ST. LOUIS, MO (KMOX) - The St. Louis Public School District is under pressure to solve budget woes.
But the newly named Superintendent tells KMOX'S Total Information AM that it's too late to make dramatic changes for the fall. "I do want to be just very honest," says Dr. Myra Michelle Berry.
Dr. Berry says when people see the budget for the 2026-27 school year, they will still see deficit spending. "I was just appointed so decisions had to be made later, so it would be completely unfair to change and uproot everything over these next couple of months we have remaining in the school year."
Berry says the 2027-28 school year budget will have to be much different.
The Missouri state auditor has warned the district could face insolvency within the next decade if deficits persist.
In January the Missouri State Board of Education stripped St. Louis Public Schools of full accreditation. The decision was based on leadership instability, transportation issues, and tardy financial reports.
Berry and the SLPS School Board will continue to face tough decisions about the closure of neighborhood schools.
She points out, it's not just about finances, it's also about staffing resources. "We all know that our teachers are just not graduating the way they used to." With declining enrollment, some schools have far fewer students than they could accommodate, leaving the district to try and duplicate resources at multiple buildings. "You're trying to find certificated teachers in a number of areas when there really aren't that many certificated teachers."
Dr. Berry is a long-time employee of SLPS, starting as a classroom teacher. She is the third Superintendent to take leadership of the troubled district in the last three years.
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