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ST. LOUIS — Principals in St. Louis Public Schools were already anxious about opening classrooms in three weeks without enough buses. Now, with the sudden departure of the superintendent and several of her closest colleagues, the pressure has intensified as staff and families are left to wonder what went so wrong so fast.

Keisha Scarlett became superintendent in July 2023 amid local fanfare for the first Black woman to lead the city’s public schools. Just one year later, Scarlett has been placed on a temporary leave of absence without explanation as questions mount about financial dealings in the district. As many as seven of Scarlett’s underlings were also forced out at SLPS this past week, according to multiple staffers.

The reasons behind Scarlett’s ouster track with spending, hiring and busing.

During her brief tenure as superintendent, the school district’s general operating budget plunged from a surplus of $17 million to a projected deficit of $35 million. Meanwhile, the district’s bus vendor terminated its contract at the end of the school year. Leaders cobbled together 19 different vendors plus public transportation, but widespread concerns remain over uncovered routes and a potentially chaotic first day on Aug. 19.

The past year also has been marked by a nearly complete turnover of top staff members, many replaced by administrators connected to Scarlett’s last employer, Seattle Public Schools.

Scarlett, 50, recently told school principals that she exclusively recruited from out of state because St. Louis has a “talent development issue,” according to sources at the meeting. One teacher told the Post-Dispatch that SLPS now stands for “Seattle Louis Public Schools.”

Financial records and interviews with more than a dozen current and former staff members tell a story of favoritism and flagrant spending by Scarlett and colleagues hired to cabinet-level positions or awarded contracts with SLPS. Scarlett’s own three-year contract pays an annual salary of $268,000.

Scarlett’s signature initiative, “Literacy for the Lou,” included a $4.3 million contract with Scholastic Corporation to stock classroom libraries across the district. In May, the board approved a $5 million contract with California company to provide virtual reality science curriculum for SLPS high schools and some middle schools. The bus shortage means transportation costs will rise by $14 million to add hundreds of vans and cars from multiple vendors.

Red flags on hiring, contracts

The district’s hiring practices under Scarlett made headlines recently when , a spiritual adviser and brand influencer from Houston, became SLPS’ chief communications officer, a job advertised with a salary of $165,000 to $185,000.

Toni Cousins, president of the school board, put a halt to all hiring approvals this month after Jackson said she intends to “float” between her home in Texas and a condo downtown.

Jackson’s hiring raised red flags about the vetting process and the board’s approval of other positions filled by people inside Scarlett’s personal and professional circles:

• Millicent Borishade on Friday was named acting superintendent to fill in for Scarlett. Borishade came from Tukwila (Washington) Public Schools to become SLPS’ chief of schools in fall 2023. She was promoted in the spring to deputy superintendent, second-in-command to Scarlett.
• Manal Al-ansi was hired as chief of staff in August 2023 from Seattle Public Schools, where she led racial equity programs. Multiple staff members said Al-ansi was escorted out of SLPS’ downtown offices by security on Friday.
• Nikka Lemons became deputy chief operating officer in March. She previously worked as director of equity initiatives and outcomes in Seattle Public Schools. She is also the founder of the consulting firm  which has worked with SLPS. Lemons was placed on leave Friday, according to a source in SLPS leadership.
• Matthias Greywoode, chief financial officer, previously worked for a mortgage firm in Texas and is listed as chief financial officer for Azimu Group. In a post announcing Greywoode’s arrival two months ago, Scarlett said his “great sense of humor is absolutely essential in this work, and his warmth and calm demeanor build trust.”
• Fatimata Sow was hired as senior project manager in summer 2023 and promoted to deputy chief of staff in January. Sow previously served as an intern with the chief of equity at Seattle Public Schools.
• Thierno Barro has held various tech positions in SLPS since December and became deputy chief information officer this month. He is married to Sow.
• Allison Deno, chief of schools, came from Tukwila School District and previously worked as a principal in Seattle Public Schools.
• Timothy Shultz was hired as contract compliance manager this month. He previously worked as an associate principal in Lake Washington School District in suburban Seattle and is married to Deno.
• Zithri Saleem, the new chief information officer, was a  for Seattle Public Schools. Saleem was also placed on leave Friday, multiple staffers said. Sources did not identify the other four newly ousted staffers.
• Lucretia Brown became chief academic officer in early 2024 but has since departed SLPS. Brown previously served as chief equity officer for Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia. One retired staffer said Scarlett met and hired Brown at an out-of-state conference.

