Hiba Ahmad
Education ReporterHiba Ahmad covers education for St. Louis Public Radio. She’s spent most of her career working as a producer for NPR programs Weekend Edition, All Things Considered and the daily flagship podcast Up First.
Hiba is a Virginia native but is making St. Louis her home. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in broadcast journalism and is wrapping up her masters in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at George Mason University. When she’s not in a classroom or a school board meeting, she’s out exploring the city — in search of the next best place to eat. Send her some recommendations: @hiba_ahmad96 or hahmad@stlpr.org.
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Staff members opened up resource hubs and went door knocking to check in with families located in the path of the storm. Nearly 900 students were impacted. -
Families displaced by the May 16 tornado who still want their children to attend their original schools are entitled to district-provided transportation and free meals for their students -
District officials said families should have all bus route information no later than Friday. -
The St. Louis-area was experiencing a shortage of nearly 20,000 seats prior to the tornado, according to the Gateway Early Childhood Alliance. That number has grown since the May 16 tornado. -
“The school board was asleep at the wheel,” said Scott Fitzpatrick, Missouri's state auditor. He added that the district could run out of money in less than six years at current spending levels. -
The district is working to boost enrollment and average attendance to regain its full accreditation this school year. -
School board President Steven Blair said in a statement that Mike Dominguez had resigned “to pursue opportunities that better align with the current needs of his family." -
Board member Jane Puszkar asked a consultant to review the district’s library books for age-inappropriate content without school board or district approval, according to a letter sent by the district’s former superintendent. -
The St. Louis AI Summit gave educators a chance to learn about new education-related tools as artificial intelligence grows in popularity among school-age children. -
The district has over $200 million in reserves, but Superintendent Millicent Borishade said the increased expenditures are “unsustainable.” -
A report recommends St. Louis Public Schools close 37 of its 68 buildings for the 2026-27 school year due to declining student enrollment and aging infrastructure. -
The board voted 6-1 to approve the relocation of students from seven schools that were damaged by the May 16 tornado to other buildings within the district.
