St. Louis school board member resigns after audit revealing former superintendent’s misuse of public funds
In the latest upheaval for the troubled St. Louis Public Schools, Sadie Weiss blamed a “less than sufficient response and no support” concerning finances when resigning from the school…

In the latest upheaval for the troubled St. Louis Public Schools, Sadie Weiss blamed a “less than sufficient response and no support” concerning finances when resigning from the school board.
“I find it concerning that some members of the board don’t appear to want to address or examine board behaviors around spending of funds,” she said, according to St. Louis Public Radio.
Weiss’ announcement occurred after an internal audit revealed flagrant misuse of public funds by former Superintendent Keisha Scarlett’s administration.
“Nearly $1.7 million was charged on district-issued credit cards,” reported KSDK 5 On Your Side. “It was during Scarlett’s one-year tenure that she and her staffers used 21 credit cards to buy things like lavish trips, flights, flight upgrades, hotels and meals.”
As previously reported by The Lion, Scarlett was placed on an abrupt leave of absence in July before the school year.
Board’s ‘current conditions’ under fire
Weiss made clear her concerns did not extend to the broader school community, noting “the current conditions of this board” drove her decision to leave after being elected in 2023.
“This is not a reflection of the day-to-day work that’s going on in the district,” she said. “It’s a reflection of the governance team in making sure that we are implementing governance practices and are being transparent with the public.”
In a follow-up interview, Weiss also expressed frustrations regarding the board’s president, Toni Cousins, and Matt Davis, vice president: “I felt like it was more of a two-person board than a seven-person board.”
Cousins did not respond directly to Weiss’ resignation but defended the district’s current fiscal situation, noting it had nearly $200 million in reserves.
“I know this is an attack on St. Louis Public Schools – I know it is,” she said.
Unlike Cousins, Davis has not publicly committed to seek re-election to the board in April.
“It’s been a very difficult and challenging four years in all honesty, and governance has been very difficult,” he said.
The district should be reimbursed for all policy-violating credit card transactions, said school board member Emily Hubbard, who requested a criminal investigation in December following the audit.
“Educating children includes teaching them that actions have consequences,” she said. “We cannot require less than that for the adults in the district.”