The Minneapolis Public School system spends $500 million each year. My memory is that the school year consists of 157 "working days." I am not sure about this, but I remember reading that its the shortest "school year" in the country.
The student enrollment as of December 2001 was 47,726 (down from 48,991 in 2000.) I haven't seen anyone on the list break down the school census. How many of the enrolled children are "special needs?" We need a definition of special needs. How many live in poverty? We need a definition of poverty. How many speak English well enough to benefit from attending class? Separately, how many Minneapolis children are home schooled? How many are enrolled in private schools? It seems to me that we need to know these answers before specific solutions can be discussed. For example, if language is a major barrier to learning, that problem should be solved before a child starts a normal set of classes. What good does it do to sit in a math class, if the student doesn't understand what the teacher is saying? I personally don't think we need licensed teachers to bring kids up to speed in basic English. Vicky Heller Cedar-Riverside (Work) North Oaks (Home) _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
