By Adam Allington, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The new Transitional School Board held their second meeting yesterday.
The meeting was an open forum for St. Louis parents, teachers and community members to voice their concerns directly to board members.
The message on the lips of most parents and teachers at last nights meeting "The transitional board is here, lets move forward."
Bill Monroe was a candidate in the last school board elections; he didn't support the takeover but says ignoring its reality won't help anything
"I don't know which foot their starting on whether it's the right one or the left one, but it's a start looks like the left."
John Abram is a booster at Sumner High School. He was part of a group of 6 members of a Sumner alumni association.
"I'm hoping that this board will try their best and make sure the emphasis is on the students," says Abram. I don't think past boards have done that."
The new transitional board of the recently de-certified St. Louis Public School District is asking the community for input on how the district might improve.
In principle, the Transitional School Board is supposed to be collaborating with the elected school board.
So far that has yet to happen amid an ongoing legal battle and much ire on the part of the elected board.
Veronica O'Brien is one of two members of that board who was in favor of the takeover.
"You have to come in and you have to lay down the law," said O'Brien. "And you have to let people know where you're going so they can understand their boundaries so they don't create new boundaries so yes I would like to see some fine lines drawn."
Four members of the elected school board refuse to acknowledge the transitional board's authority and did not attend last nights meeting.
The elected school board also met yesterday and voted to continue their legal case against the takeover.