Following an independent audit which examined operations of the St. Louis Public Schools, the SLPS Board of Education voted unanimously on Monday to terminate the contract of Superintendent Dr. Keisha Scarlett “for cause.”
Dr. Millicent Borishade, who was recruited by Scarlett from a district in the state of Washington, was selected to continue in her role as interim superintendent for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year.
The board met during a special closed session, which included external investigators and discussed the investigation, before voting to terminate Scarlett.
According to a release, “pursuant to her employment contract, Dr. Scarlett has the right to request a hearing before the Board of Education to contest the decision.”
“If Dr. Scarlett elects to contest, she will remain on administrative leave until her hearing before the Board of Education. If requested, the hearing is expected to take place before the end of October.”
In a statement provided to the media on Tuesday, Scarlett said she is “deeply disappointed” and will appeal the decision.
“I did nothing wrong,” Scarlett said.
“My leadership decisions were always made to benefit our students and community. When I arrived, the administration was in crisis with significant operational problems, student service deficiencies, and staff compensation disparities.
According to Scarlett, “After several external studies and audits, I focused on redistributing resources to support our mission more equitably. I communicated regularly with the Board about these needed changes.”
“Both I and the dedicated professionals who uprooted their lives to serve this community have been treated unfairly. There will be a time for that discussion, but for now, I plan to challenge the Board’s decision.”
The board announced on July 26, 2024, that Scarlett had been placed on temporary leave.
The action came in the wake of several questionable hirings and the growth in a sizeable deficit in the district’s budget.
Scarlett’s hires during her tenue, which officially began on July 1, 2023, reportedly included at least 12 former Seattle administrators and employees from Seattle – with some jobs going to spouses of those coming to SLPS.
In addition, Scarlett had hired Phoenix Jackson to serve as chief communications officer. Jackson, who has since resigned from the position, had posted online that she would be living in both Houston and St. Louis and “float as needed between two lives and I love that for me,” while managing the essential role.
Board Chair Toni Cousins called for an investigation into SLPS hiring and temporarily froze any additional employment additions.
SLPS had also reportedly has gone from having a $17 million budget surplus to facing a potential $35 million shortfall.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones had called for an audit of SLPS shortly after Scarlett was placed on leave. Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick announced that he had begun an SLPS audit on Aug. 13.
“Our children and our families are in the middle of this; This chaos is unacceptable,” Jones said on August 3,
“We need a school district that functions and we had a school district that functioned for 14 years under the leadership of Dr. Kelvin Adams,” she said.
Adams, who now serves as St. Louis Community Foundation president and CEO, retired as SLPS superintendent on Jan. 1, 2023.
The board was not spared from Jones’ ire.
“Parents and students in St. Louis deserve a school board that is held to the highest standard of financial accountability,” she said.
Borishade, who has been serving as acting superintendent since July 25. Her service as interim superintendent is pending on Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education approval of her certification.
She holds superintendent certificates in Illinois and Washington and has submitted the required documentation) to obtain her Missouri certification.
Following Tuesday’s board work session, St. Louis Public Radio reported that Cousins is standing with Borishade.
“We welcome the challenge,” said Cousins.
“We’re in a healing stage right now, and our primary focus is and should always be what’s in the best interest of our children.”
The board approved a property tax hike of nearly 7% with the projected deficit looming. The district’s current tax rate is $4.67 per $100 of assessed property valuation. It will rise to just under $5, the highest the rate has been since it was $5.01 in 2020, according to SLPS Chief Financial Officer Angie Banks.
Banks said the increase could net an additional $15.3 million annually.
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