By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, Mo. – Attorneys for St. Louis school board members are trying to persuade a judge to stop a state takeover of Missouri's largest district.
Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan heard arguments Wednesday in a case seeking to keep an appointed board from running the district starting Friday.
But he did not immediately rule, instead setting further arguments for Thursday.
The State Board of Education voted in March to strip the St. Louis district of accreditation. A three-member board -- appointed by the governor, mayor and aldermanic president --is to manage the schools.
The lawsuit argues the state acted unconstitutionally in removing accreditation. It also argues that St. Louis was treated differently from other struggling districts, and that an appointed board denies the rights of city voters.