All posts in the topic School board meeting (Short link)
Summary
- There are 5 posts — by 5 authors — in this topic.
- Latest post made by Steve Brandt at 2007 Nov 08 21:40 UTC
Quite a 2-1/2 hr. meeting...a meeting of two different organizational
cultures. Many points of agreement...some major points of disagreement or
questioning...some concernsleft 'unsaid'(need for more information).
What's at stake is the future of public education and its ability to
increasestudent performance by ending the achievement gap.
For the last year, forums have been held on school performance..from the League
of Women voters forum/discussions on teacher selection/seniority... to
discussions on changing how the board is elected &the school board's governance
model (elected board, appointed board/commission).
At the end, it was announced that Mayor Rybak had been there and asked that
people come to a Washburn football pep-rally to celebrate being in the final
'something' or other...first time in 10 years a mpls team involved. The Nov. 13
vote on recommendations postponed until Dec.11th as the board will be voting on
the Davnie amendment changing school board elections from at-large to
district-wide/at-large mix.
*******************************************
RECAP:
Strategic Advisory committee gave introduction -complimented board on its
bravery and willingness to do the Northside initiative and new high school
plan. Said the report had 'bihags'(sp?)...big hairy goals that when presented
resulted in a loud audible gulp.
Strategic advisory committee and McKinsey & co. consultants presentation:Goal
is to change achievement gap and retructure by 2012. Identified the district's
barrier to change.
Overview:
1. Importance of effective teachers
2. Importance of principals in team building and instruction
3. One size doesn't fit all
4.Creation of a high expectations culture
5. Academic rigor for all
6. Importance of alligning structures from pre-K to highschool
Recommendations:
1. replace/restart (terms changed during presentation) the bottom 25% of
schools for targeting and "unleash" top performing schools..bring in outsiders
to facilitate this (controversial). Since this first step needs to be done
right away, it is too large an endeavor for the school district to accomplish
on its ownTailor schools to allow some to have more autonomy.
2. Increase expectations and academic rigor...goal is ALL are to be
college-ready. Reverse or back- end analysis..start with goal of all college-
ready and follow this back to preK ...what does it take at each step to get to
goal. Current structure is out of date and doesn't serve a global economy.
Investigate longer school year, weekend school, longer school day (utilized by
successful charter schools).
3. Restructure principal's functions...to increase their role in academic
instruction..increase accountability by selecting their own teams (some
controversy). If non-performers, 'move them out'.
4. Emphasize`teachers as leaders...provide the tools and support. Reevaluate
how money is spent on teacher training...find out what teachers feel most
increases their effectiveness...classes, working with other teachers.
5. Increase expectations of staff ... at all levels ...increase accountability.
360 degree feedback.
6. Transform relationships and partner with families to build trust. Need for
frequent and widely available school report cards (discussion on this).
7. Work on ways to increase financial stability-partnering with co., city,
university. Unfunded mandates and transportation costs. Need to get a handle on
health insurance costs.
8. Great schools for all..support network for all minneapolis kids
9. Build widespread support for results
Metrics (performance measures) were suggested for each category.
Areas receiving extensive discussion and not resolved...bringing in partners
and others from outside the system to work in these areas, problems in limiting
school intervention to the bottom 25% (need to include more?), principals
choosing their own teams/teachers (if principals are to be accountable, they
need to have authority to choose their teams).Some directors were very
concerned that equity for minorities was left out of the report.
... asa committee/McKinsey OBSERVATION, not a recommendation, need to provide
stable school director and management leadership by considering a GOVERNANCE
CHANGE. As would be expected, this was controversial and did not end up in the
recommendations... One member of the public advocated for this during open
time. (me:this type of obervation is similar toa consultant recommending its
client re-engineer{fire} all of top management to achieve stockholder goals).
There is precedent for this..the library board eliminating itself with the
merger.
