This was written by Sophie, one of our summer interns. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue.
To read more intern articles and interviews on STL Consolidation, please click here.
Mrs. Morton, High School Educator, Gateway High School
Despite me, mortifyingly, misspelling her last name, Mrs. Morton’s response seemed pleasant. Most notable in her response was the love she has for her students shining through the entirety of her email. Mrs. Morton has lived in St. Louis city since 1995 and taught English at Gateway High School for twenty years.
Before living in St. Louis City, Mrs. Morton lived in Kansas City, which has shaped some of her views on a potential city county merger. She “thought it was strange that the city and county are so separated.” Originally on the fence about a city county merger, throughout the interview, Mrs. Morton would repeatedly declare that a merger would do more harm than good for the city, which is why she is staunchly against one.
After declaring herself against a merger, Mrs. Morton’s next sentence speaks about how a merger would cause a loss of representation for people living in North St. Louis. Consolidation does not address already existing problems, such as the Delmar divide and people’s fear of going north of Delmar. A merger does not address things like the food deserts, increased pollution, crime, and poverty the city faces. Furthermore, she “fear[s] that the county, which already has issues with race, will aggravate their issues more” if there was a merger.
Furthermore, consolidating school districts would only make the situation worse for students in the city. The divide between the city and the county is too great to be overcome by simply merging school districts. Mrs. Morton points out that “after years of talking to my county counterparts, they have absolutely no idea what kind of poverty exists in the city. None. Most do not understand the systemic racism of this town.” Most do not understand the decades of redlining and white flight that has taken place, leading to segregation and pockets of poverty that disproportionately affect black neighborhoods and school districts. She notes that “many of the white parents in the city and University City send their children to private schools.”
Mrs. Morton points out that the current superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools “truly understands the plight of our kids.” She fears that if the city and county merged, St. Louis Public schools would lose that kind of insider knowledge, putting the kids at a greater disadvantage than before. Just like her concerns with a merger in general, she believes that merging school districts would cause St. Louis Public Schools to lose their representation and their voice in the shuffle and new power dynamics. Personally, she “would love to have Webster Groves money, but I know that my own son, who is part Mexican, would feel like an alien at that school. SLPS fits him just fine.”
With her justified concerns that a merger would cause underprivileged residents to lose their voices, it is no surprise that Mrs. Morton believes that a merger would cause more harm in regard to St. Louis’s racial disparity. She acknowledges that it would improve our crime statistics by increasing the population, but that is not enough to warrant a merger. Fundamentally, “county people do not seem to respect the city people,” and she worries that if a merger happened “county people would feel like we were the albatross around their necks.” A city county merger is not what her kids deserve. What her kids deserve are “books written about people who look like them. They deserve teachers who look like them too.” That is something that can happen without consolidating the city and the county.
Mrs. Morton fundamentally believes that a city county merger would harm the students of St. Louis Public Schools by taking away their voice, their representation, and their sense of belonging. She sees an impenetrable gap between the county, the city, and how they understand the racial issues plaguing St. Louis. The public school system in St. Louis doesn’t need a merger to provide for their students, what it needs is people to understand the issues their students face beyond underfunded schools. Issues like poverty, food deserts, racial bias, and pollution, issues that a merger has never pretended to consider, issues that are fairly unique to one part of the city merger equation.
1. What is your background in education and in St. Louis in general?
I have been an English teacher at Gateway High School at SLPS for 20 years. We have lived in St. Louis city since 1995.
2. How are you personally involved in city county issues?
I am not. I was on the fence about the merger for a while. I thought it was strange that the city and county are so separated. I am from Kansas City, Missouri and Jackson County covers most of the suburbs therefore our stadiums and zoos have always been for everyone. Our issue is Kansas.
3. Are you in favor of consolidating the city and the county? If so what does that merger look like (i.e. school systems, police and fire, tax bases, any combination of those things)?
No, I am not a proponent of the city/county merger. I think the people in North St. Louis will lose their voice because of the decrease in representation. Many people are afraid to go north of Delmar and this is a serious issue. We cannot close our eyes and pretend that poverty in the city does not exist. They are subject to more pollution, food deserts, crime, etc. I fear that the county, which already has issues with race, will aggravate their issues more.
4. What do you think a merger of school districts would look like? What needs to be a part of any school district merger?
I work in SLPS and I know, after years of talking to my county counterparts, that they have absolutely no idea what kind of poverty exists in the city. None. Most do not understand the systemic racism of this town. They do not understand redlining or white flight. So many of the white parents in the city and University City send their children to private schools. The city schools may have their issues, but our superintendent truly understands the plight of our kids. I fear that would be lost if we merged with the county.
Equity is an issue. I would love to have Webster Groves money, but I know that my own son, who is part Mexican, would feel like an alien at that school. SLPS fits him just fine.
5. Would a merger help alleviate some of the racial disparity found in St. Louis’s education system or it would it simply cause more harm?
More harm. It would help with our murder rates (increasing the population), but county people do not seem to respect the city people. Trust me. We lost three people in our school to the county because it is “easier” there. I think county people would feel like we were the albatross around their necks. My kids deserve more. They deserve books written about people who look like them. They deserve teachers who look like them too.
