Exploring the rising tensions and calls for transparency in the St. Louis school system amid privatization efforts.
A Special 3 Part Series: Part 1 of 3
Disclaimer: This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial team of the St. Louis ARGUS, nor does it constitute an endorsement of any beliefs or present as factual evidence of wrongdoing.
The privatization of funding in the St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) system has sparked significant debate in 2024, with allegations that perceived challenges within the school board have been intentionally engineered to portray it as inefficient. Gloria Evans Nolan, a public education advocate, has called on the community and political leaders to address this issue and protect public education in St. Louis.
Central to this debate is the role of organizations like Opportunity Trust, which focuses on funding charter school expansion in the region. Established in 2017 and supported by figures like Reed Hastings (Netflix) and John Arnold (Enron), Opportunity Trust has outlined initiatives that aim to reshape education in St. Louis. These include training and funding leaders to open and manage charter schools, expanding teacher pipelines through programs like Teach For America, and creating tools to increase charter school enrollment. Critics argue that such efforts divert resources from the public school system and undermine its governance by fostering reliance on privatized solutions.
The financial stakes are high, with millions of dollars allocated annually to various charter schools, teacher residency programs, and parent advocacy groups. This funding model has raised concerns about equity and the long-term impact on public education. Nolan has advocated for increased accountability and transparency, urging stakeholders to prioritize strengthening public schools over diminishing them.
The situation highlights a broader national trend of privatizing education and the delicate balance between fostering innovation and maintaining robust, equitable public education systems.
The issue at hand has come to a head in 2024 and this year; namely, that many perceived issues and challenges facing the school board were not just inherited, but engineered to foster the impression that it has been politically and financially incompetent.
In a recent press release, Gloria Evans Nolan made a call to action to citizens and employees of the SLPS, holding community and political leadership accountable for attacks upon the school board — attacks which may potentially compromise the efficacy of public education in the Gateway City.
What follows is a summary of what Nolan considers to be some solutions to the dire issues facing SLPS:
Start a Local Education Non-Profit:
Founder & CEO Eric Scroggins (formerly of Teach For America)
Salary: $375,156 (according to the 2022 990 Tax Report)
Founded: 2017
Board Members:
• Bishop Michael Jones Sr. of Friendly Temple Church
• John Lemkemeier
• Todd R. Schnuck
• John W. Kemper
• Jessica Pena
• Keith Williamson
• Anthony Thompson of Kwame Building Group
• Maxine Clark, an Early SLPS Board Members
Location: DELMAR DIVINE
3 Stated Strategic Priorities: 2017 founding year
PRIORITY 1: Our first strategic priority is focused on growing the capacity of St. Louis’ most successful schools, launching new and innovative schools, and strengthening existing schools with strong leadership. This program area identifies and develops leaders to plan and launch new schools in the region. This program area funds A) The planning and expansion of existing high-performing schools or networks of schools, B) The planning and improvement efforts for existing schools that are low or medium-quality and C) works to expand enrollment in district schools where leaders have autonomy over their curriculum assessment hiring, finances and other areas of school operations.
Translation: Train and pay entrepreneurs to open new charter schools in St. Louis, and set up the Opportunity Trust to receive kickbacks (BIG MONEY) from the charter schools that they open and control.
PRIORITY 2: Our second strategic priority ensures that the region has the necessary teacher and school leadership talent and that talent is strategically deployed to grow quality seats. This program area works to A) Recruit best-in-class teacher development programs to provide support to teachers in target districts and schools. B) Fund the expansion of existing high-quality teacher and school leader talent pipelines in the region, and C) Fund the creation of new teacher and school leader talent development efforts in the region.
Translation: Continue/expand the work of Teach For America or programs like it, (St. Louis Teacher Residency) that bypass teacher certifications and credentialing, Opportunity Trust to receive kickbacks for their role in teacher placement at majority charter schools.
PRIORITY 3: Our third strategic priority helps parents access and advocate for better schools and helps educators use data to accelerate improvement. This program area funds A) Targeted research and evaluation projects that address problems of education practice and policy in the region B) The incubation of parent leader groups throughout the region, C) The creation of a school finder and related resources for parents and school leaders and D) the establishment of a unified enrollment system across all city school types.
Translation: Train and Pay parents or people posing as parents to attack the SLPS School board by disrupting meetings and undermining anything related to the district,
C) Create a “school finder tool with the goal of creating a universal enrollment system where more students can be steered to charter schools.
