Missouri: Schools Takeover Upheld

The Missouri Supreme Court has affirmed the state takeover of the St. Louis school system, which has struggled for years with poor finances and student test scores. The decision on Tuesday backs the appointment of a three-member governing board that has run the St. Louis school system, Missouri’s largest school district, since it lost accreditation in June 2007. Members of the elected school board have remained in office but are largely powerless. Elected board members had urged the Supreme Court to invalidate the Missouri Board of Education’s decision removing the district’s accreditation. They also sought to strike down the state law allowing the transfer of powers to an appointed board if the St. Louis district lost accreditation. The Supreme Court rejected all their arguments, essentially ending the power struggle.