Mr. Reese, High School Teacher-McCluer High School
There was no introduction to the email I received punctually at 11:17 from Mr. Reese, he just jumped straight into the questions I had sent him earlier that morning. He was prompt, passionate, and brutally honest, conveying the tone of his message through the rare use of capital, bolded, and underlined statements. There was an air of an educator in the tightly packed sentences that alternated between factual statements and observations.
Mr. Reese worked as a financial advisor for Anheuser-Busch until he became a science teacher at McCluer High School in 2008. McCluer High School is in the Ferguson-Florissant District and “is approximately 90% African-American and is 100% free lunch.” Despite teaching in St. Louis, Mr. Reese lives in Illinois, giving him an outsider and insider perspective on a potential St. Louis City and County merger.
For him, one of the biggest obstacles to a merger is the tribalism found in both the city and the county. There is a larger metropolitan pride, but each individual person is proud of their individual municipality. It’s an us versus them mentality that leads to a city and county being divided by minute (to an outsider) differences. One of the best ways to see this is through the “where’d you go to high school?” question. The question itself is a staple in St. Louis, part of the area’s unique culture. However, Mr. Reese sees this question as “The person asking the question does not care about the high school. They are really asking the area you are from. Are you ‘one of us’ or ‘one of them.’”
While Mr. Reese believes that a merger would solve many of the area’s problems, he also acknowledges that consolidating governments will require many local mayors to give up power, something they will not want to do. It’s this consolidation of power that is seen as the key to more government efficiency, at least for Mr. Reese. A consolidated St. Louis city and county would reduce “the infighting between local city governments,” end “the minor tickets given out by small municipalities”, and better allocate “revenue for the schools, police, and fire districts.”
With regards specifically to education, Mr. Reese believes that merging school districts would be a positive thing for both the city and the county. But here’s where the interview took a decidedly negative turn. While a city county school district merger “would be good for the lower revenue areas such as St. Louis Public Schools…Ladue and Clayton will NEVER give up their tax base to help other areas.” He also notes that “there is a significant racial problem here as well.”
Both of those statements should sound familiar to anyone living in the city or the county. Racial issues have plagued the St. Louis area for decades, from the Delmar divide to attempts at desegregation to now famous cases of police brutality like Michael Brown and the Jason Stockley case. When it comes to a city county merger, education is routinely one of the most divisive, yet important, pieces of any conversation. And while Mr. Reese’s statement about Clayton and Ladue seems harsh, it is a well-known truth that richer districts do not want to lose any part of their funding. It was hard enough to get schools to support (grudgingly) busing, merging districts would exacerbate already existing tensions while creating new animosity.
Finally, I asked whether a merger would help alleviate racial disparity in the St. Louis education system or simply cause more harm. Again Mr. Reese’s response was disheartening, but honest. He replied that although the youth of the area do not have deep-seated prejudice, the older generation “contain some of the greatest racially prejudiced people I have encountered outside of the deep south.” Mr. Reese adds the disclaimer that not every person in St. Louis or every member of the older generation has this prejudice. However, this prejudice is best seen in the voting booth, rather than in personal conversations. Any merger would have to wait until after this older generation passed away before it could be passed.
Mr. Reese believes that a merger would benefit the St. Louis education system, eliminate government red tape, and also eliminate government inefficiency. However, in order for a merger to succeed, the city and county would both first need to confront their issues with race, be willing to give up some power, and be willing to lose some funding in order to benefit lower income schools. A city county merger isn’t out of the question, but it faces an uphill battle, especially where education is concerned.
1. What is your background in education and in St. Louis in general?
I was a financial analyst for Anheuser-Busch (ABI) for most of my career. I retired in November of 2008 and have taught high school science classes since then in North County at McCluer High School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District. The school is approximately 90% African-American and is 100% free lunch.
2. How are you personally involved in city county issues?
I live in Illinois which gives me a slightly different perspective. I discovered quite early in my dealings with the St. Louis metropolitan area that it is very tribal. By that I mean, every small area stands together against the other areas. You notice that with high schools. In St. Louis, upon meeting a new person, one of the first questions is “Where did you go to high school?” The person asking the question does not care about the high school. They are really asking the area you are from. Are you “one of us” or “one of them?” I have been all over the country in my work with ABI and this high school question seems to be unique to this area.
3. Are you in favor of consolidating the city and the county? If so what does that merger look like (i.e. school systems, police and fire, tax bases, any combination of those things)?
Merging the city and county would solve many problems. The infighting between local city governments would end. The minor tickets given out by small municipalities would end. Most of these tickets are simply to raise revenue to support the city government. Revenue for the schools, police, and fire districts could be better allocated. Much of the excess administrative overhead could be eliminated. We could have one fire chief for the entire area instead of however many we have. One county executive rather than all the small city mayors. Keep in mind, all these little mayors will not give up power easily.
4. What do you think a merger of school districts would look like? What needs to be a part of any school district merger?
