Аудитор штата Миссури присвоил школьному округу Сент-Луиса наихудшую оценку «плохо»

Missouri Auditor gives SLPS lowest rating ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has given St. Louis Public Schools the lowest possible rating. Thursday afternoon, Fitzpatrick gave the district a rating of “poor” while recommending that the Board of Education strengthen oversight and reinforce its commitment to integrity and ethical values. “The bottom line is the Board of Education is not an effective governing body and it is time for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to strongly consider whether the current board structure is the appropriate governance model for the St. Louis Public School District. Since our first report, the district has been downgraded to provisionally accredited status and it’s clear that if the Board remains in place it needs to take swift and dramatic action to turn things around for the kids who attend schools in the district,” said Auditor Fitzpatrick. “I realize the members of the Board are trying to move forward from Dr. Scarlett’s administration, but as our report shows, they have a lot of work to do in order to rebuild trust with the public and provide students with an environment that prioritizes their educational needs.” The audit looked at how the Board and former Superintendent Dr. Keisha Scarlett did not demonstrate a commitment to integrity and ethical values that were necessary to lead the district. It states that Scarlett had “an appetite for litigation,” and that there were internal communication issues because employees were not allowed to speak directly with Scarlett or the Board. The audit also looked at the Board’s travel paid for by the school district and found that $75,000 was spent in a 13-month period for two in-state conferences and seven out-of-state conferences for Board members. Only four of the nine conferences obtained approval as required by Board policy. The report recommends that the Board review and evaluate travel and conference costs to ensure that taxpayer money is used in the most beneficial ways for students. According to the audit, the district has not effectively managed its inventory of closed school buildings and has not sold property in compliance with state law, resulting in lost opportunities to maximize property value and increased costs associated with maintaining vacant facilities. The report found that four properties were sold in violation of state law from June 2022 through June 2025. Seven of 22 closed buildings are being held by the district for the future, despite having been decommissioned years ago. The audit also found that former Superintendent Dr. Millicent Borishade’s termination is expected to cost the district a total of $721,539 in severance compensation, in addition to health benefits through June 2028. One startling finding: students had been riding on potentially unsafe buses — with only half passing safety inspections in 2023. This happening amid issues with previous school bus companies. The report also said 12 schools failed to complete all required fire drills. Others missed drills for tornadoes, earthquakes and intruders. “That’s particularly concerning given the shooting that took place in October of 2022 at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, and the firearm that was seized from a school employee at that same school this week,” Fitzpatrick said. SLPS Superintendent Dr. Myra Berry stepped up to the same podium Thursday afternoon, just moments after Fitzpatrick’s remarks, responding to the report. She said the findings of the audit reflect old practices, not how the district operates today. “We are examining not only what needs to happen today, but also the systems, the structures, policies, and practice that must be put in place to prevent these issues from reoccurring,” Dr. Berry said. “When the district received the initial findings, we did not wait for the report to begin taking action. We immediately started addressing all of the areas of concern.” Dr. Berry is the fourth superintendent for St. Louis Public Schools in roughly four years. The complete audit report is available here. The first audit report issued on the St. Louis Public Schools is available here. Copyright 2026 KMOV. All rights reserved.