Comments on: Best and worst of times for St. Louis City parents of school kids

By: B Hickory

B Hickory — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:27:00 +0000

Ok. So you seem much more on top of this than I am. I lucked out and was in on the ground floor at City Garden, but now it’s time to move on for a variety of reasons. Anyway, I got my middle child tested and approved and into the lottery for MAllinckrodt, and now she’s 11th on the waitlist for her grade. What more can I do? Should I keep checking back? I find the whole thing unlikely at this point, so I guess I can reenter her into the lottery in the fall. So exhausting!

By: Brian Kabat

Brian Kabat — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 19:19:00 +0000

In reply to City Mom.

Hi City Mom,
Do you have any information or insight now that the lottery for the 2013-14 school year is divided up in to 3 pools? It’s frustrating because the process is not entirely transparent and no one can seem to fully explain it to us.

We applied for first grade with the Pool A applicants and received notice last week that we are 12 on the waiting list for Kennard. The gentleman (John Turner) at the Recruitment Center says we are in good shape to get a spot as Pool B and Pool C haven’t even been completed yet. Number 12 doesn’t seem like the greatest spot considering many kids from Kennard Kindergarten will be moving on to first grade. And our friend’s daughter was given a wait list placement in the teens and then hours later received an email that they had been admitted.

Can you provide more information about contacting Lou Kruger? How often did you do it? What questions did you ask? Just trying to make sure we are the squeaky wheel in this case. Thank you!

By: City Mom

City Mom — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:56:00 +0000

In reply to Kevin In South STL.

Thank you so much for reading my piece! I would say it’s
DEFINITELY worth contacting and staying on top of the bureaucrats at
SLPS’s
central office. I convinced that is the only reason my oldest daughter
got a spot at Kennard (and then my other two daughters were able to get
in much more easily because once they passed the test they had sibling
preference). It’s not that there are people willing to pull strings for
you, but more that they are SO incompetent that if you don’t stay on
them about the process sometimes your application falls through the
cracks and you languish on a wait list. A couple people to have on your
radar screen:

Michelle Jones: head of gifted
testing office. If you turn in in your application and don’t hear
back from her office about scheduling a testing date, be proactive and
call her and schedule the testing. Some people fill in applications and
never even get a call to get tested (hard to believe, but true). You
could also consider having your child tested privately. As of this
year, they still accept private testing scores. A gentleman named Gerry
Gremmelsbacher has done this for many families at Kennard. He’s legit,
professional, and gives kids a longer time to “warm up” than SLPS
testers. I think it’s about $350, which is a considerable amount of
money, but allows you to skip dealing with the gifted testing office.

Lou
Kruger: in charge of the lottery and waitlist. I nagged this guy to
death. Really, really often the applications are entered into the
database incorrectly. Check and double check that your application is
in order so you’re eligible for the lottery.
Then, after the lottery, you can ask about your position on the
waitlist–and check back in frequently.

Finally,
any contact you have with people at SLPS central office should be
written down with names and dates–keep records! Sometimes one person
tells you something during a phone conversation and a month later
someone else says something totally different so it’s good to have
evidence of what information you were given. I know that sounds
completely paranoid, but trust me, you will be glad you wrote things
down.

Also, don’t forget about Malinckrodt,
SLPS’s other gifted ed. elementary school. It’s still pretty new but
I’ve heard wonderful things about it. Good luck to you! The process is
dysfunctional and needlessly brutal, but if you are able to get a spot
at Kennard, it really is a terrific school. Thanks again for reading my
piece!

By: Kevin In South STL

Kevin In South STL — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:28:00 +0000

I laughed when I read the first paragraph of this article as my wife and I are in the exact same boat as parents you describe. We would really like to stay in the city but the education of our future kindergartner is of top priority.

We are contemplating moving out to Webster, but wouldn’t if we could guarantee our son could go to Kennard. Unfortunately, the lottery process leaves a lot to chance. Filling out the appropriate paperwork and passing the qualification tests shouldn’t be a problem. We know someone who did both of those things and still didn’t get picked in the lottery.

Are you saying that talking to SLPS bureaucrats can increase your chances? I would appreciate more information about steps I can take to insure we can get into Kennard.

By: Mindy

Mindy — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:54:00 +0000

I have one child in a private school and one in a charter school – because as much as I believe in the right of public education, I cannot fight for it at the expense of my own kids. We found schools in the city that meet their needs, and that was the most important piece for our family. I know there is a “public” vs. “charter” way of thinking out there, but I can’t buy into it. If charter schools are going to come into our city and offer what the district won’t, I don’t believe any parent should apologize for taking advantage of it for their children. But I would like to see public schools in our city give ALL the children the educations they deserve.

So I’m with you, City Mom, and I hope for that transparency as well. City schools spend as much, per student, as some of the top private schools in the region – but you’d never know it to enter a classroom or talk to the teachers. Far too much of that money has been usurped by bureaucracy and layer upon unnecessary layer of ineffective administration, and I sincerely hope Superintendent Adams is working on that.

By: Amanda Brown Kidwell

Amanda Brown Kidwell — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:43:00 +0000

These are great suggestions, City Mom. But how are these put-upon parents supposed to go to meetings, talk to one another, and advocate when they are so busy working three jobs to keep the lights on? It seems to me that merging the city and county would provide a better revenue stream and connect less advantaged children with better resources.