The schools will never merge into a single district much as I think it would be good overall. It would be good for the lower revenue areas such as St. Louis Public Schools, but Ladue and Clayton will NEVER give up their tax base to help other areas. Most people will not reduce the funds for their children in order to help other people’s children. There is a significant racial problem here as well.
5. Would a merger help alleviate some of the racial disparity found in St. Louis’s education system or it would it simply cause more harm?
The people of the St. Louis area, and not just the city but all of the surrounding counties, contain some of the greatest racially prejudiced people I have encountered outside of the deep south. I don’t mean everyone because there are many open minded and accepting people. Many of the younger people don’t have this deep-seated prejudice but a large majority of the older population does. I don’t see this merger taking place until most of the older generation has died. Sorry to be so negative but I think that is just how it is. If you come up to someone and discuss race with them, they seem very accepting. When they go into the voting booth and pull the curtain closed, the truth comes out. Just look at any election.
Mr. Holden, High School Educator, University City Alternative School
Mr. Holden, who responded to me at 6:25am through his wife’s (Mrs., Morton) email, has taught in University City for 22 years, mostly at the alternative school. His email deftly answers questions about a potential merger, while being realistic and acknowledging that education will not be part of any merger. Despite the central topic of my email being merging school districts, at the end of his email I have more information on a merger excluding education than one that includes it. And, just like my previous two interviews, there is a heavy dose of how racism plays into any possible merger.
Mr. Holden is involved in city county issues as a voter. He lives in the city but teaches in the county, giving him an opportunity to see both sides of the merging equation. When it comes to a general merger he is in favor, especially when it comes to police and firefighters. He has the most to say in regard to merging police forces, declaring “the police definitely need to be merged. The number of separate police departments is ridiculous. There should be some sort of rule about population size before you get your own police force.” Merging the fire departments would increase safety in the city and county. And of course, “St. Louis county should definitely pay for the services and amenities provided by the city.”
But when it comes to school districts, Mr. Holden says that “the merger should not affect schools. The state needs to come up with a more equitable funding formula.” He points out that right now school districts are tied to property taxes, which are tied to school performance. People want to move to places with “good” school districts, thus increasing the property taxes. But when schools don’t “perform well,” their property taxes are lower, thus further decreasing their funding, which does not help anyone involved. He also notes that he “never assumed that it [school districts] would be [included in a merger]. School districts do not need to be tied to municipalities and they are only quasi-governmental agencies.”
When asked about whether a merger would hurt or alleviate the racial disparity found in St. Louis’s education system, Mr. Holden, like every other respondent, mentioned the deep roots of segregation and prejudice found in many St. Louis residents (both in the city and the county). He finds it interesting that everyone needs reassurance that a merger will not include school districts. He says “it has a slight segregationist sound to it. ‘We will get you better police, fire and other services, but don’t worry your kids won’t have to go to school with black people.’” This resistance to integrating schools continues to be a central issue with any merger plan that is discussed, people are all for efficiency and consolidation…until it affects their children and the racial makeup of their school districts.
Ultimately, Mr. Holden supports a merger, with the important caveat (and widely held belief) that education would not be included. He believes education should not be included because it would not solve the funding disparity between school districts given that the system would still be based on property taxes. He does support other popular consolidation ideas, such as merging the police, firefighters, and government agencies in order to increase efficiency and safety. He points out “that the libraries managed to come up with a cooperative agreement, so I think we should be able to do it with other agencies.” He also acknowledges that consolidation would improve the image of St. Louis, given the higher population that would decrease crime statistics. However, his ideal merger leaves St. Louis schools alone.
1. What is your background in education and in St. Louis in general?
I have been teaching in University City for 22 years. Most of those have been at the alternative school.
2. How are you personally involved in city county issues?
I’m not involved other than as a voter in the city.
3. Are you in favor of consolidating the city and the county? If so what does that merger look like (i.e. school systems, police and fire, tax bases, any combination of those things)?
I am in favor of the merger. I know that the school system is not currently included. I never assumed that it would be. School districts do not need to be tied to municipalities and they are only quasi-governmental agencies. The police definitely need to be merged. The number of separate police dept. is ridiculous. There should be some sort of rule about population size before you get your own police force. Fire should be consolidated for safety purposes as well. St. Louis county should definitely pay for the services and amenities provided by the city. You didn’t ask, but I will say that the libraries managed to come up with a cooperative agreement, so I think we should be able to do it with other agencies.
4. What do you think a merger of school districts would look like? What needs to be a part of any school district merger?
The merger should not affect schools. The state needs to come up with a more equitable funding formula. Connecting property taxes with schools is a vicious spiral. Property values go down due to school performance, so now the district gets less funding.
5. Would a merger help alleviate some of the racial disparity found in St. Louis’s education system or it would it simply cause more harm?
Including region wide statistics would improve the overall image of the St. Louis area, but I don’t think it would have any effect on the schools. I do find it interesting that we have to assure everyone that the districts won’t merge. It has a slight segregationist sound to it. “We will get you better police, fire and other services, but don’t worry your kids won’t have to go to school with black people.” Why does it need to be mentioned at all?
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