FLORISSANT • One week after a decision to suspend the superintendent, a steady stream of parents, politicians and residents stood in front of the Ferguson-Florissant School Board on Wednesday night to voice their strong support for Art McCoy.
They demanded his reinstatement, and more answers about why all board members except one voted to put McCoy on paid administrative leave. One group even asked for the resignation of board members who made the decision. Others promised to vote them out.
“In April, you need to come out and make some changes,†parent Archilla Buford said to the crowd. “If we’re honest, we don’t come out enough. That is how this happened,†she said, pointing to the School Board.
In a district where the majority of the students are black and there are no African-Americans on the School Board, race came up in many of the statements at Wednesday’s meeting. McCoy, who has been superintendent since July 2011, is black.
People are also reading…
His removal from the helm of the district brought out about 1,500 to the meeting at McCluer North High School after questions from black community leaders on the unstated reasons for his dismissal. The board has set no timeline on the length of McCoy’s leave.
Board President Paul Morris, who says the board must be limited in what members say because it is a personnel issue, made a brief statement and said they were ready to hear the community’s concerns. Race played absolutely no role in the decision, Morris has said. The board’s concerns regarding “compliance with board directives are significant enough to warrant action.â€
Board member Rob Chabot offered the crowd more insight into his decision, citing a need for strong leadership to tackle a number of issues facing the district. He mentioned a “catastrophic†budget picture and problems with disruptions in classrooms and discipline data. He said it had been a difficult decision.
“It was a decision not made in haste or malice,†Chabot said. “Over the past year and half, trust issues had developed between Dr. McCoy and myself.â€
Earlier that day, hundreds of students throughout the Ferguson-Florissant School District protested the decision.
At McCluer North High School, more than 200 students participated in a silent protest between first and second period. At Cross Keys Middle School, 44 students gathered in a common area, and then moved into a lecture hall to take turns speaking against the board decision. At McCluer High School, between 400 and 500 students gathered at the end of the lunch period for a student-led demonstration in the common area.
“We all know and love Mr. McCoy,†Deja Powell, a student at McCluer, told the board at the meeting. “That’s the thing, we know him. He makes his goals known and his expectations.
“What is it exactly that he’s doing that’s incorrect? Somebody tell me, please.â€
McCoy, 36, became superintendent of the 11,500-student district when he was promoted from assistant superintendent of secondary education. He has been a school administrator since 1999. In 1997, he was reported to be Missouri’s youngest certified teacher, at age 19. He has worked in the Rockwood, St. Charles and Pattonville districts.
McCoy has been vocal about the recently upheld law that allows the transfers, and led the district as it accepted the second highest number of students from unaccredited districts.
“He gets it,†said Viola Murphy, a former teacher. “It is about our kids. It’s not about the politics. This man is who our children need.â€
The district’s Chief Accountability Officer Larry Larrew is serving as acting superintendent.
McCoy’s salary is $217,644 for this school year. McCoy has a contract, renewed in April, with the district that runs through June 2016.
Former School Board member Chuck Henson questioned the board’s fiscal responsibility, saying the district could be out more than $500,000 if the board permanently dismissed him and had to pay for the rest of McCoy’s contract.
“Why would you dismantle the system he has going?†Henson asked. “I was disgusted but not surprised.â€
Elisa Crouch of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.