Sorry for the length in advance, but this seems important... Well I have to thank Tom Streitz and Catherine Shreves who both seemed to listen to me and others in our open area school district. But it really is too late to be of much use to my family. It is now the middle of the holiday season. We have already toured our schools and entered our two top choices. (We've toured, had a re-tour and certified our tours. O.k., probably a bad joke.) And it is really too late in the game to start looking all over at schools again - especially since MPS put a caveat on the new criteria that says two of the three choices must be community schools. This requirement is not stated in any of the materials I received from MPS for non open areas and we would have to start at ground zero for some of the schools. So, as far as a step forward goes, this is only a baby step. If you, like my family, are in an open area, you are still discriminated against by the 70% of the rest of the city which is treated in a different way. I guess I believe that if you live in an open area, there is only one alternative. You should be guaranteed one of your top two choices until the school district closes all the open areas and/or builds new schools to eliminate the open areas. All parents and children should have equal opportunity in our schools. I found it sometimes startling touring our schools. There were many good things which I have posted about previously, but there were some really marginal things. In one school there were huge sections of paint just peeling off the kindergarten room walls. It was apparent that it had been there a long time. In another school, the windows were long overdue needing at a minimum painting and more likely complete replacement. In one school alternate priority spending had left the library with really inadequate resources and I was concerned about basic learning getting covered. In almost all of the schools I toured, my child would be the minority race which I thought was interesting and a great opportunity for her. However, along with that comes as I understand a real mobility problem in a large percentage of the rest of the students, English as a second language to overcome by many, and a lack of parent involvement placing more pressure on teachers and administrators to find ways to teach those students. I had to wonder if students who were in the classroom minority such as my daughter who didn't come with these problems were really getting the education they needed? In one school the principal's pronouncement that they weren't trying to be the best that they were the best just floored me. Everybody has room for improvement and he just didn't seem to think that was the case. He also lectured us on advocating for everybody's children and not just our own. I really felt that was inappropriate. After all, he didn't even know who I was or what I was thinking about. And then when a number of parents did try to advocate for their children it was kind of brushed aside with some additional theoretical-speak. It seemed as though there was more concern about moving everybody ahead in the system, especially the students on the lowest part of the totem pole, than moving ahead each student: kind of a school of averaging. In all the schools I asked a number of questions, but the most important to me was the following: "When my daughter enters kindergarten she will know her colors, her numbers, her letters, will read many words, know many musical concepts including singing and playing some instruments, understand simple arithmetic, be able to color within the lines, know how to set a table, and understand politeness, manners, and many social concepts. With this in mind, what will you teach her?" In almost every case I was told that she would help the teacher teach other students and work on her social skills. This is not an acceptable answer. So, my biggest disappointments with selecting an MPS school for my daughter is that my family is being discriminated against in choice options and my daughter is being discriminated against based on her readiness and classroom minority status. However, we believe a public education is best and we are jumping in with both feet and will get completely involved in our school. I just hope MPS is ready for us :-) Russ Peterson Ward 9 Standish R U S S E L L P E T E R S O N D E S I G N "You can only fly if you stretch your wings." Russell W. Peterson, RA, CID Founder 3857 23rd Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55407 612-724-2331 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