I am working on complete notes and hope to post them...or maybe I'll save
readers thepain of another long posting (with, I assume, 'errors on page')
Best wishes,
cheryl luger
nokomis east
Thank you Cheryl for posting the notes. More details on the recommendations can be found at: http://mpls.k12.mn.us/ A couple of clarifications: 1. The Washburn football team is advancing to the State Tournament for the first time in 10 years. http://www.startribune.com/526/story/ 1530281.html The Mayor showed up to hear the strategic planning recommendations to the Board and also wants to encourage the city to get behind the Millers in support during their Tourny run. I think this is great. 2. The vote that was to take place next week, but has been postponed until the next full business meeting on Dec.11th, is the vote on the "Davnie Bill" - otherwise known as School Board election by districts. That is being delayed because it is likely we have numerous Board member scheduling conflicts that would prevent the vote from occurring. There will be more discussions/debate on the Strategic Plan before we vote on it - or parts of it. That will not to be voted on next week. Other upcoming School Board (discussion) meetings: 11/13/07 - 2008-2009 Budget discussion, Legislative Agenda 11/20/07 - 2008-2009 Budget priorities, Facilities discussion 11/27/07 - Race and policies/programs, School start times (possibly tied to transportation) This and other meeting information (and past Board meeting podcasts) can be found at: http://www.mpls.k12.mn.us/Meeting_Schedule.html Thank you, Tom Madden MPS Board of Education Parent of 3 MPS kids! 612-685-3910 (Lowry Hill live, Longfellow work)
Just some additional info:
Minneapolis Washburn will be playing in the Section 4A Quarterfinals on
Friday November 9 at 7:00 pm at Macalaster. Waconia High School will be
the opponent.
The historical news on this is that if Washburn wins it will be the
first time a MPS high school will gain the semi-finals of sectional
playoff in 10 years. The last time a MPS High School won the state
championship was 1977. Yep, 30 years ago.
The game friday would be a good opportunity for all of you to show your
support for the Washburn student-athletes who have:
1. excelled in the classroom by maintaining a GPA and attendance
requirement that is tougher than any other school district.
2. spent countless hours practicing and improving their athletic
capabilities.
3. (see above for the historical significance.)
It would also be a chance for some in Minneapolis to see what it is like
to play a game under the lights on an artificial surface. Maybe you
would find that it is not as bad as you think. Admission is probably $6
for an adult and there might even be a musical intermission.
The only other Minneapolis high school still playing football would be
De LaSalle. They play tomorrow (Thursday November 8) at 7:00 against
Rochester Lourdes at Park High School in Cottage Grove. Funny how life
goes sometimes...
For a Q&A on a current Washburn player see today's StarTrib Twin
Cities+west 2 section.
Rick Kuhlmann
HPDL
c lee wrote:
> Quite a 2-1/2 hr. meeting...a meeting of two different organizational
cultures. Many points of agreement...some major points of disagreement or
questioning...some concernsleft 'unsaid'(need for more information).
> What's at stake is the future of public education and its ability to
increasestudent performance by ending the achievement gap.
>
> For the last year, forums have been held on school performance..from the
League of Women voters forum/discussions on teacher selection/seniority... to
discussions on changing how the board is elected &the school board's governance
model (elected board, appointed board/commission).
>
>
> At the end, it was announced that Mayor Rybak had been there and asked that
people come to a Washburn football pep-rally to celebrate being in the final
'something' or other...first time in 10 years a mpls team involved. The Nov. 13
vote on recommendations postponed until Dec.11th as the board will be voting on
the Davnie amendment changing school board elections from at-large to
district-wide/at-large mix.
>
> *******************************************
> RECAP:
>
> Strategic Advisory committee gave introduction -complimented board on its
bravery and willingness to do the Northside initiative and new high school
plan. Said the report had 'bihags'(sp?)...big hairy goals that when presented
resulted in a loud audible gulp.
> Strategic advisory committee and McKinsey & co. consultants presentation:Goal
is to change achievement gap and retructure by 2012. Identified the district's
barrier to change.
