>From Pam Taylor:
> Could you please post your platform that you ran on 2
> years ago to the list? And, then if you would, please
> tell us what inroads you made in regards to it?
I am happy to answer but apologize for the length. AJ
When I ran in 1999 for the school board, my platform consisted of three main
points,
improved communications, customer service and parental involvement with an
end result of education for all children
Communication is the key to understanding and working with and for any
person or group of people. In my term I have written a community article
every month that appears in several community newspapers. The focus of
these articles is to demystify the work of the board, to give a glimpse of
the types of decisions the Board makes and how we arrive at those decisions.
I write them, not so much as an individual but from the viewpoint of the
entire Board.
The topics have ranged from budget and monetary dilemmas and decisions to
Federal and state legislation, Board operation and conduct, to other
community, state and national assignments Board members fill such as the
Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA), West Metro Education
Program(WMEP), the Hennepin County Alliance for Children and Families, Youth
Coordinating Board (YCB), Council of Great City Schools (CGCS), etc.. I
have also written about exceptional volunteers, exceptional students, the
importance of a strong superintendent, the importance of arts programs, pop
and advertising in the schools....It's over 24 articles in the last 2 years.
I have heard very positive feed back from many people in that it has given
them much better comprehension and insight as to what Board members do and
the type of decisions we make.
We have also, in the last year and a little bit, held several public forums
and public policy sessions out in the communities at high schools and at one
elementary school. Estimates of the number of people who have attended
would be upwards of three thousand people. At these forums, after a short
presentation to introduce the topic, we hear from the community. In Jan. we
held 2 forums on the budget, over 800 people attended and we heard from over
170 people. We are very grateful to the people who attend and share their
thoughts and concerns with us. We have taken those concerns and all of
those received through other avenues of communication to the discussion
table and considered them in our deliberations.
This has increased the numbers of parents who have indicted they feel they
are a part of the solution, because they are. One of the topics was on site
councils, we realize that consistency is lacking. Some schools have great
site councils, some have none at all. We are working to refine our policies
so that we can better meet the needs of our students, while being mindful of
the many state mandates that must be followed through at each site that
councils haven't always adhered to. Our area parent councils are meeting
regularly. We receive the minutes and input through these organizations.
Board members attend occasionally as well.
Our Citizen Budget Advisory Committee has been very active and has made
thoughtful and useful suggestions to the Board especially in light of budget
crisis we are facing now. We have also been regularly updated by students
on the Citywide Student government and the Middle school Government. We
have actively sought their input on decisions and they have student liaisons
who regularly attend board meetings. We had discussed the idea of an
ex-officio student member to the Board, but they decided the time commitment
was way too much for students working hard on their numerous high school
requirements.
We have set up a web page and included sections for comments and input. We
mailed out several thousand budget surveys to residents and sent home
thousands to families to get input on the difficult decisions about the
budget. We had an online survey, we received over 3,300 responses, several
dozen phone calls, letters and many, many e-mails. Three of our members
regularly communicate through this list. Catherine Shreves, Dennis Schapiro
and I have been contributors when questions arise, we answer. There is
still room for improvement, but we are definitely moving in the right
direction.
I would also point to the successful referendum of 2000, where we enlisted
huge grassroots support of the community, without whom we could never have
passed the referendum. Communication was a key element in the successful
outcome of that campaign.
We have worked hard to raise the understanding of the community about
education finance and how the decisions made in St. Paul and Wash. DC affect
the children in Minneapolis.
Throughout the whole budget process, people whose children's schools are
facing unprecedented monetary cuts, have been very concerned but have
remained civil in an increasingly difficult time. So many of the decisions
of school boards in this state are really determined by the massive number
of laws and regulations handed down from the state and the federal
government. I think people are understanding that reality more than they
ever did in the past because of improved communications and parent
involvement
We have also refined and continue to refine the District Improvement Agenda
(DIA). This document clearly states the goals and outcomes the Board has
set for the district. It is available at the MPS web page. One of those
goals is to make students and families feel welcome at their schools. We
have made progress on this goal, but there is still lots to improve on the
customer service side. Every phone call should be returned in a timely and
polite fashion. People should feel welcomed at the Welcome Centers, and
that is not the case every time! That is an area that needs to improve, so
more attention needs to be focused on this part of day to day operations.
The Superintendent is very aware and concerned about this and is working to
improve this now.
Education for every child, it can and should happen. All these efforts are
focused on the core business of the school district. But too many of our
children are not succeeding. In the last 2 years, the Superintendent has
brought in the McKinsey and Company and EDS, two large consulting firms (all
pro bono, that is donated services that would have cost in excess of $3
million, were it not for the efforts of Dr. Johnson) as well as business
partners to examine and analyze the district's educational, technological,
and financial systems' effectiveness. They have uncovered much about the
schools. They have helped us focus on the barriers to learning and we are
working to find solutions. We continue to refine the best practices that
will help us raise the achievement of those students who fall through the
cracks, to increase our graduation rates, and to continue to provide the
excellence that many of our students get from their educational experience
in our schools.
One outcome of this analysis is a transformation of our high schools from
large comprehensive schools with smaller magnets side by side to small
learning communities. There are 34 in all, so that we can better form
relationships with all of our students and help those students who were
leaving or felt pushed out to stay and complete their high school education.
Our attendance policy is a vast improvement over what was happening before
and a successful pilot attendance program at North Star Elementary where
attendance went from 62% of the kids attending 95% of the time to 92%
attending 95% of the time, has been put in place in other schools this
year. We have prioritized meaningful professional development for our
educators. Kids learn differently, more and more of our kids are hands on
learners. We are assisting teachers in their efforts to have their teaching
practices reflect the needs of the kids.
I don't want to run on too long, probably already have. But in the 2 years
I have been a part of the Board, we have made tremendous progress in
improving the way the Board functions, how we link with families, students
and the community. We are spending lots more time on fiscal accountability,
the Board stressed the importance of this and the Superintendent has hired
David Jennings to really direct and oversee the fiscal accountability and
direction of this huge operation.
There is still lots of work to be done, goals to be targeted and achieved.
There are many internal and external pressures that we must continue to
identify, analyze and problem solve. I will not take credit for single
handedly changing or improving the district, but I have been an integral
part of a very successful effort to do our job as a Board much better and
more effectively. My contributions to the proceedings and deliberations at
the Board level have made a difference. I am able to continue this momentum
and more fully utilize the skills and knowledge I have gained in the last 2
years to continue to work towards a better education system, where we have
to do more with less, that will meet the outcomes that are needed for our
children to grow into the leaders, movers, shakers, workers, parents and
professionals of the future.
Thanks to those of you who read this very long response to Pam Taylor's
inquiry.
Audrey Johnson
MPS BOE Director and School Board Candidate 2002
LHE
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