The St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education voted to install Millicent Borishade as the district’s superintendent without conducting a search to fill the role, according to board member Emily Hubbard.
The board voted last year to have Borishade step in as interim superintendent after Superintendent Keisha Scarlett was fired for misuse of district funds and violating hiring policies. Scarlett has denied any wrongdoing.
Hiring and managing a superintendent is one of the Board’s primary responsibilities.
Typically, the board will hire a third-party recruiter to conduct a national search to find qualified candidates and invite them to apply. The board then reviews applications, holds interviews and eventually votes to hire someone for the top role, according to Hubbard.
The board has also previously sought input from the community, Hubbard said. For example, when the board was tasked with hiring the last superintendent after longtime Superintendent Kelvin Adams announced his retirement, the board invited parents and students to meet with three finalists, including Scarlett.
Hubbard said the board had considered starting a search committee, and she volunteered to chair the committee but was told she was “not the right person.”
The board made its decision during a closed session on Tuesday night. According to a statement from the district, the board voted 4-1 in favor of Borishade. Hubbard voted no, and board member Natalie Vowell was not present for the meeting.
“I continue to have doubts about her methods,” Hubbard said. “But I’ve always said, ‘The majority picked you so I’m going to support you in the best way possible.’”
Board President Toni Cousins has been a longtime supporter of Borishade and has maintained that she feels confident in her leadership of the district.
“Dr. Borishade has demonstrated strong, thoughtful leadership during her time as Interim Superintendent.,” said Cousins in a statement. “Her focus on student achievement, operational excellence, and building strong community partnerships has been invaluable. We’re excited to continue working with her as she leads SLPS forward.”
Board Vice President Matt Davis said that the board had given Borishade short-term goals to help guide the district after a tumultuous start to the school year. The goals included filling vacancies in some of the top roles in the district and developing a transportation plan for the upcoming school year.
The district announced this month that it had awarded a three-year contract to Zu̅m, a national school transportation provider.
When asked why the board didn’t open up the application process for the superintendent role, Davis said the board sought counsel from an outside recruitment firm after Scarlett was placed on leave and was told it would be too difficult to attract a new candidate given the publicity surrounding the district. The board was also told to invest in and develop its existing leader, Borishade.
“I think over the last almost six months, we have seen Dr. Borishade tirelessly work to confront problem after problem that she didn't create,” Davis said. “Some of these things have been long-standing, such as the transportation problem. From our perspective, as a board, we've seen the work that she has been doing to correct these things on a day-to-day basis.”
Borishade was hired by Scarlett in 2023 as the chief of schools and then promoted to deputy superintendent last summer.
In an interview with STLPR in November, Borishade said she was eager to take on the top job should the board open an application process.
A press conference is scheduled to discuss Borishade’s new role at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at Meramec Elementary School.
SLPS appoints new board member
During the same meeting, the board voted 4-1 to appoint Ben Conover as a new member.
He will fill the vacancy left by Sadie Weiss, who announced her resignation in January, citing a lack of proper oversight over SLPS and poor communication with the public about the misuse of district funds.
Conover is an organizer of Solidarity with SLPS, a local advocacy group for SLPS and against the expansion of charter schools, and a graduate student at St. Louis University. Conover is set to be sworn in on Tuesday.
“I’m really excited about the future of this district,” Conover said. “I think that coming out of the state takeover into public board control and having the community voice back at the front of the table for decision-making in the district; I'm really excited about that.”
Conover said he plans to take a step back from his work with Solidarity to focus on SLPS and to serve in his role until April 2027, when Weiss’s term was set to end.
Three seats on the board are up for election in April after Matt Davis and Vowell announced they will not seek re-election and Cousin’s first term comes to an end.
Cousins is running again alongside 11 other candidates.
This story has been updated to add comments from SLPS board Vice President Matt Davis and new board member Ben Conover.
