St. Louis schools superintendent Keisha Scarlett is out

ST. LOUIS — One year after becoming superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools, Keisha Scarlett has been replaced with her deputy as questions roil about financial dealings in the district. 

Millicent Borishade, who served as Scarlett’s second-in-command, was introduced to SLPS staff Friday as the interim superintendent. In a message to the staff, the school board said Scarlett was on a “temporary leave of absence.” It did not elaborate.

The school board met for more than two hours Thursday in a special closed session regarding personnel.

Their message added that the board has confidence in Borishade and that there would be no “interruptions in the ongoing work and preparations for the upcoming school year.”

Scarlett, 50, replaced Kelvin Adams, who retired in December 2022 after leading the district for 14 years. Scarlett’s three-year contract includes an annual base salary of $268,000.

During her brief tenure, the district’s general operating budget has plunged from a surplus of $17 million to a projected deficit of $35 million.

Scarlett came to St. Louis in summer 2023 from Seattle Public Schools, where she was chief academic officer and served in various positions over 12 years.

Her work in SLPS has been marked by upheaval, including the hires of at least 12 administrators and consultants with ties to Seattle. Borishade, who staffers say is a close friend of Scarlett’s, came from Tukwila (Washington) Public Schools to become SLPS’ chief of schools in fall 2023. She was promoted in the spring to deputy superintendent.

Most recently, the new communications chief, Phoenix Jackson, drew controversy with social media posts saying she intended to “float” between St. Louis and her home in Houston.

Board president Toni Cousins last week called for an investigation of the hires, saying the board is “only responsible for hiring and firing one person, and that’s the superintendent.”

Scarlett’s departure comes less than a month before the first day of school, with families still unclear about the district’s transportation plan.

Missouri Central, the district’s main bus vendor, terminated its $26 million contract with SLPS over the summer. The company had deployed a fleet of 228 conventional and short buses to serve 14,000 eligible students in 68 schools.

This school year, SLPS expects to spend $40 million for an unknown number of buses and smaller vehicles across at least 19 transportation vendors. Square Watson, operations chief, said Tuesday that the patchwork group is not enough to cover all the needed bus routes.

The district’s troubles compounded last week, when salary raises were not included in paychecks for an unknown number of SLPS administrators and other year-round employees. The local school administrators’ union is seeking legal action, according to a letter sent to its members this week.

The shakeup ends a long period of relative stability under Adams, who guided the district out of debt to regain full accreditation and a return to local governance after a state takeover.

There were 49 applicants for the SLPS superintendent position posted in fall 2022.

The other two finalists were Nicole Williams, who served as chief of staff under Adams, and Jermaine Dawson from Birmingham (Alabama) City Schools, who is now a deputy superintendent in the School District of Philadelphia.

Borishade, the interim leader, is not certified as a superintendent in Missouri, a requirement for state accreditation. The district has not responded to a previous records request for Borishade’s contract.

While SLPS has some of the highest-performing magnet schools in the state, the average test scores remain among the lowest, with 21% of students testing proficient in English and 16% in math in spring of 2023.

A majority of SLPS students live in poverty, including 13% who are considered homeless. There are 14% of students receiving special education services and 12% who are English language learners.

Since returning from virtual learning at the start of the pandemic, more than half of the students have been chronically absent, missing at least 10% of school days.

In her recorded job interview with SLPS, Scarlett said she would lead the district with her core values of “authenticity, collaboration and…