>
> Overview:
> 1. Importance of effective teachers
> 2. Importance of principals in team building and instruction
> 3. One size doesn't fit all
> 4.Creation of a high expectations culture
> 5. Academic rigor for all
> 6. Importance of alligning structures from pre-K to highschool
>
> Recommendations:
> 1. replace/restart (terms changed during presentation) the bottom 25% of
schools for targeting and "unleash" top performing schools..bring in outsiders
to facilitate this (controversial). Since this first step needs to be done
right away, it is too large an endeavor for the school district to accomplish
on its ownTailor schools to allow some to have more autonomy.
>
>
> 2. Increase expectations and academic rigor...goal is ALL are to be
college-ready. Reverse or back- end analysis..start with goal of all college-
ready and follow this back to preK ...what does it take at each step to get to
goal. Current structure is out of date and doesn't serve a global economy.
Investigate longer school year, weekend school, longer school day (utilized by
successful charter schools).
>
> 3. Restructure principal's functions...to increase their role in academic
instruction..increase accountability by selecting their own teams (some
controversy). If non-performers, 'move them out'.
>
> 4. Emphasize`teachers as leaders...provide the tools and support. Reevaluate
how money is spent on teacher training...find out what teachers feel most
increases their effectiveness...classes, working with other teachers.
>
> 5. Increase expectations of staff ... at all levels ...increase
accountability. 360 degree feedback.
>
> 6. Transform relationships and partner with families to build trust. Need for
frequent and widely available school report cards (discussion on this).
>
> 7. Work on ways to increase financial stability-partnering with co., city,
university. Unfunded mandates and transportation costs. Need to get a handle on
health insurance costs.
>
> 8. Great schools for all..support network for all minneapolis kids
> 9. Build widespread support for results
>
> Metrics (performance measures) were suggested for each category.
>
> Areas receiving extensive discussion and not resolved...bringing in partners
and others from outside the system to work in these areas, problems in limiting
school intervention to the bottom 25% (need to include more?), principals
choosing their own teams/teachers (if principals are to be accountable, they
need to have authority to choose their teams).Some directors were very
concerned that equity for minorities was left out of the report.
>
> ... asa committee/McKinsey OBSERVATION, not a recommendation, need to provide
stable school director and management leadership by considering a GOVERNANCE
CHANGE. As would be expected, this was controversial and did not end up in the
recommendations... One member of the public advocated for this during open
time. (me:this type of obervation is similar toa consultant recommending its
client re-engineer{fire} all of top management to achieve stockholder goals).
There is precedent for this..the library board eliminating itself with the
merger.
>
> I am working on complete notes and hope to post them...or maybe I'll save
readers thepain of another long posting (with, I assume, 'errors on page')
>
> Best wishes,
> cheryl luger
> nokomis east
>
>
> cheryl luger
>
> Info about cheryl luger: http://forums.e-democracy.org/contacts/cherylluger
>
> This topic's messages may be viewed at:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/3EWYPXrCF28ICHXjP7Mkbq
Thanks for the explanation Rick. I will be at the game Friday night,
hopefully on the sidelines taking pictures for the team. (Awaiting
credentials from Washburn AD. That's what I want to be when I grow up, a
sports photographer. See some of my shots from this past football and cross
country and soccer season at www.elemenop.us/f-go.html
There's a link to a site with albums of shots. I offer all the files of
photos to teams and athletes free of charge. The last football game was
under the lights in the 45-44 shootout in Minnetonka.)
What do you mean by "maintaining a GPA and attendance requirement this is
tougher than any other school district." Does MPS have higher requirements
of its athletes than other districts?
Yesterday's discussion revealed that some folks aren;t aware the Minnepaolis
sets a higher academic bar for student athletes than other places. Here's a
story from last May on the topic.
