Teach for America in St. Louis

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A correction: contrary to the report in the media, Teach for America has not been terminated in St. Louis -- the contract is merely being "reviewed".  Below is an email from the head of TFA in St. Louis (shared with permission), explaining the facts of the situation.  I also learned that TFA provided 50 of the 300 new teachers hired in St. Louis.

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Dear Corps members,

You may have seen an article in today’s Post-Dispatch reporting that the St. Louis Public School Board voted to withdraw Teach For America’s contract.

In fact, this is not true. I was at the meeting yesterday where the voting took place and have a copy of the motion voted on. The motion states that the SLPS board of education has voted to “direct the administration to review its contract with Teach For America for flexibility or cancellation for financial constraints.”

What this means is that the SLPS administration is looking at our contract to understand the terms and will then inform us of any outcome or possible decisions they might make.

I have consulted with several officials from the district and state, including the SLPS board of education, the human resources department of SLPS, the superintendent’s office and the commissioner of education’s office – all of whom have assured me that they are very eager that Teach For America corps members continue to work in St. Louis.

Through meetings in the next few days, I fully anticipate a decision that prioritizes our students’ achievement and that benefits everyone involved.

I know that some of you may be concerned about our future in the district and at your schools. I want to assure you again, that Teach For America is doing everything we can to ensure that there is little or no disruption in our work here. While we aim to have teachers continuing to teach in their current schools, as you know, placement is ultimately decided by the SLPS human resources department.

I am confident that we will continue to work in St. Louis with the steady support of our community, which includes parents, principals, teachers, businesspeople, the Mayor’s Office and other government officials and of course, your students.

As always, all of our work centers around student achievement and your work in the classrooms is at the core. Therefore, please continue to work as you do every day – with the passion and commitment that impacts your students’ lives.

I will update you as soon as we have any further information that would affect you all. In the meantime, please contact me if you have questions.

Best regards,

Dustin

Dustin Odham
Executive Director
Teach For America
815 Olive Street, Suite 14
St. Louis, MO 63101