St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Keisha Scarlett plans to fight for her job after the Board of Education voted 6-0 Monday to end her three-year contract, following a third-party investigation into her hiring practices and other personnel decisions.
According to Board of Education Vice President Matt Davis, a third-party investigator provided school board members with a preliminary report last week. Board members met with external investigators Monday before voting during a closed session, officials said.
The unidentified investigator was hired in July to probe Scarlett’s hiring practices and other personnel decisions after concerns arose in recent months about Scarlett hiring her friends from Seattle Public Schools, where she was previously employed.
In recent months, board members have expressed concerns about Scarlett, including a hiring decision that came under fire after new school district employee Kelley Phoenix Jackson posted online about her plans to float between the job in St. Louis and her home in Houston. A records request revealed that a person named Kelley Jackson was hired as a temporary non-certificated deputy superintendent for SLPS on June 10.
A hire letter signed by Jackson on May 3 shows a similar job title, and also that she was brought in as the district's chief communications officer with an annual salary of $200,000 and a start date of July 1. Within two months, her LinkedIn page indicated that she was no longer employed by the district.
In a statement emailed Tuesday night, Scarlett said she plans to contest the decision to terminate her contract and will request a hearing before the board.
“I did nothing wrong,” Scarlett said in the statement. “My leadership decisions were always made to benefit our students and community. When I arrived, the administration was in crisis with significant operational problems, student service deficiencies, and staff compensation disparities. After several external studies and audits, I focused on redistributing resources to support our mission more equitably. I communicated regularly with the Board about these needed changes.”
Saying she is “deeply disappointed” in the school board, Scarlett said she was placed on administrative leave two months ago without any warning.
“Both I and the dedicated professionals who uprooted their lives to serve this community have been treated unfairly," Scarlett said. "There will be a time for that discussion, but for now, I plan to challenge the Board’s decision.”
Board President Antoinette “Toni” Cousins declined to speak on the reasons behind the decision, but said that as of Tuesday, the board hadn’t heard from Scarlett or her representatives. She hailed acting Superintendent Millicent Borishade and other district leaders for implementing before- and after-school care at the start of the school year and for navigating the transportation crisis during Scarlett's leave of absence.
“We welcome the challenge,” Cousins said Tuesday evening. “We’re in a healing stage right now, and our primary focus is and should always be what’s in the best interest of our children.”
The school district has been under fire in recent months as transportation woes plagued the district and a $17 million surplus the district had in its general operating budget at the start of Scarlett’s term last year plunged into a projected $35 million deficit.
During a work session Tuesday evening, school board officials approved a property tax hike of nearly 7% to help cover the projected deficit. The district’s current tax rate is $4.67 per $100 of assessed property valuation, and with the most recently approved tax hike, it will rise to just under $5, district Chief Financial Officer Angie Banks said Tuesday. She said the increase will bring in $15.3 million annually. This is the highest the rate has been since it was $5.01 in 2020.
The board has until Oct. 1 to submit the newly proposed tax rates to the city’s tax assessor and the state auditor.
Banks previously said that while the projected $35 million deficit is not ideal, the district is still in good shape financially as the projected deficit doesn’t take into account the district’s reserve, which is projected to be over $200 million for the 2024-25 school year.
Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick began an audit of the district on Aug. 13.
Scarlett, 50, began as superintendent on July 1, 2023, after arriving from Seattle Public Schools, where she had worked since 1999. Her last role there was as the chief of equity, partnerships and engagement, and she also had been a teacher and principal.
She joined the St. Louis Public School District last summer with plans for improving student achievement and overall district functions and morale.
In her statement, Scarlett noted accomplishments made under her leadership, including the launch of the citywide initiative Literacy for the Lou, and other investments in libraries and books. In March, the school district announced teachers would receive the largest pay raise they’d seen in nearly 20 years with a 17% jump over the next three years to begin on July 1.
Borishade has served as interim superintendent since July 25 and will remain in the position for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year, pending approval from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
SLPS officials said Borishade has held superintendent certificates in Illinois and Washington and has submitted the required documentation to DESE to obtain Missouri superintendent’s certification.
Scarlett will remain on administrative leave until her hearing before the Board of Education, school officials said, which is expected to take place in October.
This story was updated to clarify that Millicent Borishade has previously held superintendent certificates in Illinois and Washington, but does not currently hold them.
