The following newsletter was initially emailed and posted on social media September 18th and due to its timeliness and relevance has since been update for the Why We Can’t Wait blog.
TEAM TRACINE FOR MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, DISTRICT 6
MPS VISION: Every child college and career ready
Newsletter Sections:
1. Letter from Tracine: Why I Could Not Vote YES on Acceleration 2020
2. Area C Weighs In: Acceleration 2020 and Student Based Accounting (WSF)
3. My Perspective: As a mother, teacher, and policymaker
4. Next MPS Board Meeting: T. Oct 14th
5. MPS Board Subcommittees: Subcommittees, schedules and agendas
6. Looking back: 2014 Team Tracine Newsletters
Section 1. Letter from Tracine: Why I Could Not Vote YES on Acceleration 2020
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Serving on the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of Education is a great responsibility that is both humbling and powerful. I am humbled to be entrusted, along with my fellow directors, to make the very best decisions possible for the Pre K – Adult Education students at our schools. Equally important, I recognize the power of one vote to highlight success or push MPS to do better for every family in every area of our city.
At the Tuesday, September 9th Board Meeting, I believed that we could do better for our 34,000 plus students. Therefore, I could not vote Yes on Acceleration 2020.
As stated by Tim Post, MPR News, “Board member Tracine Asberry abstained from voting on the measure, and said she was worried it will end up like past efforts that haven’t improved student achievement.”
My decision should not be confused with wavering on my commitment to our students or wavering in my determination to work with the Board and Superintendent to be a high performing school district. In fact, quite the opposite is true.
As the article continues, “There is an urgency. But I want to know when the board and the community will actually see it? I will tell you quite frankly, I am exhausted. I am exhausted [with] presentations and promises and conversations,” Asberry said.
CLICK HERE to read the full article “Minneapolis School Board adopts plan to fight achievement gap”
Minneapolis Public Schools is in a state of urgency and Acceleration 2020 had too many missing items needed to create a solid framework of equity and excellence. The items missing from Acceleration 2020 were actually included in Strategic Plan 2007 – 2011 (2013).
*There was also incomplete information and/or unclear next steps that district leadership did not answer or address.
MISSING ITEMS FROM STRATEGIC PLAN 2007 – 2011 (2013):
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Board and Superintendent responsibilities
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City and County Partnerships
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Eliminating Institutional Racism
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Primary MPS Department/Chief accountability of specific goals
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Timeline for Plan Implementation and Assessment/Evaluation
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Consistently Reporting out to the public during the course of the plan
INCOMPLETE INFORMATION/UNCLEAR PLAN:
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Incomplete Equity and Diversity Impact Assessment and unanswered questions (i.e. Who signed off, solutions offered by the community, etc.)
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Key aspects of the plan moved to a “Management Plan” that doesn’t allow the Board and Public accountability
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Communication Plan in community-friendly language(s)
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Reporting out on the Condition of our Schools/State of Schools
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If EXECUTION EXECUTION EXECUTION is the weakness at MPS, who will act as the district’s Coach/Trainer?
My vote on the Acceleration 2020 was an abstention (which created the Board Vote 8 – 0 – 1).
My hope is to 1) draw your attention to the gaps mentioned above, 2) encourage you to organize for board and district leadership accountability, transparency, and urgency, and 3) require consistent comprehensive reporting in public with the public.
RESOURCES:
(Click each link for additional information):
Strategic Plan 2007 – 2011 (2013) Policy 1304 – Equity and Diversity Equity and Diversity Impact Assessment
Finally, let me be clear that because the Board majority voted in support of Acceleration 2020, I will wholeheartedly work with the Board and Superintendent on this plan while simultaneously paying close attention to implementation, evaluation, community engagement, and urgency.
My hope is that we, as a MPS community, will become familiar with Acceleration 2020 (as a covenant between MPS and the children of Minneapolis) and use it as our guide to evaluate all future policies, practices, procedures, and partnerships.
THANK YOU for your continued communication, engagement and commitment focused on our incredible students Pre K – Adult Education – They deserve it!
Be sure to read feedback from the MPS Area C September Meeting at Field Community School (see Section #2). The ideas and questions from families, community members, and neighbors offer additional evidence that solutions and expertise to do better is right here in our communities – BRAVO!
* As of this blog, district leadership has not answered or addressed the incomplete information and/or unclear next steps I communicated at the September 9th Board Meeting.
