The St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education voted Friday to fire Superintendent Millicent Borishade without cause during a closed session.
The district released a statement Friday evening stating that Myra Berry will serve as interim superintendent. She has been the district’s interim chief of human resources since 2023.
Berry has been with the district for more than two decades in both teaching and administrative roles.
The district and the school board did not provide specific details of why they chose to fire Borishade now.
"Following through consideration and discussion, the board concluded that a change in leadership is necessary to move the district forward and strengthen confidence in its future direction," the district said in a statement.
The board will conduct a search for a new superintendent.
The district will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. Monday at its central office to introduce Berry to the public and discuss next steps.
Borishade told STLPR that she didn’t see her firing coming.
“There was no conversation,” Borishade said. “I am packing up my office, so that I can move on to my next chapter.”
District security officers later escorted her out with her belongings to her car.
The new superintendent will be the fifth person to hold the top job since former Superintendent Kelvin Adams retired in 2022.
The board voted 6-0 to terminate Borishade’s contract with the district, but Ben Conover — who left the closed session early for work — said he would have voted against Borishade's firing.
“I had seen no evidence that we have cause to terminate Dr. Borishade,” Conover said. “She was terminated without cause. I don’t think we should be doing that.”
In an interview after Friday’s board meeting, Conover said Collins-Adams and Hubbard used “delay tactics to extend the time until we voted until past the time I could be there, so that’s why I was absent when the vote happened.”
Hubbard denied Conover’s claims, and Collins-Adams did not respond to requests for comment.
"It is time to turn the page and look forward towards the future of public education in the city of St. Louis," said Ray Cummings, president of the teachers local, in a statement. "Parents, taxpayers, other allies and stakeholders can have renewed confidence in moving forward."
Borishade has been in the top role for just over a year, holding the job in an interim capacity until February.
Borishade stepped up to run the district after her predecessor, Keisha Scarlett, was fired by the former school board for violating hiring protocols. Scarlett was found to have offered high-paying salaries to cabinet-level district employees without school board approval.
Scarlett has denied any wrongdoing.
Borishade was hired by Scarlett in 2023 as chief of schools for SLPS. She has also served as deputy superintendent.
Former school board President Toni Cousins and Vice President Matt Davis said last year that they had full confidence in Borishade as they had been told that she was the one managing the district behind the scenes.
Cousins and Davis had also said she had taken the necessary steps to work toward achieving full superintendent certification, which she later did receive, and to steady the district by filling cabinet-level vacancies.
In August, the American Federation of Teachers Local 420, which represents over 2,000 SLPS staffers, voted to approve a petition of no confidence in Borishade.
The union’s primary concern was the district’s decision to move forward with discussions of school closures.
Borishade has been charged with leading SLPS through what could be a massive restructuring of the district as it weighs school closures. In July, Borishade presented a preliminary report that suggested closing 37 of its 68 buildings as a result of declining student enrollment and aging school buildings.
The district has not released a list of schools that could be closed.
This story has been update with comment from Borishade and Board of Education members.
This story has been updated to incorporate the school district's statement.
