Newly elected school board members in some north St. Louis County districts will have to navigate growing financial uncertainty as pandemic-era federal funding ends and student enrollment continues to drop across the region.
Vivian Mansaray was elected to the Ferguson-Florissant School Board, while Sheila Powell-Walker was reelected to her seat. In Riverview Gardens, board President Nikeita Coleman and Treasurer Wanda Lane were reelected for another term.
“As I step into this role, I remain committed to transparency and accountability. I encourage all stakeholders to join me in holding our board to the highest standards as we work together to create meaningful progress for our community,” Mansaray said in a statement.
In a statement shared on Facebook, Powell-Walker said she hopes to continue working collaboratively with community stakeholders.
“I am honored to continue serving the Ferguson-Florissant community. This victory reflects our shared belief in asking the hard questions, protecting public resources and ensuring that every child has access to a high-quality education,” Powell-Walker said.
Coleman and Lane could not be reached for comment.
Both districts plan to close schools over the next two years due to aging buildings and falling enrollment.
Ferguson-Florissant is facing a $7.7 budget shortfall for the next school year. As a result, the district’s co-acting superintendents, Brent Mitchell and Joycelyn Pugh-Walker, presented a plan in March to consolidate schools, implement a hiring freeze and cut 18 assistant principal positions, among other changes across the district.
The district's board will also be charged with hiring a new superintendent after the district moved to end a contract with Joseph Davis after two school principals accused him of sexual harassment. Davis has denied wrongdoing.
In Riverview Gardens, Superintendent Tanya Patton has been leading the charge on school closures and steadying the budget. The district is considering closing one of its schools with the lowest student enrollment after a demographic study commissioned by the school board found that the district is projected to lose 800 to 1,000 students over the next decade.
Patton will bring her recommendation to the Riverview Gardens board in May, which will then have to decide whether to close a school.
