I'm pleased to see that at least in some regards the District is capable of
learning from prior experience. The only issue is, tht if they were to
actually improve the schools so that they, like St. Paul Open, became
schools of choice, they might then find themselves once again out of
space...feast or famine seem sthe order of the day.
Jane Strauss
Longfellow Neighborhood
From: Tom Madden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Jane Strauss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Mpls] RE: Mpls Digest, Vol 13, Issue 38
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2005 09:28:20 -0600
While I cannot comment on most of those points, I can comment on the birth
rate paragraph and question.
Having sat through most of the school closing discussion meetings and
school
board meetings (2004, not for the 1987-1988 years), I do know KKE and the
School Board did consider current and predicted future birth rates as they
were available. While I do not have the documents in front of me to
source,
the question of considering the right population numbers came up at most
meetings and was addressed forthright.
Kudos to Ms. Strauss for not comparing MPS to suburban schools. I do not
believe they are "better". I believe they (and their city as a whole) are
generally (note the "generally") going through or will be going through
similar challenges as their cities, facilities and systems have been around
as long as MPS. That is why I believe the independent school districts
should work together regarding state funding. What happens in MPS or St.
Paul is happening or will likely happen in the suburbs in time.
All for one and one for all, if you will.
Tom Madden
Lowry Hill
On 1/19/05 8:52 AM, "Jane Strauss" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> From the List:
>
>> And why do we need to have school board members "challenging" parents
who
>> are just trying to get the best education possible for their kids?
>
>> Because it's their responsibility to insure that educational
>> benefits are distributed equally to all children in Minneapolis?
>
>
> Response: Equally does not mean the same. Children with special needs
and
> those of minority cultures whether defined by skin color or not, need to
be
> served equally, and are not well served by "the same" treatment
throughout
> the District.
>
> I, too, have been frustrated with the Minneapolis Public Schools for
years,
> have noted that appropriateness of services to children varies widely
and in
> direct proportion to the amount of time a parent spends as a watchdog
and
> adversary, and have frequently voted with my feet because it was simply
> less time-consuming than fighting with my "elected officials" to get the
> schools to follow Special Education laws or to provide an appropriate
> education.
>
> I have taken advantage of homeschooling, private school, open
enrollment,
> and charter school opportunities since 1988.
>
> Of 5 children, only one graduated from a Minneapolis Public School, and,
> IMHO, she did not get as good an education as the others in the family,
and
> I had to fight far harder for her to get assistance that she needed to
reach
> her potential.
>
> At present, of 2 kids remaining in the K-12 range, one is in a charter
> school and one in a Saint Paul public school.
>
> Among the questions I have had to ask of the school Board and its
> Administration over the years are:
>
> Why did a preschool child who qualified for early intervention from the
> county under their "mental retardation" department get consistently
denied
> preschool special ed from the District which claimed she did not need
it?.
> Early intervention provided the boost this child needed to excel and
> eventually graduate from Southwest with Honors....something wrong
here....
>
> Why did the District not look at current statistics on births when they
> closed many schools back in the early 80s, and then in 87 and 88 look
> shocked at their own lack of space for entering Kindergartners? And
are
> they doing this again?
>
> Why are Saint Paul options real instead of window dressing?
> -Montessori schools there are AMI certified, rather than schools with
> insufficiently trained personnel which don't meet these standards but
have
> some Montessori materials as has been the case in Minneapolis for years.
> -Their Open School is truly a fully cross-age, small learning community
in
> which students, teachers and and parents direct the course of a
student's
> education together, unlike the excuses for Open programs in this city.
>
> Why are bans against gang symbols enforced unevenly, with Jewish
students
> being prohibited from wearing stars of David while others can wear
crosses
> (symbol of the Disciples gang) at any time without question?
>
> Why are alternative contracted settings for preschool special education
> jealously guarded by Minneapolis' Administration, which attempt to deny
> parents the opportunity for their children unless legal action is
> threatened? Minneapolis, at the time I fought this battle, had NO
inclusion
> settings at all for children who had not fully accomplished potty
training,
> which many children with physical anomalies do not do on schedule.
Their
> "one size fits all" answer was to place all children in
"multi-handicapped"
> classes with extremely low expectations, essentially throwing the Baby
out
> with the Bathwater and dooming him to low expectaations forever.
>
> Why does Saint Paul seem to find the resources to serve those students
who
> are both gifted and have learning differences (twice exceptional) while
the
> pattern in Minneapolis is to deny them gifted programs if they don't
"test
> well" and deny extra help if they are capable of passing without,
> regardless of their potential?
>
> Why did Minneapolis unilaterally disband its Special Ed Advisory
Council,
> appointing in its place a group of parents who had never been trained in
> advocacy, who were not knowledgable about special education or the law?
>
> How did MInneapolis choose which parents to survey about why they had
opted
> out of the District, and did they do so simply to omit some of us who
> volunteered and had lots of reasons why we chose to do so, which had
nothing
> to do with the suburbs, stereotypes, the settlement reached in the NAACP
> lawsuit, or related issues?
>
> You will note that at no time in my questioning have I EVER used
suburban
> schools as a comparison point. I don't and never have believed them to
be
> inherently better than urban schools with their greater diversity.
>
> Jane Strauss
> Longfellow Neighborhood
>
>
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>
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