Valeria Silva was named the new St. Paul Public School superintendent Monday evening, The board voted unanimously to name her as superintendent, and to begin contract negotiations.
Last week, in interviews, Silva emphasized that her 20+ years in the district have prepared her for the job, and that she is ready to move ahead as a leader of the district.
Can I do this job?
Yes, but I cannot do it alone. I feel that I can do this job because I have many, many people behind me to support me. People that know that I won’t be a perfect superintendent, but I will aim for the best. Can I lead and change the life of 38,000 [students]? Not alone. It has to be with your help, with the help of everybody who works in this organization. Together we can. …
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Story behind the story Some 14 years ago, my oldest daughter began kindergarten at Adams Spanish Immersion School, where Valeria Silva was principal. I was immediately impressed by her hands-on attitude toward the job of being principal. On one occasion, I was in the office when a little girl was sitting in a corner, as far from everyone as possible, as she awaited pick-up by her parents because she had lice in her hair. Valeria put her arm around the child and talked to her, and told the other people in the office that lice would not jump out at them and they need not put the girl so far away. On another occasion, there was some kind of problem with the buses. Valeria’s response was to grab a walkie talkie and begin riding the buses until the problems were sorted out. I’m looking forward to seeing how that hands-on style translates in the superintendent’s office. |
Silva is currently the chief academic officer in SPPS. Before that she was the director of the English Language Learner (ELL) programs, principal at Dayton’s Bluff Elementary and Adams Spanish Immersion schools and coordinator of the district’s Spanish Immersion Program/Curriculum. She also worked as a specialist for standards and accommodation in the Minnesota Department of Education. She began her career as a teacher with SPPS.
Last week, in interviews for the position, Siilva described her vision for the district:
The school should be the center of the community. When you look at the Harlem project, it is a full community working together.
Our kids need all of us. Our kids need our passion. Our kids need the best teachers. …
Investing in human capital is essential in our district today. Good teachers matter a lot, matter more than we believe. One good teacher can change the life of a child. If a child has had a quality teacher for three or four years, that child will graduate and will be prepared. Quality teaching happens by learning, by professional development. We have a committed group of people that can absolutely move our district – we need to invest in that.
Silva emphasized that SPPS has many assets, and “pockets of excellence.” She said that the district needs to replicate these, focusing on what works and how to replicate success across the district. She also emphasized the importance of cultural proficiency in a district in which 40 percent of the students come from homes where a language other than English is spoken. Silva pointed with pride to successes in St. Paul’s ELL program that has made it a national model, and to a turn-around at Gordon Parks ALC this year.
The new superintendent faces major challenges –
- The 800 pound gorilla is the deficit. SPPS is facing a budget deficit estimated at $25-27 million next year, with continuing delays in delivery of state aid.
- The achievement gap: The gap between African American students and Caucasian students continues to loom large. In 2009 testing, white students showed 80 percent proficiency in reading, with black students showing 41 percent
- Raising overall proficiency is also a challenge, with the proficiency scores for all students in the district standing at 46 percent in math, 52 percent in reading, and 26 percent in science. While scores have been increasing incrementally from year to year, this spring the district announced a goal of a 10 percent across-the-board increase.
- Minnesota is one of only 10-12 states eligible for federal Race to the Top grants, and SPPS hopes to partner with the Minnesota Board of Education to apply for this funding.
Board member Keith Hardy asked that all stakeholders in the community “continue to be as passionately involved” with the schools as they have been during the superintendent selection process.
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