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St. LouiS AmericAn The
91 years of serving the St. Louis community
CAC Audited APRIL 18 – 24, 2019
Vol. 91 No. 4 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
Saving Dunbar Elementary
SLPS goes local State Board of Education returns city schools to elected board American staff The Missouri State Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday, April 16 to return governance of the Saint Louis Public School District (SLPS) to the voter-elected St. Louis Board of Education, effective July 1. SLPS has been under the governance of the three-member Special Administrative Board n “It’s a story (SAB) since 2007, when the about how to district lost accreditation. do something In advance of the vote, State Board member Mike the right Jones thanked members of way over an the SAB for their service. extended The SAB is currently made period of time.” up of Richard Sullivan, Darnetta Clinkscale and – Mike Jones Richard Gaines. Jones praised them for putting together a stable, productive team under the leadership of Superintendent Kelvin Adams. “It’s a story about how to do something the right way over an extended period of time,” Jones said. The state’s accountability system in 2007 outlined challenges linked to school finance, governance, and academic instruction and rigor. Since that time, the district has taken meaningful strides to improve academics, restore fiscal stability, expand educational options, upgrade aging facilities, develop community partnerships, and provide enhanced professional development
See SLPS, A7
Photo by Wiley Price
Preschoolers from Dunbar Elementary School parade through the JeffVanderLou neighborhood on Friday, April 12, to bring attention to the school’s fight to remain open for the upcoming school year.
Community, SLPS fight to save historic neighborhood school in JeffVanderLou By Chris King Of The St. Louis American The leadership of Saint Louis Public Schools and Dunbar Elementary School have joined a community movement to keep open the school, which had been considered for closure. Dunbar Principal Anthony Virdure was one of the leaders of a community-organized parade through the school’s surrounding neighborhood on the afternoon of Friday, April 12. “Dunbar must retain at least 180 children,” Carla Alexander, one of the community
n “We need to keep the school in the community. It brings a lot of people into our neighborhood.” – Trashay Rucker
organizers, explained the purpose of the parade, which was meant to alert the community that it’s in danger of losing its neighborhood school. Though the Jeff-Vander-Lou
Neighborhood surrounding Dunbar is a relic of its heyday, when composer Scott Joplin and Negro League ballplayer James “Cool Papa” Bell lived there, the residents alerted by the parade were unanimous in their support of the school. Kimberly Barton, who lives in an upstairs apartment on the street memorably named for Bell, stuck her head out the window at the sound of the Vashon High School drumline leading the parade with the high school’s JROTC color guard. “Dunbar!” Barton shouted in solidarity,
See DUNBAR, A6
2019 SALute to exceLLence HeALtH cAre
Eight excellent awardees Salute to Excellence in Health Care is April 26 By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American The St. Louis American Foundation will honor eight outstanding health professionals from area hospitals, federally qualified health centers, and a nonprofit health organization at the 2019 Salute to Excellence in Health Care on Friday, April 26, at the Frontenac Hilton.
Crystal Brown is a speech therapist at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital, where she helps patients with a variety of conditions, from head injuries to developmental delays, transition from hospital to home. She said, “There are so many small things we can do that have major results.” Brown started working at Ranken Jordan in 2018. For the previous 16 years, Brown
worked at the Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis. Brown earned a master’s degree in communication disorders from Saint Louis University. Renee Foote is the chief compliance officer at CareSTL Health, where she makes
See SALUTE, A7
Cheryle Dyle-Palmer, Parents as Teachers leader, passes Celebration of her life Friday at Centennial Christian Church By Chris King Of The St. Louis American Cheryle F. Dyle-Palmer transitioned on Saturday, April 13. A proud member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, she held multiple leadership roles at Parents as Teachers National Center, headquartered in St. Louis, and received a 2006 Stellar Performer in Education award from the St. Louis American Foundation. A celebration of her life will be held on Friday, April 19 at 11 a.m. at her beloved Centennial Christian Church, 4950 Cheryle F. Fountain Ave., with visitation Dyle-Palmer commencing at 9 a.m. The final benediction, committal and interment will be held in St. Peter’s Cemetery. “Working with pre-schoolers is not enough,” Dyle-Palmer told The American about her life work in 2006 when she received her Salute recognition. “Parents are the first and most important teachers of children, and education begins at the prenatal stage.” Countless parent educators – including many
See PALMER, A6