Author Archives: Eric Celeste

Help us spread the Crosswinds word!

Many families met yesterday with Perpich Director Sue Mackert at Crosswinds. She shared the good news that Crosswinds will be open in the Fall and that it looks like Crosswinds is now on course to be open far beyond next year. You can listen to audio of the Q&A with Sue (please forgive the abrupt start, I missed the first minute or so since I forgot to set up the recorder). The feeling in the room was very positive, and many families registered their students to return to Crosswinds during the meeting. Please make sure you register to return too, if you have a Crosswinds student!

Meanwhile, EMID Families is planning a marketing push to make sure we let everyone know that Crosswinds is here and welcoming enrollment. We are making postcards to hand out, yard signs for our lawns, and magnets to give to kids, teachers, and legislators. This material should all be available next week and has been made possible by generous donations from families like yours.

When you get the postcards, please hang them in neighborhood places like groceries, libraries, and community centers. We need to get the word out! If you would be interested in a lawn sign, please let us know. And keep an eye out for the small magnet coming home with your Crosswinds student.

Here’s what the postcard will look like…

Explore Crosswinds

And here is a version of just the back side that can be used in other settings to advertise the school…

Consider crosswinds

Finally, make your own copies! This version is single sided, black and white, without any bleed; in other words, it is really easy and cheap to copy. You can print this PDF at any copy shop and ask them to cut it in quarters. Go for it! Hand it out everywhere!

Explore Crosswinds Handout

More to come on the lawn signs once they are ready.

Crosswinds families meet Perpich on Sunday

With the approval of the Perpich contract to manage Crosswinds, many Crosswinds families are wondering what is in store for next year. EMID Families will host a meeting with Perpich director Sue Mackert at Crosswinds, 2pm Sunday (7/14). This will be a chance for Perpich to tell us what they need from us in the coming weeks to make next year a success, and a chance for Crosswinds families to ask Perpich about its plans for the coming year. Please join us if you can!

Harambee 5th graders can choose Harambee or Crosswinds for 6th grade

The EMID Board has decided to leave both Harambee (under Roseville management) and Crosswinds (under Perpich management) open next year, and Roseville plans to expand Harambee to include 6th grade next year.

This means Harambee 5th graders will now have a choice of Crosswinds or Harambee for 6th grade next year. If you have a Harambee 5th grader, please make sure to let Principal Kathy Griebel know whether you plan to stay at Harambee or move on to Crosswinds as soon as you can, so that Roseville and Perpich can plan for the appropriate class sizes.

For those of you who have been around EMID for a while, this will have a familiar ring to it. For a few years both Harambee and Crosswinds offered sixth grade. Now they will both have sixth grade again.

Crosswinds will stay OPEN!

The EMID Board voted to keep the Crosswinds School open next year under the management of the Perpich Center for Arts Education. Since the legislature did not authorize conveyance of the building, this required EMID to reverse its earlier closure of the school and enter into a management agreement with Perpich. This is very exciting news since it means that all students are welcome to attend Crosswinds next year!

Since we are sure that many families have many questions about this development, EMID Families has invited Perpich to join us for a meeting at Crosswinds this coming Sunday (7/14) at 2pm. The short version of (most of) the answers is “it will work like it has worked in the past,” but Perpich is very interested in answering your question and making it possible for everyone who wants to stay at Crosswinds to do so. Please join us Sunday to learn about next steps.

The testimony from both families and the board tonight was very moving. We recorded it and the audio and video should be available tomorrow. Please check our wp.clst.org/emidfamilies website for an update with pointers to these recordings. Meanwhile, read the stories in the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune.

Crosswinds will be OPEN next year!

Update: we now have video of the whole board meeting available on YouTube.

On 10 July 2013 the East Metro Integration District Joint Powers Board questions Sue Mackert of the Perpich Center for Arts Education about a management contract for the Crosswinds Arts & Science School, hears public testimony in favor of the plan, and votes to approve it. Crosswinds is an inter-district integration, arts, and science magnet school which will now continue to provide services to families in “east metro” of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

EMID Board Work Session

  • Sue Mackert presents answers to questions prepared by the EMID Board (0:00:13)
  • Q&A between the board and Perpich representatives (0:42:08)

(this video includes the seven minute break between the work session and the special meeting of the board)

