Ben Conover has resigned from the St. Louis Board of Education, according to a letter he shared with St. Louis Public Radio.
He sent his letter of resignation to the board moments before the district’s press conference at 2 p.m.
In the letter, he states that he is proud to have worked with the district’s “passionate educators, families and district leaders who are committed to the well-being and success of our students,” and is “especially proud of the process made under the leadership of Dr. Borishade.”
Millicent Borishade was fired by the school board on Friday without cause. The board appointed Myra Berry, interim chief of human resources, as interim superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools.
Conover, who was not present for the vote on Friday, told STLPR that he would have voted against firing Borishade.
“Unfortunately, this progress is being undermined by the Board’s duplicitous leadership and reckless actions which I cannot abide,” the letter states. “I have serious concerns about the conduct of the Board President and Vice President, whose actions I believe have compromised the Board’s integrity and go against its responsibility to act in the public interest.”
Conover was appointed to the board in February after former member Sadie Weiss resigned, citing board actions, including insufficient oversight of the district. His term was set to end in 2027.
He previously was as an organizer with Solidarity with SLPS, an advocacy group that rallies against the expansion of charter schools. He's a graduate student and instructor at St. Louis University.
Conover told STLPR on Friday, and repeated in the letter, that board President Karen Collins-Adams and Vice President Emily Hubbard intentionally delayed the vote to fire Borishade so that his “objecting vote would not be recorded.”
When asked about this on Friday, Hubbard denied Conover’s claims. Collins-Adams could not be reached for comment at the time.
“While I recognize many members of our community had concerns about the leadership and direction of the district, you deserve to know the truth. You deserve to know that this vote took place without an attorney representing the Board or district on legal matters present. You deserve to know this vote took place without the Board conducting its state-mandated superintendent evaluation, where the Superintendent would have the opportunity to respond to any concerns – though, frankly, no concrete evidence of concern was presented to support employment action,” Conover wrote in the letter.
“Whatever each community member’s thoughts are on the ultimate result, the actions taken by the Board President and Vice President to get us here are nothing short of reprehensible.”
Conover also wrote about his concerns from what he calls “the growing influence of privatization interests, especially that of those associated with The Opportunity Trust, at the state level and on the direction and decisions of this Board.”
The Opportunity Trust is an education nonprofit that invests in programs and grants for schools in the region and often helps open new charter schools, which draws criticism from SLPS advocates.
He goes on to write that by firing Borishade, the board has invited additional scrutiny of the district from the state.
“This concern is compounded by the fact that numerous state partners warned the Board of those privateers’ influence in Jefferson City, and how an ill-advised termination of the Superintendent could bolster their goals,” the letter states. “The growing influence of these interests on the Board, especially its top leader, is not something we should take lightly. I am deeply worried that the Board just handed our Legislature a rubber-stamped ticket to the privatization of SLPS.”
There have been concerns from the board about a possible state takeover of the district as it navigates financial headwinds and consistent leadership turnover and the possibility of the state legislature expanding charter schools in the city.
There is no confirmed plan of a state-appointed board at this time.
Borishade, board members and Karla Eslinger, Missouri commissioner of education, have said that the district is working closely with representatives from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Missouri School Board Association to help stabilize the district.
The district was under a special administrative board for 12 years but returned to local control in 2019.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Editor’s Note: The Opportunity Trust is a financial supporter of St. Louis Public Radio. STLPR is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations by members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in STLPR's journalism.
