamilton County schools, Johnson was named the Tennessee Superintendent of the Year by the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents, was a National Superintendent of the Year finalist, and was listed as a "Superintendent to Watch" by the National School Public Relations Association.

The 50,000-student Atlanta district is Georgia’s sixth-largest school system.

Judge allows lawsuit over religious charter school in Oklahoma to proceed

A judge in Oklahoma has ruled that a lawsuit opposing state funding for a religious public charter school will be allowed to proceed.

The Oklahoman reports that Judge Richard Ogden said he would allow three of four claims made by the plaintiffs to move forward. Ogden said he'll hear a motion by the plaintiffs in July for a restraining order to prevent state money from flowing to the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School.

The school, sponsored by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, would be the nation's first religious charter school that is publicly funded. The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board drew national attention last year when it voted 3-2 to approve the school's creation.

According to the St. Isidore website, faculty are to report on Aug. 1, and the first day of school is set for Aug. 12.

At the center of the lawsuit is whether charter schools are public or private.

Charter schools, as defined on the Oklahoma State Department of Education website, are "public schools that are allowed greater flexibility for greater accountability."

Attorneys for the defense argue, however, that St. Isidore is a private entity and that nothing in Oklahoma law prevents a private entity from operating a charter school.

Duval County (Florida) district picks new superintendent

The Duval County (Florida) district has selected Christopher Bernier to be its next superintendent.

Bernier is expected to take the reins in the Jacksonville-based school district in July. He will replace Dana Kriznar, who has been interim superintendent since Diana Greene retired as superintendent a year ago.

Duval County is the sixth-largest school system in Florida with about 129,000 students.

Bernier had been superintendent of the Lee County (Florida) district for less than two years when he announced in April that he was stepping down.

Before his stint in Lee County, Bernier served as chief of staff for the Clark County (Nevada) School District and as an associate superintendent in the Orange County (Florida) district.