Steve Brandt
Star Tribune
Access #: 1335136
Paper: STAR TRIBUNE (Mpls.-St. Paul) Newspaper of the Twin Cities
Headline: HIGH SCHOOLS // High standard for GPA means a competitive
disadvantage // The Minneapolis City Conference requires a minimum 2.0
grade-point average to maintain eligibility for athletic competition, the
toughest such requirement in the metro area.
Date: 05/15/07
Section: SPORTS
Page: 01C
Edition: METRO
Byline: Trevor Born
Graphic: CHART;PHOTO
Length: 80.74
Subject: school;sport;education;standard;minneapolis;list
Slug: pgpa0515
Special to the Star Tribune . Mack Stingley is one of 10 children being
raised by a single
mother. The junior at Minneapolis Roosevelt High School spends much
of his spare time watching his younger siblings and hopes one day
to become an auto mechanic. Stingley also is an athlete. He is a sprinter and
long jumper in
track and field, happy to be competing again. He was academically ineligible
to play football last fall because
of a Minneapolis City Conference rule requiring students to have a
2.0 grade-point average - a C average - either cumulatively or for
the quarter before playing a sport. The conference eligibility
guidelines are more stringent than state requirements, and the
toughest in the metro area. Critics say that many youngsters who would
benefit the most from
sports are deprived the opportunity to participate. "It hurt me a lot," said
Stingley, a running back. "I really
wanted to play. ... When you're playing sports, you're doing
something every day, you're meeting new people." All other metro conferences
simply follow the Minnesota State
High School League's guideline of "making academic progress towards
graduation," which means a student with a D average and enough
credits is eligible to compete. Many outside of the district aren't aware
that the city
conference's "2.0 rule" exists, and few athletes inside the
district know that the rule is unique to them. "I guess I just assumed that
everybody in the state had to get a
2.0," said Al Nolen Jr., a Henry senior with a scholarship to play
basketball for the Gophers. "It seems unfair that we have to play
by different rules." Next school year, 29 teams from Minneapolis City
Conference
schools are dropping to lower classes in multiclass sports - a
result of new MSHSL policy regarding how schools with 50 percent or
more of their students on free or reduced lunch programs are
counted in enrollment numbers - in an attempt to level the playing
field between inner-city schools and other districts with higher
participation numbers. But many wonder why Minneapolis simply doesn't remove
its own,
self-imposed competitive road block. It's a debate that's been
going on, however quietly, since its inception 17 years ago. Jim Dotseth, a
former three-sport coach in the district and
winner of 13 conference Coach of the Year awards, has become the
policy's most active critic. Dotseth, best known as Henry's former
football coach, said he would like for Minneapolis to follow the
MSHSL's standard because it would mean more students would stay in
school and eventually graduate. "I always found it upsetting when we would
have graduation on the
football field and kids who weren't even allowed to play on that
field in the fall were walking across the stage to grab their
diploma in June," he said, adding: "If the 2.0 standard is so
great, why doesn't the rest of the state adopt it?" Roosevelt athletic
director Al Frost Jr. has a similar view. "If
a kid is making progress toward graduation every quarter and he has
his attendance mode in there, he should be eligible," Frost said.
