At the February 15th gathering of the DFL Achievement Gap Committee, members from the Minneapolis Public Schools administration spoke of the North Side Initiative, and touched upon their plans going forth with self-governed schools (SGS).
MPS parent Kate Towle opened the session by giving an overview of her work on the Bridge Committee that is examining how to assist in new-school creation under the district’s strategic plan’s call for an Office of New Schools (ONS). Towle was pleased to report that all types of schools can be created under the state’s self-governed schools law that the Bridge Committee has been convened to address.
The committee’s recent activities are a year old, she lead, commissioned by the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers. Such self-governed schools that the district would create are not chartered schools, but a part of the district. How the Office of New Schools is structured, including whether it reports to the central administration or directly to the board, is to be determined.
The main presentation came from Ben Perry (director of the N.S.I.) and Bernedia Johnson (chief academic officer) of MPS, accompanied by colleagues. They commented that the Bridge Committee is beginning to take off, though progress is to be seen.
They provided an overview of the goals of the North Side Initiative. There was a closing of six schools, while two were restarted. Each was required to do some type of educational reform, and all have been special evaluation. All schools in the Initiative have both pre-K and all-day kindergarten. There is greater student and administrative support so that principals may concentrate on instructional leadership. Members of staff have been designated as parent liaisons. The reception from those in attendance was cordial.
The potential role for self-governed schools in closing achievement gaps is significant. There is strong precedent in other urban districts—Boston, Baltimore, Milwaukee—of creating areas in-districts where schools are granted autonomy and encouraged to innovate. CAO Johnson reported that these schools may be a tool for revitalizing the north side.
Questions focused on the need for parents to feel welcomed, and to address institutional racism.