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Section 2. Area C Weighs In: Acceleration 2020 and Student Based Accounting
CLICK HERE for Area C Overview
MPS Area C Meeting Parent & Community
Field Community School
Meeting, September 17, 2014, 6-8p
AGENDA:
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Welcome & Introductions – Liz Short, parent, Area C Co-Chair
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Acceleration 2020 – Planning for Academic Success – Meredith Fox, Executive Director, Accountability, Planning & Policy
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Acceleration 2020 Strategy – Student Based Accounting (Weighted Student Funding – WSF)
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Small Group Discussion
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Report Out with large group
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Building A Strong Partnership Between MPS families & MPS – Margaret Richardson, parent, Area C Co-Chair
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Q&A General Questions – MPS Staff
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION – QUESTIONS:
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Which programs/initiatives in the new strategic plan excite you? Why?
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Knowing what you know now about student based allocations, what programs or initiatives do you envision will be impacted?
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What do you believe are obstacles to making a difference in achievement?
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In what ways can you commit to supporting the MPS Strategic Plan (Acceleration 2020)? (Example: Providing a quiet space for child to study)
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What would you like to see as the mission of The Office of Black Male Student Achievement (OBMSA)?
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What are some of the challenges you are facing as a parent to support your son? (OBMSA)
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Questions or topics would you like covered in the future?
REPORT OUT WITH LARGE GROUP:
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Anxiety how Plan will play out – How will thriving schools be supported and priority schools be supported?
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Equity across the district
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Excited opportunity around autonomy
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Anxiety around implementation
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Hope – gap addressed
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Will WSF mean taking from some to give to others?
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Obstacle – Parent mindset – considering needs of all kids not just my kid
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What is the dollar amount associated with “1”?
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Transparency should be upfront/early
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Accountability for 5/8/10
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What is the support to meet goals?
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What happens when goals aren’t met? Do schools close? Become Charter schools?
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What are the benefits of autonomous schools?
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Clarity is needed when speaking to ELL population
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What does autonomy really mean?
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Who approves the management plan? How is it cared out?
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The devil is in the details
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WSF – Voted to support it but what is it?
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Do you have to be an autonomous school to be an agent of change?
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What happens with autonomous schools? Goals? Measures? Close schools when goals aren’t met?
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Management Plan – What does that mean? Who oversees it?
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What’s happening to kids during the implementation phase?
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What are the weights (WSF)? What restraints?
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How will the funding be different? Be specific? Now and Future presented side by side
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Class size – What happened to the referendum?
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Class size is missing from the Plan
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The Plan has a 3-year ramp up – What happens in the meantime?
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Excited about positive student outcomes for all
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Excited about parents and schools working together
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The should be a focus on the “average” student
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Obstacle – Are Cultural Liaisons equipped?
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Obstacle – Transportation
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OBMA – Really get close to parents… What’s happening at home? Barriers for sons? Opportunity to work with athletics
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Class size – Impact needs to be addressed due to funding – not improving in Area C
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Expectations for each school – What should every school have?
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Parental involvement – Increase ELL support
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Where is the attention on G&T?
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What is the weight for Magnet schools?
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Implementation – Transparency of process needed
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Is there a model for WSF in another district/city that we can review?
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Excited about autonomy
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Concerned about how it will work
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Anxious about student based allocation
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Anxiety from schools with less Title 1 funding – Schools want to keep the level high – WSF
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Too much bureaucracy at district level
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Anxiety to keep schools running at high levels with funding change
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Excited about action from district
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How does Focused Instruction fit with autonomy?
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Help prepare kids for Kindergarten
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Engagement of families of color – Work with PTO/PTA
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Anxiety around WSF
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Integration dollars used to divide kids based on the color of kids’ skin
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This is all about details and tactics
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Excited about Family and Community Partnership – Idea for a Social contract – Look for incentives – Tie in business community
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Will principals be overwhelmed – Are they prepared
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Better communication is needed
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Obstacles – resources, geographical locations, socioeconomic
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Support – Pledge from stakeholders
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Sustainable Communication – use 5th grade reading level with multi modalities to be inclusive [ensures MPS communication is family-friendly and in the understandable the first language of our families]
Art by Local Artist Tammy Ortegon, Colorwheel Gallery
AREA C CO-CHAIR COMMITMENT from Liz Short:
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Get the experts in the room from the district for a meeting devoted to…
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Weighted Student Funding (WSF)
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Class Size
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RESPONSE TO WSF from Tammy Fredrickson, Budget Director:
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Explanation of WSF Steering committee
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Will send a list of other districts using WSF/MPS has Monthly conference call with other districts to discuss questions/challenges
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Weights open to conversation in steering committee
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No more/less 5% shortfall
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Steering committee came up with landing place
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Send Questions and Check website
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Starting to have conversations with principals next week
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(March) 2016-2017 full implementation
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Conversations in community starts October 2014
AREA C CO-CHAIR, Margaret Richardson:
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How do we build a relationship and trust with the MPS district?