"Toss out the 2.0. We can graduate kids with less than a 2.0, so
why make it harder ... on athletes?" . More harm than good? A MSHSL
survey of 300 Minnesota high schools showed that the
average GPA of a student-athlete was 2.84, compared with 2.68 for
the average student, and that student-athletes missed an average of
only 7.4 days of school each year, compared with 8.8 for the
average student. So why, as Dotseth and others have asked, are some students
who
are teetering between graduation and dropping out denied these
benefits? "You have to be careful. Some of these kids come to school with a
load of baggage on their backs every day," said Pete Veldman, who
was the athletic director at South St. Paul for 29 years. "Anything
we can do to help them - the guidance coaches can provide and what
after-school activities offer - is huge." The presence of coaches is one of
the biggest advantages of
athletics for students, Dotseth said. Many students who struggle to
achieve a C average come from households with one parent, he said,
and a coach can be the adult figure a troubled student needs. Nolen said his
basketball coach, J.D. Deloney, makes his players
spend the time between school and practice in study hall. Stingley
said his coaches constantly monitor his academics. "I've heard the statement
repeated thousands of times: `If it
were not for this coach so-and-so, I would have been a bum,' " said
Veldman, now the executive secretary of the state athletic
directors association. There are also students for whom athletics are the
sole
motivation in coming to school every day. These students, Dotseth
said, might either transfer out of the district to a place where
they can play with lower requirements or drop out of school
altogether. "Without sports, I'd probably be out of school right now," said
Zavier Steward, a senior football player and track runner at
Washburn. "I for sure wouldn't be going to college." Steward is planning to
attend Vermilion Community College in Ely
next fall. "I know some kids who couldn't get the grade-point average and
they couldn't play sports, so they just said: `Forget it. There's
no point in being here,' " Nolen said. "They hate school, and the
only part they like is getting to play on that sports team." Said Henry
football coach Roger French: "If you give a kid the
chance to enjoy school, then they will probably make academic
progress at some point. I don't mean to say that we shouldn't have
a standard, but the fact that it is higher than most other schools
is unfair to a lot of people." South football coach Lenny Sedlock also loses
athletes, almost
always younger players. "Last year the first day of practice, we
had eight people on our field that I went up to and said, `You are
ineligible,' " Sedlock said. "That's out of 70 kids. I'm checking
right now on grades." The 2.0 rule was proposed in 1990 by former Minneapolis
superintendent Robert Ferrera and passed almost unanimously by the
school board. It has been in place ever since. . Positives of the policy
Patrick Chilton, a senior at Roosevelt, has gone to summer school
the past three years to stay eligible for football. Chilton, who
also is a long jumper and triple jumper in track, said that being
pushed academically has helped him both inside and outside the
classroom. "The coaches are always telling us that, `If you can't succeed
academically, how are you going to succeed in sports?' " he said.
"They say we should worry about school first, then deal with
sports.' " Chilton plans on attending Minneapolis Community and Technical
College to study fashion and construction. The sentiments of Chilton's
coaches are echoed throughout the
conference by coaches and athletic directors who believe their
policy is a step in the right direction, even if it takes some
competitive sacrifices. "When I started coaching 17 years ago, I debated
whether or not
it was fair,' " said Rodney Lossow, Chilton's football coach at
Roosevelt. "But now I realize that wherever you draw the line, the
students who want to participate will achieve that. It separates
those who really want to compete and enhance their character and
integrity and those who don't." Proponents of the policy also argue that high
school should be a
stepping stone toward college, and that a 2.0 GPA requirement
better prepares students for postsecondary opportunities than the
MSHSL's policy and should be copied by other conferences - not vice
versa. "I know that when I was a freshman, if I didn't have to have a
minimum grade-point average, then I would've just been trying to
pass classes to play basketball," said Nolen, the future Gophers
guard. "So I'm almost lucky that the rule exists, because I might
not be in my position without it." There are also exceptions to the policy.
