Forty one years ago, Mary and I moved from an apartment on Chippewa Street in south Ƶ to a house — our first and last — on the eastern edge of Clayton near Demun Avenue, which was not yet fashionable.
I met a young woman at a party who said she was running for the Clayton Board of Aldermen. She was very thin. We were talking about Halloween and she said she once stuck some small branches to herself and went to a party as a Thai stick.
I’d vote for a Thai stick, I said.
Back then, Thai sticks could govern Clayton. It was an upscale city with a wonderful school district and a slightly funky downtown. The most contentious decision facing the aldermen was whether the new firetruck should be lime-green or traditional cherry red. I cannot recall their decision. Lime-green, I’d bet. We like to think we’re edgy.
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Years later, the school district was still great, the downtown was less funky and a real issue confronted the city. Should Centene be given eminent domain to acquire downtown property for its headquarters? City leaders said yes, but an election loomed and a small group of anti-EmDoms converged under KMOX morning host Charlie Brennan. We supported two candidates.
I wrote about our doomed efforts. Clayton is like a high school, I wrote. The popular kids rule, but now the freaks are trying to assert themselves.
Our two candidates were drubbed. There were no hard feelings. Downtown lost its last vestiges of funk, but we still had a great school district. That’s a wonderful thing for a city to have.
Support for the district was widespread. I cannot remember an organized effort against a school bond issue. Ever. School board elections were contested in a civilized fashion. There might be five candidates for three seats, and each candidate would send out a mailer. I couldn’t tell the candidates apart. Everybody wanted great schools for all the children. Everybody had kids in the schools. These elections were decided, I think, in book clubs where everybody knew somebody. Or vice versa.
What a wonderful way to decide elections — smart women sharing thoughts on the candidates over a glass of wine. The district bans a few books, but marches on. It has steered clear of the culture wars.
It is mostly a liberal city, yes, but it has its conservatives. After all, we’re taking about rich white people, a lot of them old. But why feud when life is so good? “We’re so polite we could be Canadians,” says a friend of mine.
The calm was shattered earlier this month when the school district announced it was buying the Caleres property, a nine-acre parcel near the high school and would turn it into an ”empowerment campus.” What is that? Also, the school population is not growing. What was the district planning, and how much was this going to cost? The property was assessed at $33 million.
We are not disclosing the costs until we close on the property in February, the district said. As far as plans are concerned, it’s too early to know, the district said.
A district spokesperson released a statement: “We really do hope it will be an inclusive place designed to empower our students and unite the community.”
Unite the community it did. The mayor came out against the idea of taking the property off the tax rolls. The school district itself will lose $500,000 a year, she said. The four previous mayors came out against the plan. Charlie Brennan and a new bunch of pals came out against it. That was a happy note. The popular kids and the freaks have finally found common cause. The Clayton Condo Building Association — apparently a player in Clayton politics — came out against it.
A revolt against the Clayton school district. This was like a brawl at the Art Museum. Completely unexpected.
I can remember one mini-scandal in the district. In 2012, the high school principal set up a Facebook account under a phony name, Suzy Harriston. She pretended to be a student and sent friend-requests to students and parents. Apparently, she wanted to know what people thought of her.
It was like an episode of “Mean Girls.”
When her plan was exposed, she resigned. There’s a lesson for the kids, we said to each other.
I have often written about the magic kingdoms that used to dot the region. Famous-Barr with its holiday window displays and its French onion soup was one. So was Ralston-Purina with its annual Checker Day. And the most magical kingdom of all was the brewery.
When you are inside one of those kingdoms, it seems impregnable. The fragility is stunning when it shows itself. I know that because this newspaper was a magic kingdom. So was KMOX. Financial powerhouses they were.
The Clayton School District has seemed a magic kingdom. Supported by all. Above reproach. Almost Zoo-like.
Even with the magic gone, it’s going to be fine. Wealthy school districts are always fine. Money and committed parents are all you need. Community support is only required when there is a bond issue. The next one in Clayton is slated for 2026. I made an appointment to talk with Superintendent Nisha Patel. I wondered who came up with the idea of buying the Caleres property and if anybody saw the potential blowback. She had to cancel our meeting. She is understandably busy these days.
Meanwhile, the district is walking back its plans. Sort of. All options are on the table, it said in a statement.
I just hope school board elections don’t become partisan. I can do without Thai sticks, but I don’t want to see the book-club culture devalued.
The district’s plans for the multi-million-dollar headquarters could include selling all or part of the property to a developer.