“The expansion of this experiment needs to stop,” Gloria Nolan demanded at a press conference Monday morning in front of the Delmar Divine.
The press event protested the recent efforts by local nonprofit Opportunity Trust to establish 16 additional charter schools in St. Louis over the next five years, part of a larger effort recently awarded a $35.5 million federal grant. Teachers, activists and community members came together to criticize the ways in which they see the growth of charter schools in the city — and the Opportunity Trust overall — undermining the St. Louis Public School system.
The charter school movement, which has drawn immense attention and heated debate over the past decade, began in the early 1990s as an alternative to underperforming public schools. This schooling model uses a combination of public and private funding to create independently run schools that are exempt from certain public education restrictions and run by their own nonprofit boards instead of the elected board of education. Despite being subsidized by taxpayers, and free for students to attend, charter schools are required to use a randomized lottery system to select their student body.
“Don’t be fooled, this is simply propaganda. This is Waiting for Superman 2.0,” Nolan, a St. Louis parent and public education advocate, said, referencing the 2010 documentary that offered charter schools as a lifeline to those suffering from the results of ineffective public education.
Then Nolan turned her attention to Maxine Clark, the former CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, who founded and now serves as CEO of Delmar Divine, a collaborative space designed to empower local nonprofits, including Opportunity Trust, which has its headquarters on site.
“If [Clark] wanted to help our poor little children she would at least pay her taxes, or she would offer up some living spaces for our unhoused families,” Nolan said. “She has not done that.”
In addition to Clark’s efforts at Delmar Divine, Nolan called out education reform efforts such as the desegregation program, Teach For America, state takeovers of failing public school districts, and of course, charter schools as ineffective strategies to address education inequality. “We are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Enough is enough,” she exclaimed.
Nolan was previously part of a parent cohort sponsored by Opportunity Trust via the nonprofit WEPOWER, but had a public break with the Opportunity Trust, saying founder Eric Scroggins told her he wanted to “burn down” St. Louis Public Schools, a goal that she did not share. (Scroggins, for his part, has stated he has no desire to "burn down" anything.) She is now a parent liaison for St. Louis Public Schools and part of a group of parents and educators working with the local teachers’ union, the Organization for Black Struggle and other groups to advocate for St. Louis Public Schools.
“We already know what our students need inside the classroom,” Nolan promised at the conference, calling for highly paid and skilled educators, smaller class sizes, high parent engagement, wrap-around services and improved access to extracurricular activities.
Yet an all-encompassing effort to improve St. Louis public education requires more than just in-classroom improvements, she said: “Students need food, clothing, housing and strong communities. We know the struggles of our city and our populations.”
Also speaking at the press conference was a spokesperson for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 420, Byron Clemens.
“This really is all about democracy,” Clemens said. “These folks weren't elected to anything. Eric Scroggins makes more money than the superintendent for the St. Louis public schools. He’s not qualified to do anything. His teacher certificate has expired. He’s not an educational expert. He doesn’t care about kids.”
In his comments, Clemens highlights a common criticism of the charter school movement: The schools use public funding to privatize education, which was once seen as a public good. The privatization concentrates resources into schools that need not abide by the same restrictions as public schools. Among other things, they are exempted from collective bargaining contracts, a big reason why teacher unions are unequivocally anti-charter school.
Critics of charter schools find the lack of unionization to be unfair and undemocratic. “We are going to fight for the St. Louis public schools. We are going to fight to make sure charter schools are accountable,” Clemens stated.
And despite the popularity of charter schools with parents in the city, the advocates say they are fighting for no less than the future St. Louis.
“Our population is declining, and our enrollment is declining. We are trying to create stability in unstable, violent drug-plagued communities,” said Carron Johnson, another AFT member.
Added Nolan, “St. Louis public schools are worth fighting for and that is why we are here.”
Editor's note: This story was edited after publication to make clear that the $35.5 federal grant to increase charter school options was a statewide effort, not one focused solely on St. Louis. We also added Eric Scroggins' statement disputing Gloria Nolan's characterization of their past conversation.
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