ST. LOUIS — During their meeting on Tuesday, St. Louis’ Board of Education approved a partnership agreement to sponsor Confluence Academies for four years.
The agreement means Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) will provide oversight for the Confluence, which will still be governed by an independent board. The agreement comes after the school that was previously sponsoring Confluence dropped out.
Charter schools are tuition-free schools of choice that are publicly funded but independently run. They are operated through performance contracts signed with a sponsor, which helps provide oversight and report back to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
The agreement still needs to be approved by the Confluence board. If approved, SLPS and Confluence will send the agreement to DESE for final approval.
According to a press release from SLPS, the two school systems would continue to operate completely independent of each other, financially, academically, and operationally, with neither having responsibility for any actions taken by the other on behalf of its students and staff.
"SLPS will receive between $125,000 and $200,000 annually to offset the expenses of establishing an office to provide oversight and reporting and to maintain communication with DESE on the partnership," the press release said.
The agreement was approved by a 6-1 vote at Tuesday's board meeting.
The proposal for SLPS to take over comes as both schools fight to reel in and keep students.
In the St. Louis Public School District, enrollment decreased by 14% from 2016 to 2021, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.
Imagine Schools, another Charter system, closed in 2012, removing about 4,000 students from their schools.
Paul Ziegler, CEO of EducationPlus, has been in the industry in St. Louis for 30 years and has seen the highs and lows of the public and charter sectors.
"You know if you would have asked me a couple of years ago whether I'd see traditional public schools, SLPS adopting a charter, I probably would have said no," Ziegler said.
EducationPlus is a non-profit educational service agency that collaborates with member districts and the region to provide leadership and resources to the 60-member school districts.
SLPS and Confluence Academies came together this past Spring on a public safety plan to help stop child gun violence in the city.
Ziegler mentioned how the proposed sponsorship would maximize resources.
"If I have to duplicate transportation or duplicate administrative services. Things like that. That money's got to come from somewhere. When the resources remain the same, what ends up happening is we're diluting other pieces that are good for kids," Ziegler added.
The longtime education advocate added that the leadership in both systems would be key to making the partnership work.
"I think if that drives ultimately the decisions that are made, ultimately, they are going to have a better opportunity for all kids in the St. Louis city area," he said.
Dr. Candice Carter-Oliver has led Confluence since 2016.
Dr. Kelvin Adams will attend his last school board meeting as superintendent where he is set to recommend the partnership.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.