On March 14, 2007, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay testified before the Missouri legislature requesting the authority to charter schools within his city. The legislators in Missouri would be wise to heed his request and mayors elsewhere should also seek this authority. Urban education reform remains one of the nation’s most immediate social problems and mayoral authorizing offers mayors a direct way to attack the problem and help families in their communities.
About the authors, David Harris and Andrew J. Rotherham:
David Harris is President and CEO of The Mind Trust; an education nonprofit launched by Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, and oversaw Mayor Peterson’s charter school initiative from 2001 - 2006. Andrew J. Rotherham, a member of the board of directors of The Mind Trust, is co-founder and co-director of Education Sector and a member of the Virginia Board of Education.
