The districts student enrollment has dropped to less than 44,000 from a high of about 50,000 just five years ago and is expected drop to less than 33,000 in the next 5 years.
Last night board chair Henry-Blythe reported that the district has a 700 million dollar budget. That's up a little from last year (unless the board chair is rounding up). Considering the precipitous drop in enrollment, the Minneapolis School District is doing remarkably well at bringing in the money, especially with evil republicans in control of the purse strings of the state and federal governments. And despite the layoffs, wage freezes, cuts in services (like bus transportation), the district is having a hard time making ends meet. Could this be due in part to the administration taking steps to double its own budget (recommended by its wily accountants) and Jennings own lack of job experience and education related to his duties as Chief Financial Officer, and now as Superintendent? WHY IS ENROLLMENT DECLINING? I recommend the article in the latest SW Journal, which gives some pretty good clues about why the enrollment is declining. The district admits its doing a pretty good job of educating middle class white kids, and doing a poor job of educating most of the others. Enrollment is stable in SW Minneapolis, declining elsewhere, especially in south central and the north side (black flight). Enrollment in suburban public schools by Minneapolis residents accounts for a big chunk of the decline in enrollment in the Minneapolis Public School (partly an effect of the "choice is yours" program). The district is having little problem retaining students who are getting what most people consider to be a "good education." On the other hand a large proportion of students who get the low test scores are leaving the district. The number of students getting suspended each year has been pretty stable, despite a big drop in enrollment, suggesting an increasingly hostile environment for many students (and their teachers). The district's get tough attendance policy is also pushing students out of the district, contributing to the district's alleged financial woes, but not boosting academic performance very much. The districts claim to be making small gains in average tests scores and progress in closing the learning gap. However, those claims appears to be an effect of pushing the low-performing students out of the district rather than improving the quality of instruction. In other words, the district is cooking its student achievement data to support fraudulent claim of progress in improving the quality of instruction. Given that so many parents residing in the district are pulling their children out of the public schools, it is likely that a good number of families with school age children are moving to the suburbs districts to escape the school system here. The steep rise in housing costs may be another reason why younger, lower-income families have been moving to the burbs. The city has been a draw for empty nesters: Good schools are less important than short commutes to work and the amenities of city life. -Doug Mann, King Field Author, Flight from Equality: School reform in the US since 1983 http://Educationright.tripod.com REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
