Lack of accreditation brings budget woes to 2 Missouri districts

Complying with Missouri’s school transfer law is beginning to take its toll in two unaccredited districts in the St. Louis area. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that in Normandy, 103 of the district’s 650 employees will lose their jobs by the end of December. The district also will enlarge class sizes to as many as 29 children, and Bel-Nor Elementary is expected to close. In the Riverview Gardens district, the Special Administrative Board is considering a spending reduction of $3.5 million by freezing open positions and cutting back in transportation and professional development. About 2,200 students have transferred from  Riverview Gardens and Normandy to accredited districts.