By Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio
Jefferson City, Mo. – While the Riverview Gardens School District awaits a state takeover, the news is much better for the St. Louis Charter School.
The State Board of Education today voted unanimously to renew the school's charter for another ten years. Head of School Tracy Garrett says some of the children who attend don't have successful lives outside the school.
"But when they come to the school, they know what they need to do in order to make themselves and the school successful," Garrett said. "If you look at our test scores over the last few years, it's really impressive...it's taken awhile to build a culture, but now that that culture is established, our students do very well."
Jocelyn Strand with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education says more than 900 K-8th grade students attend St. Louis Charter School, and that there are 425 kids on a waiting list hoping to get in. She acknowledged that more could be admitted if their facilities were larger.