ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Public Schools says it wants a share of the Rams settlement.
The push follows a public meeting Tuesday during which city officials sought feedback on how to use settlement funds.
The Rams relocation settlement, which yielded $790 million in December 2021, led to St. Louis City splitting a sum of those funds with St. Louis County and the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Authority.
After the settlement, the City of St. Louis placed around $250 million into an interest-bearing account with the Missouri Securities Investment Program last year. The Board of Alderman hopes to make a decision later this year on how to allocate the funds.
Some of potential uses of the settlement funds could include replacing aging water mains, implementing more traffic-calming measures and raising wages for city employees. One idea strongly favored among low-income residents is improving access to child care.
A SLPS spokesperson told our news partners at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the district is willing to include infant and toddler care through “full-service community schools.” These schools would provide services like nutrition, housing, parenting classes and healthcare.
SLPS says it would need around $427,000 annually per school to launch the program. More clarity around the Rams settlement funds could come in the next Board of Alderman Committee of the Whole meeting in September.