A new report from the St. Louis School Research-Practice Collaborative shows that 38% of St. Louis students change schools midyear. While the rate of student mobility has declined over the past decade, the rate in St. Louis is higher than in Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis County and Missouri overall.
Charter schools are tuition-free schools of choice that are publicly funded but independently run. They are operated through contracts signed with a sponsor.
The district doesn’t currently sponsor any charter schools, and the move would mark a change in the way it operates. Confluence Academies is looking for a new sponsor after the University of Missouri-Columbia decided to stop sponsoring charters.
Across the board, districts say the same types of teachers are difficult to find high school science and math teachers, foreign language teachers and special education teachers. There is also a big demand for custodians, food service workers and other support staff.