DESE Meets with St. Louis Public Schools Leadership Team on Improvement Plan…

Jefferson City, Mo- The Commissioner of Education along with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESE) leadership team met with St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) leadership team Thursday, January 15, to collaborate and create a plan moving forward to ensure improvement is made and high-quality programs are available for all students. This comes after the State Board of Education approved to reclassify SLPS from accredited to provisionally accredited on Tuesday, January 13.

During the meeting, the Commissioner of Education Dr. Karla Eslinger directed DESE's deputy commissioners to establish weekly meetings with SLPS to gain a better understanding of what's going on in the district and offer assistance where it's needed.

The topics of discussion during those meetings will be mostly on these four key items:

• Financial stability
• Academics, specifically Literacy
• Attendance
• Transportation

"Since the early days of my role as Commissioner of Education, we have been in direct contact with SLPS leadership and have been offering our resources and support," Commissioner Eslinger said.

Finances:

According to state law, SLPS is not currently classified as a financially stressed school district and maintains sufficient cash flow to meet all financial obligations. DESE is working with the district to continue strengthening its overall financial stability and accountability.

Ongoing areas of focus include the completion of corrective actions related to Missouri State Audit findings, timely completion and submission of annual financial audits, and the development of a comprehensive long-term budget plan.

Literacy:

DESE continues to support SLPS on the district's Literacy Initiatives.

During the 2024-25 foundational reading assessment, 863 K-5 students who were "at risk" at the beginning of the year were no longer "at risk" at the end of the year. Also, during the 2024-25 school year DESE's Literacy Team and State Literacy Coaches provided a professional learning series on the Science of Reading for all SLPS administrators and instructional coaches.

Building on that momentum, DESE has provided additional recommendations to SLPS to further the district's growth in literacy. These considerations include but are not limited to:

• Creating a plan to ensure all K-3 educators complete LETRS training
• Prioritizing literacy intervention and support at the first-grade level, a preventative approach rather than later intervention at the third-grade level
• Ensuring certified educators are teaching kindergarten and first grade

Attendance:

SLPS reported that their attendance rate is at 46.3 percent. DESE is actively collaborating with SLPS to address this challenge through the development of a comprehensive attendance campaign. Although the initiative is in its early stages, its primary objective is clear: to increase student attendance and ensure students are present, engaged, and supported in their learning.

"We know that student attendance is a significant indicator of a thriving and effective school district," Commissioner Eslinger said. "Strong attendance rates reflect consistent student engagement and meaningful learning outcomes."

SLPS is evaluating a range of strategic approaches to achieve sustainable improvements in attendance across the district.

"In Saint Louis Public Schools, we are unequivocal about the connection between presence and performance: students cannot fully access or master instruction if they are not in the classroom," SLPS Interim Superintendent Dr. Myra Berry said. "Attendance is the first step toward equity. We ask our community to see each school day not simply as a requirement, but as a non-negotiable commitment to a child's future."

Transportation:

At the start of the 2025-26 school year, SLPS adopted the Zum transportation app, providing families with flexible transportation options for getting students to and from school, while offering real-time tracking. The district said early feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.

SLPS leadership will be presenting a district overview to the State Board of Education during the Board's February meeting.

"DESE remains committed to working with SLPS to drive meaningful improvements and ensure the delivery of high-quality programs for every student," Commissioner Eslinger said.