With enrollment growing, MPS plans to reopen and renovate schools

Cooper, Seward, Hiawatha, Roosevelt, Howe, Sanford and Longfellow among those affected in Area B

by Tesha M. Christensen

When it comes to the wide spread changes being proposed within the Minneapolis School District, residents don’t think they are getting enough information.

Concerned parents, teachers, school staff, and community members packed into the gymnasium at Northrup Elementary School on Thursday night, Oct. 10 during the Area B meeting to learn about the school’s five-year enrollment plan.

The changes in the plan will affect one of every four students.

A PLAN TO HANDLE ENROLMENT GROWTH

“Our enrollment is going to grow,” remarked school board member Kim Ellison.

This year marks the third year that Minneapolis Public School enrollment has grown, and projections through 2017 show that it will continue to grow, with an estimated 905 new students in Area B.

This new plan seeks to accommodate that growth, while also aiming to increase the share of students who attend Minneapolis Public Schools by 10%. Right now, an estimated 38% of Minneapolis students attend charter or suburban schools.

Ellison believes that because the majority of charter schools are not high-performing schools, families are returning to Minneapolis Public Schools.

Area B Associate Principal Stephen Flisk noted that with this plan, the district will provide seven new schools of choice and two new community schools.

In all, the district will provide 1,500 new community school seats and 2,275 new seats of choice.

The early childhood education program that recently moved to Hiawatha is one of two that will be expanded.

Seward Montessori School will grow by 9 classrooms, as the district seeks to support a successful program there, according to Flisk. “It is important to note that we explored a variety of options,” said Flisk, including a dual campus and a reduction of students. After study, district representatives felt that the least disruptive option for families was to add onto the building.

“Our intent is not to dismantle programs, but to build them,” said Flisk.

Cooper will be re-opened as a K-8 school. Flisk attributed the increased enrollment in this area to housing growth near the lightrail.

Howe and Sanford middle schools will share space and programs, if needed, according to Flisk.

Roosevelt will add a Spanish immersion program. Emerson, Windom and Sheridan will feed to Anwatin Middle/Roosevelt High School. “It’s a very exciting program for us,” said Ben Chiri of Roosevelt High School. A marketing plan is being created to pull in more students to Roosevelt, which currently has 850 compared to South’s 1,780.

WHAT’S THE COST?

Over the next four years, the district will pour $6.3 million into Area B for program costs, out of a total of $54 million.

It will spend $30 million to build additions at Seward and Cooper. Throughout the district, $100 million will go towards building renovations and additions. (The cost for modifying Longfellow and the Brown Building at 2225 Lake St. are lumped into the larger district total, rather than into Area B as the programs serve the entire school district.)

The majority of the cost falls over the 2015-2016 school year, coinciding with the major building projects.

 “Where is the money going to come from?” asked Steve Nichols, whose children attend Northrup and South High. “We backed passing the levy and what that got us was fancy offices for administrators.”

COMMUNITY INPUT

Attendees at the Oct. 10 meeting asked for more details on the proposed changes, and had questions about funding. Several questioned whether the district’s plans were equitable throughout Areas A, B and C.

“We want to know what’s going to happen to the schools you didn’t bring up,” said Nichols.

The recommendation to establish a district-wide performing arts high school at Wilder generated many comments from people concerned about how it would affect South High.

“South has a great arts program already,” observed Carmen Schluter. “Why not put the money into South and make it great? Why not have an excellent school to support our students on this end of the city?”

School board member Kim Ellison has heard many concerns regarding the proposed arts school. She pointed out that the district does lose students to the other arts high schools in the area, such as Perpich and the one in St. Paul. She thinks that arts high schools attract students who have been involved in arts in their earlier years. At regular high schools, many students are just starting to get involved in the arts in ninth grade.

PRELIMINARY PLAN

Flisk stressed that the plan presented is preliminary. “We are looking for your voice and input in this,” Flisk stated.

The district held several meetings in October to solicit community input, and created a specific email address for comments and questions (enrollmentplan@mpls.k12.mn.us). The school board plans to vote on the plan Nov. 12.

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PULL-OUT QUOTE

“Where is the money going to come from? We backed passing the levy and what that got us was fancy offices for administrators.” Steve Nichols

“We are looking for your voice and input in this.” Stephen Flisk

SIDEBAR

AREA B CHANGES

• Addition with 9 new classrooms at Seward Montesorri. Work slated for 2015-2016.

• Building addition and renovation at Cooper in the 2016-2017 school year.

• Broadway teen mother program to move out of Longfellow School to North High for the 2015-2016 school year.

• Early childhood program expansion at Hiawatha and Wilder

• Howe and Sanford to share middle school programs and space

• Building addition and renovation at Cooper

• New-to-country Accelerated Bilingual Academic Development Center at Sullivan

• Spanish Dual Immersion program at Roosevelt next year.

• Relocation of Transition Plus program for older special education students to Brown Building at 2225 Lake St. and at Longfellow. Rennovation planned for both facilities.

• Co-location of Adult Basic Education through community partnerships to make more room in the Brown Building (2225 Lake St.) for other programs. Rennovation planned.

• Audition-based performing arts high school at Wilder. Building renovation planned.