Presenters:
- Bob Wedl, partner in Education Evolving and former Minnesota Commissioner of Education
- Jon Bacal, executive director of the newly created Office of New Schools in Minneapolis Public Schools
- Jeff Buszta, a North High teacher working on a New Schools proposal
Meeting Summary: Legislative changes allow Public School Districts to approve self-governed schools. The structure gives teachers control over budget, curriculum and other decisions. The School Board has to approve the plan, including accountability measures. The new structure is not an end in itself. If schools don’t meet targets, the district ends the contract. Self-governed schools join charter schools and contract alternative schools as new school models. Minneapolis is poised to approve several self-governed schools. During the Q&A, several long-time educators raised concerns that similar reforms had been tried in the past and the structure would lead to teacher burnout. Others said it did not address integration issues.
The following is a meeting paraphrase.
