The American Federation of Teachers Local 420 slammed a preliminary proposal to shut down 37 schools in the St. Louis Public Schools district during a summit on Wednesday.
The event brought together speakers from both St. Louis and Chicago, which saw its own round of school closures over a decade ago, to offer an alternative to shutting down schools: reopening and investing in neighborhood schools.
Missouri AFT President Carron ‘CeeJay’ Johnson, who led the conversation during the summit, said she’d like to see the district take a different approach.
“Instead of talking about closing schools, we need to be talking about restoring and rebuilding,” Johnson said. “We know a lot of our schools ain’t going to be able to make it, but some of them can.”
Fewer than 100 people attended the event held at Vashon High School in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood, signaling a concerning trend of low turnout at events centered on school closures in St. Louis.
The event also came during a contentious moment between the union and the district’s superintendent, Millicent Borishade. The union passed a vote of no confidence in Borishade in August, but stopped shy of calling for her resignation.
The audience was made up primarily of SLPS staff members, parents and graduates of the school district.
Attendees were encouraged to draft ideas of what they’d like to see in neighborhood schools. Many people listed healthcare, better food options, more after-school programs and opportunities for students to participate in trade programs.
The district provides many of these services at its schools or during back-to-school events.
Missing from the conversation was a discussion about the district’s finances, which is driving the district to close schools.
In July, Borishade presented a preliminary report from Cordogan, Clark and Associates — an architecture firm that surveyed the district — that suggested the district close down 37 of its 68 schools.
The district is facing a financial crisis due in part to declining student enrollment, which is caused by dropping child birth rates and families migrating out of the city, and costly repairs to aging school buildings.
In 2024, Cordogan, Clark and Associates estimated it would cost the district $1.8 billion to maintain its buildings over the next two decades — a number that has ballooned since the May 16 tornado, which damaged a dozen buildings.
The district temporarily closed seven of its schools for the start of the year.
District officials said during a work session in September that SLPS will receive funding from both the Federal and State Management Agencies to help get its buildings back to pre-storm condition, but the district is still on the hook for millions in insurance deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs.
Local 420 spokesman Byron Clemens said the district could pay to revitalize its schools by fighting against what the union sees as excessive tax abatements and TIFs that are offered to developers in the city.
“Financing it’s a simple answer — have reasonable TIFs and tax abatements, but not like one recent proposal to offer a 90% abatement for 20 years. That’s a nonstarter,” Clemens said.
He was referring to a proposal this summer to offer 90% tax breaks for 20 years to developers working on the Millennium Hotel downtown. The idea was temporarily shelved.
Tracy Duncan, an SLPS elementary school teacher, attended the event and said she walked away with mixed feelings.
“I do believe that some schools do probably need to close due to the dire financials, but I feel like too many have been proposed, but the impact on the community seems enormous,” Duncan said.
When asked if she’s worried about possible staff reductions due to the closures, Duncan said she expected it, but wasn’t as worried since she’s close to retirement.
