Vol. 39, No. 16
June 23, 2005
| CONTACT: JIM MORRIS Director, Public Information 573-751-3469 |
State Denies Accreditation for Wellston School District;
Prepares to Take Over Operation of the District
The State Board of Education today rejected pleas to grant provisionally accredited status to the Wellston School District, a small district in St. Louis County that has been unaccredited by the state since June 2003.
As a result of the board’s decision, the Wellston district remains unaccredited and, according to state law, will "lapse" (close) next Thursday, June 30.
The district’s failure to regain accredited status sets the stage for the first-ever takeover of a Missouri school district by state education officials.
"Although we do not relish the idea of taking over a school district, it is clearly time for some changes in the Wellston schools," said Commissioner of Education
D. Kent King.
"This school district has long-standing and deep-seated problems. It has bounced between provisionally accredited and unaccredited status for more than 10 years. Too many students have paid the price for the district’s inability to focus on its fundamental academic needs and priorities. I hope we can make a difference for Wellston students and the Wellston community," he said.
The State Board of Education plans to hold a special meeting next week during which it will consider the appointment of a "special administrative board," a three-person panel that is authorized by state law to govern the Wellston district on an interim basis, beginning July 1.
The special administrative board will replace the local board of education, but answer to state education officials. The board will consist of a paid chief executive officer, who serves as chair of the board, and two unpaid members who must be residents of the school district.
In 2003, Wellston earned 23 out of a possible 100 points according to the state’s accreditation criteria, which evaluate districts on the basis of test scores, graduation rates, attendance, and other factors. It needed at least 46 points to qualify for "provisionally accredited" status.
Based on the state’s most recent review, conducted in February, the district earned 39 out of 100 possible points in the area of academic performance – still short of the 46 required for provisional accreditation.
State education officials did not award the district any points toward accreditation in two areas – high school MAP test results and high school dropout rates – because of doubts about the reliability of the district’s data for these two indicators.
Wellston is the only unaccredited district among the state’s 524 public school districts. It currently enrolls about 700 students in grades K-12. About 100 Wellston students have been attending school in other districts since the district became unaccredited in 2003. Under the law, the district is required to pay tuition for students who transfer to other accredited districts.