The connections to Scarlett are also found in numerous consulting contracts or payments awarded in the past year, many without a competitive bidding process and approved through an emergency designation. Contracts for services under $50,000 do not require board approval:

• Global Citizens Development, founded by new SLPS administrator Nikka Lemons, was paid $49,250 between November and February for “researcher of best practices to advise.”
• Devin Cabanilla, who was senior continuous improvement project manager at Seattle Public Schools until last year, registered the Washington company Idea Threads in May before landing a $49,000 contract with SLPS for training in “lean business management practices” and “flow analysis.”
• Ashley Davies received $35,520 for transportation consulting through her company launched last month,  Davies lives in the Seattle area and was Scarlett’s  in Seattle Public Schools.
• Lawrence Nyland, former superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, got a contract for $49,400 for “cabinet team support.”
• Clover Codd, former human resources officer at Seattle Public Schools and now superintendent of Moreland School District in San Jose, California, received a $45,000 consulting contract this month.
• Charles Wright, once a deputy superintendent with Seattle Public Schools, received a $600,000 consulting contract in the spring through his business Wright and Associates. The SLPS board earlier this month voted down an additional $1.25 million for Wright’s noncompetitive bid for a “system rebuild” of SLPS.
• James Randle, who worked for Lake Washington School District and has consulted with Seattle Public Schools, received a $234,000 emergency, noncompetitive contract in November for his firm Impact Educational Consultants.
• Joye Hardiman of Tacoma, Washington, described by Scarlett on LinkedIn as her “,” received $10,000 in November after speaking at an SLPS board retreat.
• Reach Associates of New Jersey, which counts Seattle Public Schools among its clients, was awarded a $76,440 contract this month for literacy consulting.
• EduSolve of Florida, which has also worked with Seattle Public Schools, received a six-month, $69,430 contract for “performance management oversight.”
• Insight Education Group of Los Angeles received a $170,000 emergency, noncompetitive contract in September for strategic planning. The firm’s senior associate, Aurora Lora, overlapped with Scarlett in a previous administrative role in Seattle Public Schools.

“Everything was an emergency if (Scarlett) wanted to pay a friend,” said one former SLPS staffer.

Scarlett did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Transportation crisis

Scarlett’s departure comes just weeks before the first day of school, as families are still unclear how their children will get to school because of a critical bus shortage.

Missouri Central, the district’s main bus vendor, terminated its $26 million contract with SLPS over the summer. The company used a fleet of 228 conventional and short buses to serve 14,000 eligible students in 68 schools.

This school year, SLPS expects to spend $40 million for 98 buses, 210 vans and 275 private cars across as many as 19 transportation companies. Square Watson, operations chief, said that the plan will cover 90% of the needed bus routes.

As part of the district’s strategy to reduce the number of bus riders, about 1,700 high school students will be switched to public transportation on MetroBus. The yearly bus pass will cost $525 per student.

Aside from school bus company First Student, which offered to deploy 75 buses to SLPS this fall, most of the transportation vendors operate shuttle vans. A handful are rideshare companies that hire drivers to pick up one or two students in their own cars for as much as $100 per trip, according to proposals obtained through a public records request.

Transportation assignments will be announced to families by Aug. 10, according to SLPS spokesman George Sells.

“If we are unable to reach 100% capacity, priority will be given to routes serving the most students and those with the greatest need,” Sells said in a statement. “Any decisions will be made with the utmost consideration for fairness and student safety.”

At a recent meeting, school board members raised concerns about the plan.

“I’m having a lot of trouble when we have this level of very motley transportation,” board member Natalie Vowell said.