最新杏吧原创

ST. LOUIS 鈥� The status of the suspended leader of 最新杏吧原创 Public Schools remains unknown more than six weeks into an investigation of her spending practices.

The 最新杏吧原创 Board of Education placed Keisha Scarlett on paid temporary leave July 25 pending the results of the inquiry. The board has not released the name of the third-party investigators or the cost to the district.

The investigation was supposed to wrap up in early September, according to the board鈥檚 vice president Matt Davis, but there was no mention of Scarlett at the board鈥檚 monthly meeting on Tuesday. The board and acting Superintendent Millicent Borishade have not responded to repeated requests for additional information.

Scarlett, 50, was hired from Seattle Public Schools in July 2023 with an annual salary of $268,000. The inquiry centers on $3 million in contracts and salaries awarded to former Seattle colleagues during Scarlett鈥檚 one-year tenure at SLPS.

Borishade, who is not certified with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, came from Seattle with Scarlett as an administrator now making $230,000.

In the past year, the school district鈥檚 general operating budget plunged from a surplus of $17 million to a projected deficit of $35 million, which is mostly attributed to staff raises and extra transportation costs. Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick launched an audit of SLPS operations and finances last month.

The school board received a brief update Tuesday on the transportation crisis plaguing the district since primary bus vendor Missouri Central terminated its contract earlier this year.

First Student bus company has deployed 108 yellow buses this year, about half of the district鈥檚 previous fleet.

There are 458 high school students riding the MetroBus each day, down from the expected total of close to 1,700. Thousands of other students are assigned to 421 minivans or sedans from private companies.

Some parents this week have said their students get home from school after 6 p.m. after rides of up to 90 minutes one way.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just learning a myriad of things that we need to work through,鈥� Borishade told the board on Tuesday.

Borishade did not provide an update on enrollment, which she previously said is projected to reach 19,480 students, a 6% increase over last year.

The district鈥檚 silence also extends to public records. The school board was scheduled to vote Tuesday on approving 15 sets of their meeting minutes that have been backlogged for more than a year. Minutes have not been posted from monthly school board meetings since April or from work sessions since June 2023.

There was no indication why the minutes were taken off the agenda.

Board member Sadie Weiss asked at the end of the meeting that 鈥渨e work towards getting materials as far in advance as we possibly can.鈥�

鈥淚 know there鈥檚 a lot going on in the district but as a board member, it would be helpful so we can make informed decisions after thoroughly reviewing material beforehand (and) making sure we are receiving minutes and approving them for each meeting moving forward,鈥� she said.