St. Louis teachers’ union calls for State Board of Education member to step down

The union representing St. Louis teachers is calling for State Board of Education member Kerry Casey to resign after she pushed earlier this month for St. Louis Public Schools to be stripped of its accreditation status.
Casey, who could not be reached for comment, was a founding board member of KIPP charter schools in St. Louis. She was appointed to the board in 2021 by former Gov. Mike Parson.
American Federation of Teachers St. Louis, in its letter calling for Casey’s resignation, questioned whether she could be impartial in her assessment of public schools.
“She seems predisposed to lowering the accreditation of public schools while protecting and advancing charter schools,” teachers’ union leaders wrote.
“It just seems like she’s more of a school privatizer than a public-school advocate,” Byron Clemens, spokesman for AFT St. Louis, told The Independent.
The State Board of Education does not control the classification of charter schools but it does hear proposals for new charters and has other oversight tasks.
When asked about Casey’s connection to charter schools and whether it helps the board, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education spokeswoman Mallory McGowin said members “have a wide range of professional experiences and personal interests that inform their various perspectives during their time on the board.”
St. Louis schools remain fully accredited despite criticism from state education board member
St. Louis has been fully accredited since 2017, following a decade in unaccredited and provisionally accredited status with efforts to improve the district’s academics, facilities and academics.
During the State Board of Education meeting earlier this month, Casey said media reports of dysfunction within St. Louis Public Schools made her question why it wasn’t part of the shortlist of districts in consideration for provisional accreditation status. She made a motion to downgrade the district’s accreditation but didn’t receive support from other members to bring the issue to a vote.
Department officials showed Casey that St. Louis Public Schools met the checklist to maintain full accreditation. Current decisions are focused on superintendent qualifications and financial status, rather than annual performance reports, as the department is waiting until it has more data using a new set of standards.
The department also gave Casey reassurance that state staff have been working with the district. McGowin told The Independent that the agency began its assistance last summer.
“Thus far, that assistance has included conversations with the appropriate (department) personnel regarding a number of items, including transportation, school finance, educator certification, federal programs and literacy,” she said.
Casey’s push to downgrade the district fell flat among her fellow board members and the education department. But she is not without her supporters.
Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Republican from Shelbina, shared a photo on Facebook of her with Casey and expressed her appreciation for what she was trying to do.
“(Casey) is a respected state board of education member who recently called for the St. Louis Public School system to have their rating downgraded,” O’Laughlin wrote. “This has long been needing to happen but for some reason hasn’t.”
O’Laughlin criticized AFT members for their letter against Casey.
“I would suggest the teachers’ union should be figuring out how to improve student outcomes rather than point fingers at those who actually do care and want improvement,” the post continued.
St. Louis Public Schools’ annual performance report score increased this year, with improvement in academic performance and growth in multiple subject areas based on the scoring system.
