David Bassett

The meeting included recognition of the 2024 St Louis Public Schools career fair, noting 30 employment offers were signed. The Spirit of Excellence award recognized students, staff, and leaders at Nan Elementary for achieving Missouri School Charter of Character status. Board members received recognition for National Board Member Month, including President Tony Cousins who was honored by the St Louis Board Member of Alderman, and the declaration of March as Missouri School Board Recognition Month by the Governor. The meeting also featured a presentation from the St Louis Public Schools Foundation regarding their operations, priority areas aligned with district goals (belonging/attendance, pre-K literacy, and postsecondary opportunity), and their annual investment of $2.5 to $3.5 million in focused programming. The Foundation's process of incubating, refining, and embedding proven practices, often focusing on areas of greatest need, was discussed. Board members raised questions regarding opportunities for teachers to submit grant proposals outside of the formalized, district-led priority process, and requested a comprehensive list of funded projects.

The work session focused on several procedural items and ongoing reports. Key discussion points included the approval of the agenda and the approval of minutes from previous meetings, specifically the October 14, 2025, open session and the October 17, 2025, special board meeting open session. The Superintendent provided a report acknowledging a day of remembrance, thanking partners for their service, and introducing the interim chief of staff, Dr. Josh Henning. A significant item addressed was the process for filling a board vacancy due to recent resignations. The majority of the session was dedicated to reviewing numerous consent agenda items (10.1 through 10.40), covering state plans for special education, acceptance of various gifts and funds, partnership agreements (including those with Lincoln University and various community partners), approval for specific courses and exams (like cosmetology), and approval for renovations at Central VPA Collegiate High School. One large renovation project (10.17, $18 million) was discussed in detail and moved to the 'items for action' section due to its significant cost, despite being initially placed on the consent agenda. Discussions also covered the high volume of student teacher and practicum agreements across numerous universities and the process for handling these placements.

The meeting commenced with a delayed start due to technical issues. A significant portion of the discussion focused on the Spirit of Excellence spotlighting the graduating Class of 2022, highlighting their scholastic achievements, perseverance through the pandemic, and substantial merit-based scholarship earnings totaling over $50 million. The Board also announced the closure of all St. Louis Public Schools and offices on June 20, 2022, in observance of Juneteenth. A major agenda item involved a presentation by the committee tasked with renaming Classical Junior Academy (formerly Canard). The presentation detailed the process, which included community input via surveys (over 700 responses received) due to pandemic limitations, and the criteria used for renaming. The committee recommended keeping "Classical Junior Academy" as part of the new name, with final name candidates being Marie Frankie Muse Freeman, Mary Meacham, and Betty Wheeler. The Board also addressed summer school program updates, noting approximately 900 students participating, with Camp SLPS attracting media attention for its approach to credit recovery and learning loss.

The meeting, titled 'Dr. Adams meeting with Collegiate Parents,' focused primarily on the proposed relocation of the CSMb school program to the Cleveland building. Key discussion points included the expansion of the CSMb program, which is currently maxing out capacity at its current location (Wyman), and the need to replace aging portable classrooms. The administration detailed the plan to move CSMb to the Cleveland facility, which already houses Central and possesses high school amenities like a gym, auditorium, and soccer field, allowing for the consolidation of four science labs. Concerns regarding the timing of the move during the pandemic were addressed, with assurance that the necessary renovations (including painting and securing new furniture for social distancing) could be completed by the start of the next academic year. The timeline was accelerated due to concerns about building deterioration if the current location remained unoccupied.

The meeting commenced with roll call, confirming a quorum. Key discussion items included the approval of the agenda and the subsequent approval of minutes from the July 8th regular business meeting and the July 14th special board meeting. The primary focus involved Superintendent reports concerning the SLPS Foundation. The discussion addressed the foundation's function, which involves raising between $2.5 million and $5 million annually to support SLPS students and programs, as well as hosting approximately 140 donor-designated funds. Questions were raised regarding the foundation's organizational structure, funders, and the allocation of funds, particularly noting disparities in funding received by different schools. The CFO explained that funds flow through the foundation for compliance and internal control reasons regarding restricted donor funds. The superintendent noted that the foundation funds pilots in schools that receive less community dollar support, such as Vashon, Ashlin, and Yadkin, and also supports internship programming.