|
|
|
TURNING AROUND ST. LOUIS SCHOOLS
What should
a public school district do if only 5% of its high school students
can read at a proficient level even though it was spending $11,000
per pupil? This was the case in St. Louis last year.
In June, 2003 a newly elected majority school board voted to bring
in a company that specializes in turning around troubled businesses.
On its second day on the job, the company discovered that, instead
of a surplus, the district was facing a $90 million cash flow deficit.
It would prove to be a tumultuous year that included closing schools,
protest marches, chaotic school board meetings and a divided community.
produced
by Tira Grey |
|
|
VIEWER
COMMENTS |
"Terrific!
Very well done -- you guys captured the exact mood of what went
down here for 12 months...Congrats on a great piece." - Jake
Wagman, Education Reporter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"It is amazing to me what consumers of educational services
put up with in terms of quality, performance and results for
their hard earned tax dollars, but then again, of course, they
are trapped in a monopoly peopled with administrators and teachers
who fear and loath competition. Or so it seems to me. In any
case, shining light upon a situation such as your report does
must have a salutory effect over time, if you can keep the light
shining."
- Stallworth M. Larson |
|
| |
Original
Airdate: August 17, 2004 |
| |
|
|
|
