Minneapolis School Board: The first 100 days

Over the next month, check this space for postings on challenges facing the new board of the Minneapolis Public Schools and ideas on how to meet those challenges. I am a very involved MPS parent of three: my oldest is 14 and my youngest is 8. Over the past years MPS has not done a very good job of listening to and addressing the concerns of parents and, yet, MPS parents really hold the future well-being of the district in our hands as we daily make a decision to choose or not to choose MPS. I consider myself to be a member of "the loyal opposition" in that I am a strong advocate for public education but I am also not shy at voicing my concerns and pointing out problems when I see them.

MPS parents need to become more involved in determining the future of our schools. We need to learn about the issues, voice our concerns and engage the new board in making sure they deliver on their campaign promises to turn our schools around.

Below is a stab at outlining what I see to be the immediate priorities of the new board in terms of solving large problems quickly and beginning to solve the larger problems by taking first steps. In order for Minneapolis Public Schools to be seen as credible at the legislature and in the foundation community, I would suggest that the new board adopt a 100-day plan that includes taking the following steps:

1) begin the process of closing 10 more elementary/junior high schools,
2) begin the process of closing a high school,
3) begin negotiations to significantly reform the teacher and principal contracts,
4) revise our suspension policy and put more money into in-school behavior issues,
5) put more funding into our big middle schools,
6) give REAL control over major issues such as SLC reform and district technology to advisory groups that include parents, education experts, community leaders, business experts, and local pols to jumpstart long-range planning and real education reform (it's what the U did to very good success)
7) outsource operations starting with business technologies and maybe other
pieces as well, and
8) move to weighted student formula budgeting.

In addition, we ask the state, the city, the county, and the business community
for
1) a two-year moratorium on charters,
2) a two-year cap on the Choice is Yours enrollment
3) for the the city to take over the management of current and future vacated properties
4) for some capitol funding for space rehabilitation and technology investment,
5) financial support for charter and private school busing, special ed and PSEO
responsibilities,
6) a suspension of contractual roadblocks to hire state-funded teaching
professionals who are specialists in working with a) kids who are struggling
academically due to recent staffing instability and/or poverty, b) ELL kids, c)
kids with high-frequency disabilities including learning disabilities and behavioral issues and d) some gifted kids.

Be sure to ask your local board members what their plan is for the first 100 days of the new board? In the short-term, MPS is looking at a $20 million shortfall? Three hundred more teachers laid off? Half-filled classrooms in some places, kids sitting on the floor in others? Textbooks still gone missing? Resource issues all over the place?

What's the agenda, when are the deadlines, what's the process?

Get involved and save our schools.