St. Louis schools chief says she'll step down at end of year

ST. LOUIS -- The superintendent of schools in St. Louis will leave her job at the end of the school year.

Diana Bourisaw made the announcement Tuesday after the special administrative board overseeing the long-troubled district said it was initiating a nationwide search for a superintendent, though Bourisaw was encouraged to apply.

"I respect [the administrative board[']s] decision and have chosen not to apply for the position," Bourisaw told the staff in remarks made public on a press release and reported on STLtoday.com, the Web site for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"While I initially accepted this position as an interim superintendent, I have grown to love this district -- the children, family, staff and community. I have learned from the quality, commitment and care that is given by staff, and to love the beautiful souls of our children."

Rick Sullivan, the chief executive officer of the three-person board appointed last year to oversee the district, said the decision to seek applications did not reflect poorly on Bourisaw. But Sullivan said the public was not involved in the hiring process when Bourisaw was chosen 19 months ago.

He said an independent search for a new superintendent is part of the process aimed at putting the district back on the right track.

The administrative board made its decision to post the superintendent's job at a special meeting on Monday.

Bourisaw was hired in July 2006, replacing Creg Williams who was ousted by a recently-elected new board majority.

In June, the state took control of the district, citing long-standing problems with the budget, poor academic performance and high dropout rates.

Sullivan has asked board member Melanie Adams to lead the search. No time table has been established, but the board hopes to have the new superintendent in place by the start of the 2008-09 school year.

The board's action and Bourisaw's decision came as a surprise to most teachers and staff.

"Once again, we're the last ones to find out," said Mary Armstrong, president of the American Federation of Teachers in St. Louis. "The students and staff are constantly bombarded with change without any consideration of how it came to be."