Mo. Supreme Court Affirms Takeover of School District

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The State Supreme Court upheld a decision by the State Board of Education to strip the St. Louis Public School District of accreditation, affirming the ruling of a three-member special administrative board appointed by state officials.

The education board revoked accreditation from the district in March 2007 for only meeting four of 14 state standards for academic performance. The district has also been plagued with poor test scores and financial problems, according to the board.

“The Supreme Court ruling clearly upholds the standards used to evaluate the St. Louis public schools and all other school districts in Missouri,” says Peter Hershend, a member of the State Board of Education. “It reaffirms the accreditation process that state education officials used in reaching this difficult decision.”

The governor, St. Louis mayor and the board of aldermen president each chose one member of the three-member board, which took over the troubled district in June 2007.