Where there's a Will(iams)

Mayor Slay again offers his support for SLPS Superintendent Craig Williams. The Mayor also renewed his criticism of the school board's leadership, chastising them for obstructionist tendencies.

The new school board majority — rather than helping the superintendent carry out his plan — has done everything it can to drive Dr. Williams out of St. Louis.

Less than three weeks ago, Slay singled-out board vice-president William Purdy for criticism, asserting the Purdy and the board misunderstood the relationship between the board and the Superintendent.

It is no secret that I – and a lot of people in our community – trust Dr. Williams and hope that he perseveres here. And it is no secret that Purdy disagrees.

School boards are elected to provide direction. The superintentent is hired to run the district. Not the other way around.

As the divisions between the parties deepen, something to keep in mind are Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education figures that put 5 St. Louis public schools on their "highest-performance" list (only two districts had more schools on the list) [The list is ranked based on averaged MAP Math and Comm Arts results from 2001-2005]. St. Louis also had 11 schools on the "most-improved" list for 2005 (via The Commonspace).

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