The only consensus I've heard or on which the School Board has recently taken action is that neighborhood and citywide schools do and should continue to exist side-by-side in this community. Keep in mind that magnet schools were St. Paul's version of voluntary desegregation (rather than being forced by the state) nearly 30 years ago. They've had marvelous appeal over the years and our choice system has continued to expand over the years to offer a wide range of choices to St. Paul families -- and they "vote with their feet" in telling us what works for their kids.
The concerns about neighborhood schools relate in large part to areas of St. Paul with aging-in-place populations and birth rates that aren't sufficient to support their neighborhood schools; students in neighborhoods choosing magnet/citywide schools for various personal and family reasons; and the continued steady percentage of St. Paul students who choose from a number of parochial schools, as well as a few privates and some charters. These issues have led to greater attention to how, when, and on what basis school attendance areas are adjusted; neighborhood school Site Councils choosing to adopt various reform models to improve student achievement and attract more students; district support for increased school-based communications with neighborhood families about their offerings; early ed programs to better meet neighborhood needs and help kids bond to their neighborhood schools; and so on. I'll also note that all our secondary schools are citywide choice, and that nearly every citywide choice school has a defined attendance area that assures admission to residents thereof if they make that their first choice. The district's entire school choice system has also been the subject of district-organized extensive and well-attended community discussions over the last several years, from which the schools, the Board, and staff are continuing substantive conversations on how our rich but often-confusing choice system needs to be revised to better meet the needs of students and their families into the future. For more details on this process, search for "choice" at www.spps.org. As always, Board meetings and discussion topics, minutes, policies, etc., are listed on our webpage at http://www.spps.org/Board_of_Education.html. For further information on the school choice Task Force and report from last fall, go to http://www.spps.org/School_Choice_Task_Force.html. For information on choosing a school or the choice process, see http://www.spps.org/Choosing_a_School.html. Or feel free to give me a call at 651-690-9156. -- Anne Carroll, St. Paul Board of Education ------------------------------------------------------------ Anne R. Carroll Carroll, Franck & Associates Public Involvement, Strategic Planning, Communications 1357 Highland Parkway St. Paul, MN 55116 USA [EMAIL PROTECTED] 651-690-9162 School Board: 651-690-9156 "The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice." -- Martin Luther King, Jr. "...You will be more credible and you will be more powerful if you do not separate the lives you live from the words you speak." -- Paul Wellstone "A politician worries about the next election. A true states[wo]man worries about the next generation, and children yet unborn." - e.e. cummings ------------------------------------------------- JOIN the St. Paul Issues Forum TODAY: http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/ ------------------------------------------------- POST MESSAGES HERE: stpaul@mnforum.org To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