If students believe they
have a valid reason for not maintaining a 2.0 GPA the previous
term, they can appeal to either their school, if they have five
absences or fewer, or to the district, if they have more. This school year,
14 of the 21 district appeals were approved. "Unless something traumatic
happens, I don't really see what the
problem is," said John Washington, the district's citywide athletic
director. "A C average is not that difficult to attain. If it were
a 4.0 GPA requirement I could understand people complaining, but a
2.0? If you show up and do the work, you'll earn the grade." Judy Farmer, a
school board member for 27 years until her last
term ended in January, said she voted for the 2.0 requirement and
would do so again. "We felt it was important that students not be
just athletes," Farmer said. "That they should be students first
and athletes second. We have not set too high a bar. ... There is
no doubt any student in Minneapolis has the capability to make a
2.0, but they may need some help." . Competitive issues Washington
acknowledges the 2.0 policy hurts the competitiveness
of the Minneapolis schools. Many prospective athletes are
ineligible or transfer to other districts. The percentage of Minneapolis
students participating in athletics
is around 28 percent, lower than in many school districts,
including St. Paul. At Edison, only 16.5 percent of students went
out for athletics the past spring, fall and winter. "It makes it really,
really tough," Henry's French said. "Right
now, I have 15 kids that are trying to make it academically and
they just can't seem to do it, and that takes 15 kids out of your
program. Our program is somewhere around 40, and that puts you down
into the 20s, which doesn't work real well in football." Against
nonconference opponents this school year, Minneapolis
teams had combined losing records in almost all sports, most
notably in football (8-12), boys' basketball (42-62) and even
girls' basketball (50-52), even though South and North have been
known for success in that sport. "Speaking strictly of competitiveness, if I
were to go into our
school and get all of the kids who don't have a 2.0 out for
football and somehow get them to comply with our system, we'd be so
much better that I can't even put a number on it," Roosevelt's
Lossow said. "But since I doubt that I could get very many of them out, and
even fewer to play within the system, I don't think I'd be any
better off with a different policy. In fact, we'd probably be
worse, because it would run some of the good kids the other way." . Staff
writer Roman Augustoviz contributed to this report. . VOICES ON THE 2.0
RULE STUDENT-ATHLETE "Without sports I'd probably be out of school right
now. I for
sure wouldn't be going to college." Senior Zavier Steward, a football player
and sprinter at
Minneapolis Washburn High School . FORMER COACH "If the 2.0 standard is
so great, why doesn't the rest of the
state adopt it?" Jim Dotseth, former Minneapolis Henry coach . ATHLETIC
DIRECTOR "If it were a 4.0 GPA requirement I could understand people
complaining, but a 2.0? If you show up and do the work, you'll earn
the grade." John Washington, Minneapolis School District citywide athletic
director.
DROPPING DOWN
Starting with the 2007-08 school year, 29 Minneapolis City Conference teams
are dropping down a class in the six current multiple-class sports.
And, in golf, which is adding a third class in 2008, another six city teams are
dropping from the largest class to the middle class of three next spring. The
list:
Teams New class Section
Football
Edison and Roosevelt 3A Section 4
Henry 3A Section 5
Volleyball
Edison, North, Roosevelt and Washburn 2A Section 4
Henry 2A Section 5
Boys' basketball
Edison and Roosevelt 2A Section 4
Girls' basketball
Edison, Henry, Roosevelt and Washburn 2A Section 4
Wrestling
Roosevelt and Washburn 2A Section 4
Edison, Henry and North 2A Section 5
Baseball
Edison, Roosevelt and Washburn 2A Section 4
Henry and North 2A Section 5
Softball
Edison, Roosevelt and Washburn 2A Section 4
Henry and North 2A Section 5
Golf: boys and girls
Edison, North and Roosevelt 2A Section 4
Source: Minnesota State High School League website, www.mshsl.org
.
HOW MANY PLAY
A look at how many student-athletes at each of the seven Minneapolis City
Conference schools went out for sports the previous three seasons - spring
of 2006, fall of 2006 and winter of 2006-07, excluding adapted sports. (Numbers
for the spring of 2007 are unavailable.) The actual number of total
participants
was decreased by one-third - after consulting city athletic officials - so
those
athletes who went out for two or three sports would be counted only once:
School Enrollment Participants Pct.
Edison 1,240 205 16.5
Roosevelt 1,234 238 19.3
North 990 223 22.5
Henry 1,269 286 22.5
Washburn 1,204 373 31.0
South 1,934 604 31.2
Southwest 1,644 712 43.3
Source: Minneapolis Public Schools Department of Athletics
. More online: For expanded coverage of this topic, go to
www.startribune.com/preps. To comment, send an e-mail to
<email obscured>.
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