Opportunity Trust Funders
Founded by Reed Hastings of Netflix & John Arnold of Enron
Organizations Opportunity Trust Funded in 2018
City Garden Montessori: $125,000
City Garden Montessori: $300,000
Kairos Academy: $35,000
Kairos Academy: $65,000
KIPP St. Louis: $200,000
New Venture Fund: $426,500
Northside Community School: $20,000
Northside Community School: $82,750
St. Louis Teacher Residency: $250,000
Teach for America: $250,000
University City School District: $60,000
University City School District: $151,000
WEPOWER: $15,000
WEPOWER: $75,000
Organizations Opportunity Trust Funded in 2019
City Garden Montessori $400,000
Hawthorne Leadership School $50,000
Forward through Ferguson $81,000
Kairos Academy $250, 000
KIPP St. Louis $200,000
KIPP St. Louis $65,000
KIPP St. Louis $20,000
Lafayette Prep $17,500
New Venture Fund $142,916
New Venture Fund $353,458
Normandy Schools Collaborative $125,000
Parents as Teachers $20,000
Premier Charter School $100,000
St. Louis Teacher Residency $250,000
Teach for America $250,000
University City School District $200,000
WEPOWER $75,000
WEPOWER $5,000
Organizations Opportunity Trust Funded in 2020
Opportunity Trust 990 – Not Available
Organizations Opportunity Trust Funded in 2021
Atlas Public Schools $550,586
Camelback Ventures $30,000
City Garden Montessori $410,000
Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls $100,000
In Purpose Educational Services $25,000
JNB Consulting $24,000
Kairos Academies $338,000
KIPP St. Louis $202,500
Marrow & Stalk LLC $10,000
Momentum Academy $290,512
Nami $10,000
New Venture Fund $250,000
Normandy Schools Collaborative $225,000
Premier Charter School $105,000
Show Me the World $13,000
St. Louis Black Authors of Children’s Literature $51,500
St. Louis Community Foundation $50,000
St. Louis Teacher Residency $250,000
St. Louis University $119,074
St. Louis Voices Academy $170,900
Teach for America $150,000
The Leadership School $183,200
University City School District $200,00
WEPOWER $50,000
Organizations Opportunity Trust Funded in 2022
Atlas Public School $432,992
City Garden Montessori $469,813
Hawthorn Leadership for Girls $50,000
JNB Consulting $12,000
Kairos Academies $540,902
KIPP St. Louis $382,500
Momentum Academy $355,000
Navigate STL Schools $546,664
St. Louis Community Foundation $41,250
St. Louis Teacher Residency $300,000
St. Louis University $20,000
St. Louis Voices Academy $255,619
Teach for America $180,000
The Leadership School $319,235
University City School District $194,000
Believe Schools $254,400
Missouri Charter Public School Association $200,000
Southside Early Childhood Center $51,350
The 74 Million $50,000
Counterpublic $50,000
Gateway Science Academy $34,550
Northside Community School $22,200
St. Louis City League $19,500
The Core Collective at St. Vincent Home $10,000
Youth and Family Center $10,000
St. Louis Language Immersion School $8,200
Aligned $7,500
Brownpreneurs $7,500
Jadasa $7,500
Keychain Karnival LLC $7,500
Mena Darre LLC $7,500
Justine Petersen $7,500
Organizations Opportunity Trust Funded in 2023
Opportunity Trust 990 – Not Available
https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/details/ – Search for organization by name
APPS.IRS.GOV
Tax Exempt Organization Search Details | Internal Revenue Service
Tax Exempt Organization Search Details | Internal Revenue Service
Board Members –
Staff Member – Jesse Dixon $177,157
Staff Member – Rachel Powers $125,371
Founded by Reed Hastings of Netflix & John Arnold of Enron
Fund Charter School Expansion
Atlas Charter School: 300 Students
Board Members:
• Alice Dickherber
• Russ Kirk
• Scott Malin
• Mark Minden
• Kwofe Coleman
• Nancy Wild
• Lorna Sanchez
• Victor Thomas
Kairos Charter School
Middle School – 276 Students
High School – 240 Students
Board Members:
• Aaron Jackson
• Whitney Young
• Amy Trapp
• Katie Owen
• Mike Vachow
• Nicole Plair
• Pada Badea
St. Louis Voices Academy
68 Students
Board Members:
• Deborah Catchings-Smith
• Edie Barnard
• Latonya Jackson
• Kimberly Scott
• Art Silverblatt
Etoya White
Evelyn Woods
The Leadership School
152 Students
Board Members:
• Deanne Henderson
• Lennel Hunter
• Rebecca Langrall
• Gerren McHamm
• Chardae Rigdon
• Aaron Williams
Believe Academy
124 Students
Board Members:
Danielle Thomas
Lily Voellinger
Madeline Hantak
Paris Woods
Steve Harmon
Tiara Sheree Jordan-Sutton
Taijuana Wells
Jamila Boone
Kacey Martin-Johnson
Marvin Johnson
Sharon Williams
ATLAS Charter School
Colby Heckendorn $153,816 (TFA)
Genevieve Backer (TFA)
Opened 2021-2022
ATLAS Charter School (MAP)
Missouri Assessment Program Results 2024:
LINK: https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/map-grade-level-assessment-spring-2024-guide-interpreting-results
KAIROS Charter School
Jack Krewson $192,816 (TFA)
Gavin Schiffres $216,086 (TFA)
KAIROS Charter Middle School Missouri Assessment Program MAP Results 2024
KAIROS Charter High School Missouri Assessment Program MAP Results 2024
The situation highlights a broader national trend of privatizing education and the delicate balance between fostering innovation and maintaining robust, equitable public education systems. Stay tuned for Part 2 in this series, where we explore the creation of a biased School Navigation Tool and its implications for “partnering” with local school districts.
About Gloria Evans Nolan
Gloria Evans Nolan is a parent and public education advocate in St. Louis, Missouri. When she was six years old, her mother was sent to prison, and Gloria and her brother ended up in foster care. She credits two special teachers, Mrs. Blaine and Mrs. Cowley, for nurturing her and sparking a love of learning. The parent of two children in the St. Louis Public Schools, Gloria is a passionate advocate for her hometown and its schools, encouraging her friends and neighbors to “build up what we know is being threatened to be burned down.”
#StLouisSchools #EducationReform #CommunityAction #StLouisEducation #SchoolReform #BetterSchools
