By Adam Allington, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Teach for America, a national program that places recent college graduates in public schools for two-year stints, could find its contract with St. Louis Public Schools cancelled.
At this week's school board meeting, board member Donna Jones introduced a motion to cancel the contract if budget restrictions force staff reductions.
"Teach for America, they come in and they've been doing a wonderful job," Jones said. "But right now I think that we need to focus in on teachers who are here for the long haul."
The controversial move drew criticism from St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, who says the school board is trying to feather its nest at the expense of what's right for children.
Slay called the move a horrible idea, and further proof of the need for state intervention. "What they're trying to do is protect jobs for themselves and teachers union members and they're really not looking out for the best interest of the kids and that's what's happening," Slay said Wednesday.
Teach for America employs about 100 teachers throughout the district and has been active in city schools since 2002.