Mpls. School Board Approves New Comprehensive District Plan Despite Outcry From Community
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minneapolis School Board approved a new comprehensive district design despite an outcry from some in the community.
The vote was 6-to-3 in favor of the comprehensive district design developed by superintendent Ed Graff and his staff.
"The vote by the school board is really a culmination, or really three years of work, that had just one primary goal and that's to design a system to create conditions for every student no matter their zip code to receive a well-rounded education," Graff said.
The plan calls to move magnet programs to the center of the city to Bethune, Hall Elementary and Franklin Middle Schools.
North High will become a tech center featuring career training classes in coding, robotics and engineering.
The move will reduce transportation cost by $7 million.
Superintendent Ed Graff says the CDD will increase academic achievement for students of color, increase growth and proficiency in math and literature.
"Implementation begins over the next two to three years and what will really make the difference in the district's ability to provide a well-rounded education of all of our students," Graff said.
"At a time like this we are so focused on trying to meet our students needs especially right now we are so far away from them to have this move forward felt so offensive," said second grade teacher Greta Callahan.
Callahan says despite outcry from parents and community members last week the board still voted for drastic changes during a pandemic.
Even more upsetting -- teachers, who will implement the change, did not take part in developing the new plan.
"To see us dismissed time and time again especially right now when we are asking for a delay as we need to put our energy towards our students we still don't know what distance learning will look like for the rest of this school year and will it continue into the fall," Callahan said.
The board admitted to suspending its own policies and rules to get the CDD passed.
The district has developed the metrics for each portion of the plan that will be laid out at a board meeting later this month.