"Build it and they will be forced to continue financing it." This seems to be the strategy of a group of parents in my neighborhood who have been lobbying the School Board to create a K-5 school at the Pratt Community Center. They have been successful in highjacking $400,000+ in NRP funds from housing related allocations to fund "Pratt Elementary." From the outside this would seem to be a model of good intentions, but what good has been done is quickly dispelled when you look closely at the tactics employed.
We can begin with an NRP reallocation meeting in which approximately $400,000 was shifted to fund the Pratt school. At this meeting (to the best of my recollection) School Board member Judy Farmer warned that there were no guarantees that the school could be kept open while other similar schools were being closed and I personally tried to warn those in attendance that the individuals promoting Pratt had previous reneged on a promise not to seek additional NRP funds. Regardless of these caveats the reallocation was approved. Now parents are *shocked* that the school may be closed and the former president of our neighborhood association is saber rattling about suing the school district because they acquiesced to the demands of parents to have the building remodeled, as if this legally commits them to keep the school open. I find this all very interesting for a number of reasons. First, the NRP and Education are my favorite topics on the list server. Secondly, after becoming involved in Minneapolis politics (there's no going back ;-), I will be fascinated to see if a "small politically connected clique" is going to be able leverage keeping open a small neighborhood school of 80 children while other larger schools all over the city are being closed in the name of efficiency. You might think, "No way!," but you have to realize that this is Prospect Park; home to the current and previous city council members, as well as a current school board member, AND a lot of angry politically active White folks. If that's not power in Minneapolis I don't know what is (unless it's a majority of Park Board Members who could care less about public opinion). Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to neighborhood schools. I clearly stated in my campaign for school board that as long as it didn't cost more dollar-for-dollar to educate students in small schools, that I supported them (I don't think that they provide as many educational opportunities as larger schools, but that's another issue and a personal decision for parents). But, that may be the kicker then: Does it cost more to educate students at Pratt than it does at other elementary schools? If it costs less, THEN END OF DISCUSSION! Keep up the good work! If it costs more...well then we should leave it to the School Board to make the right decision. Pratt Parents say: > On the state math and reading tests last year, Pratt third graders far > exceeded both district-wide and statewide averages -- even > outperforming students in affluent suburban communities like Wayzata > and Edina. This seems impressive, but if it's because Pratt receives more dollars per pupil then I'm not sure that would meet our social expectations for fairness. I am also somewhat put off by the lack of forthrightness of these parents. Sure these students' scores look impressive, but the parents failed to tell you that this was based on a class size of 18 students and I have yet to be told how many of these 18 were minority members. Regardless, an N of 18 may not make the results statistically meaningful. Ok, look, I don't really want to be a killjoy, so please allow me to suggest an alternative that may please everyone. I had always suspected that the promoters of Pratt had always intended to turn Pratt into a charter school after they had funded their renovations. After all who would be so unrealistic to believe that the School Board would be able keep open such a small school while closing others in a period of severe budget reductions? Anyway, I think that a charter school might be a better alternative for Prospect Park. Certainly, parents would have more control and would not be subject to the periodic educational fads and fancies of the Mpls Public Schools. The School Board could compromise by funding Pratt for one additional year to give parents time to complete the conversion. If there is any one overriding moral to this story it's that the NRP process is flawed if it allows a neighborhood to ignore warnings and fund $1,000,000 worth of renovations in a building is then put up for sale. Michael Atherton Prospect Park 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