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How would you like communication between you and district and the district and you?
FEEDBACK:
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Provide Meeting Summary
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Real time response from district
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Here’s what we heard
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Here’s the district response
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Timeline, Next steps and who’s accountable
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No sense of accountability
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Great meetings but what’s next?
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Let’s hear from Area A & Area B when we have the same meeting
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Improve Area C Meeting attendance to look like our schools – We’re homogenous
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Great group – How can we represent our schools (race, class, language, ability, etc.)?
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PTO is more diverse – Tie Area C meetings into PTO
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ELL families are intimidated by only English [meetings and handouts] – How do we include multilingual population? How do we make the meeting accessible to all families?
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District answer questions in real time – Accountability
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Frustrating to have questions with district present but not have questions addressed
NEXT STEP:
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MPS District will email notes and responses to questions to Area C email list.
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Next Area C Meeting, Wednesday, Oct 22nd at Jefferson Community School, 6p – 8p
Section 3. My Perspective: As a mother, teacher, and policymaker
Art for Social Justice by Ricardo Levins Morales, RLM Arts Studio
Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA) Journal, Sep – Oct 2014
We Remember Brown v. Board – Now What?
(Expanded from a previous Why We Can’t Wait blog)
CLICK HERE to read the full article starting on page 10!
Timely and better communication are needed at Minneapolis Public Schools ASAP – MinnPost, Community Perspectives
Why We Can’t Wait blog – Twin Cities Daily blog
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Remembering Brown v. Board – Now What?
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Is there an app for that? Beyond MPS conversations and presentations
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At MPS, is Black Male Achievement at the back of the bus?
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“Let’s Celebrate #BelovedCommUNITY” on Saturday, August 23rd
Section 4. Next MPS Board Meeting: T. Oct 14th
Meeting Notices and Agenda Topics
Meeting Agenda, BoardBook Packet and Minutes (updated the Friday, 12p before the Tuesday Board Meeting)
Section 5. MPS Board Subcommittees: Subcommittees, schedules and agendas
“To more properly serve the students and community, the Board of Education is permitted to designate committees to conduct preparatory work on matters that will be considered by the Board of Education as a whole. Each Committee is comprised of members of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education and District Staff.”
All Meetings are open to the public.
Section 6. Looking back: 2014 Team Tracine Newsletters
September 4th – My New Executive Director Role, Next MPS Bd Meeting and MORE!
August 22nd – FINAL DETAILS: TOMORROW – We Celebrate our #BelovedCommUNITY
August 19th – THIS SATURDAY – Let’s Celebrate our #BelovedCommUNITY
August 11th – I will Remember and I will VOTE TOMORROW!
August 4th – All About August and the Back to School Jam!
July 14th – Excellence, Engagement and An Appointment Oh My!
June 23rd – Focus on Special Education
May 22nd – WHS Tonight, Barton Update, and Must Remember
May 16th – We Remember Brown v. Board – Now What?
May 13th – Vote TODAY, Board Meeting EARLIER TONIGHT, Meet WHS Principal NEXT WEEK
May 2nd – Rhonda Dean, former MPS administrator and teacher, named new Washburn High School principal
April 21st – Better MPS Communication Needed ASAP + MPS School Board Candidate Forum THIS THURSDAY
April 14th – MPS School Board Candidate Forum, Th. April 24th
March 26th – MPS Budget Revisions Released + MPS School Board Candidate Forum
March 24th – MPS Budget Communication and MORE!
March 12th – What Smart School Board Members Do…
March 1st – MPS and MFT announces tentative agreement
February 15th – After Friday’s House Fire: An Opportunity to be One Minneapolis
February 4th – Today, Next Week, and Themes Last Year
“When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” — Audre Lorde, 1934 – 1992
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