In my opinion, the sharp drop in enrollment in grade K-4 from 1999 to 2002 (accompanied by increased enrollment in middle school and high school grades) is primarily the result of the following board actions
1) Part-time tracking and ability-grouping in the early elementary grades, which has been generalized and intensified since 1997. Based on what I saw at Audubon elementary school (now Lake Harriet lower campus) and the data on student achievement and enrollment, broken down by race and poverty, I have drawn the startling conclusion that parents are likely to take their children out of the Minneapolis Public Schools if any are assigned to a "low-ability" track. 2) The attendance policy adopted in 1999 and fully implemented in 2000. As I recall, the district administration predicted that the attendance policy would probably reduce enrollment by about 500 students per year district wide. The new attendance policy initially boosted enrollment but did not bring about the corresponding improvement in student academic performance that the district predicted. 3) Excessive layoffs, which increases teacher turnover, presumably done to hold down payroll costs. Schools which serve high poverty / high minority neighborhoods generally have the least experienced teachers and most unstable staffing situation. Guess where the district's enrollment has been falling the fastest? 4) Eliminating bus service for most kids in the early elementary grades who live up to one mile (or more?) from school. At the school board candidates forum in 2002 I reported that, while door-knocking I encountered affected parents who were angry about losing the bus service, especially due to safety concerns with young kids crossing busy streets on their own and walking to school when the temperature is way below zero. I predicted that the bus service cuts would drive down enrollment in a big way and put the district in an even more precarious financial situation. In my opinion, the district could turn things around by eliminating tracking (phase out "low-ability" tracks), which would save some money and make small schools cost effective, by distributing probationary teacher positions evenly throughout the district's schools, by laying off only as many teachers as the district really needs to layoff, by restoring bus service to pre-2002 levels, and by phasing in deep cuts in the recently pumped up, 6 figure salaries received by principals, superintendents, department heads, etc. (you don't need superstars administrators to run the district if the board policies are sound). -Doug Mann, King Field Mann for School Board www.educationright.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