EMID Board Special Meeting

  • Eric Celeste, parent (2:09:48)
  • Jocelyn Stein, parent (2:15:56)
  • Bev Sellie, parent (2:17:46)
  • Holly Ingersoll, parent (2:19:06)
  • Thomas Boguszewski, alumn (2:25:25)
  • Anna Barker, teacher (2:28:30)
  • Carrie Dickson, parent (2:32:48)
  • Kim Zaiman, parent (2:38:08)
  • Susan Larson, parent and Perpich board member (2:41:45)
  • Tami Bayne-Kuczmarski, parent (2:43:30)
  • JoAnn Ward, state representative (2:46:21)
  • Bill Droessler, parent (2:48:59)
  • Discussion of approving the extension of the closure of Crosswinds to the end of the 2013-2014 school year (2:51:35)
  • Roll call on extension (2:56:12)
  • Discussion of approval of the Perpich contract for Crosswinds (2:57:18)
  • Lori Swanson, White Bear Lake (3:00:48)
  • Cindy Nordstrom, Inver Grove Heights (3:04:51)
  • Kitty Gogins, Roseville (3:06:34)
  • Amy Williams, South St. Paul (3:07:48)
  • Marilyn Forsberg, Spring Lake Park (3:09:18)
  • Jim Gelbmann, South Washington County (3:10:24)
  • Karen Morehead, Forest Lake (3:18:25)
  • Byron Schwab, West St. Paul (3:19:10)
  • Roll call on Perpich contract (3:20:00)
  • Other business (3:21:16)
  • Board forum (3:24:10)
  • Goodbye to Mary Ojile (3:28:30)

EMID Board meets tonight at Crosswinds to decide about Perpich contract

Perpich will present a management contract to keep Crosswinds open next year to the EMID Board this evening. This meeting of the board will be at Crosswinds. The board will interview Perpich about its proposal during a work session starting at 5:30pm. The regular board meeting will start with a public forum at 6:30pm and then feature a decision by the board about whether to allow the Perpich contract.

This is our last chance to keep Crosswinds open for the 2013-2014 school year. Over 260 signatures were gathered on a petition to ask the board to allow Perpich management of the school. Many current Crosswinds families indicated that they are eager to stay for next year, even if Crosswinds has to be rebuilt by Perpich. Tonight will tell.

House Education Committee Meets at Crosswinds

The Minnesota House Education Policy Committee held a hearing on integration policy at Crosswinds yesterday, 9 July 2013. The hearing included:

  • Lisa Larson on MN law with regard to bonding of Crosswinds (0:15:40)
  • Myron Orfield describing the history of segregation, integration, and re-segregation in Minnesota (0:25:10)
  • Bryan Bass describing the program at Crosswinds (1:06:35)
  • Parents Tami Bayne-Kuczmarski and Kelly DeBrine with students Juan Jimenez, Sam Larson, and Nate Celeste testifying to the effectiveness of Crosswinds (1:26:08)
  • Kathy Griebel describing the program at Harambee (1:46:12)
  • Jocelyn Stein testifying to effectiveness of Harambee and Crosswinds (1:50:25)
  • Bruce Hagerty providing background about the EMID Board (2:11:50)
  • Shari Thompson sharing financial background about EMID (2:24:30)
  • Janet Mohr thanking the committee for its consideration (2:32:43)
  • Some final remarks by legislators (2:43:39)

A big thank you to Committee Chair Carlos Mariani Rosa for selecting Crosswinds as the site for this important hearing.

Video of the hearing is available on YouTube. Slides from some of the presenters are included below.

Slide from Lisa Larson:

Slides from Myron Orfield:

Slides from Shari Thompson:

EMID Families Sends Petition to the Board

Thank you to all who participated in the EMID Families petition to the board over the past several weeks. We collected 269 signatures on a petition that asks the board to approve a management plan with Perpich:

The East Metro Integration District (EMID) is considering a management agreement with the Perpich Center for Arts Education to allow the Crosswinds Arts & Science School to stay open for the next school year. We petition the EMID school board to:

Allow Crosswinds to remain open under Perpich leadership beginning in the 2013–2014 school year.

We also took this opportunity to survey those of you with students at Crosswinds, and 87% of those who responded to that survey said they planned to stay at Crosswinds if Perpich was allowed to manage the school next year!

A report with the full results is available on our petition page.

Please don’t forget this is a big week for Crosswinds. We need families to come to these events and demonstrate that we stand with Crosswinds. Join us for as many of these events as possible, all of them will be held at Crosswinds:

  • Tuesday, 7/9: House Education Policy Hearing on Integration at 11am.
  • Wednesday, 7/10: Special EMID Board Meeting to consider Perpich management of Crosswinds at 5:30pm.
  • Thursday, 7/11: Crosswinds Carnival!

A Big Week for Crosswinds!

Next week will be a big week for Crosswinds, there are three events that are very important for our community and we hope you can join us at as many as possible!

Tuesday, 7/9: House Education Policy Hearing at 11am.

The House Education Policy Committee will hold a hearing at Crosswinds about integration policy for Minnesota from 11am-2pm on Tuesday. This will be a chance for this committee to hear about the successes and failures of integration policy here in EMID and at Crosswinds. It is very unusual for a legislative committee to meet like this outside the legislative session and we are incredibly privileged that Chair Carlos Mariani has decided to make Crosswinds the venue for this important hearing. Testimony will include U of M law professor Myron Orfield, former EMID board chair Bruce Hagerty, our own Bryan Bass, and many others including students, parents, and teachers.

Wednesday, 7/10: Special EMID Board Meeting to consider Crosswinds at 5:30pm.

The EMID Board will hold a special July board meeting on Wednesday to consider a proposal from the Perpich Center for Arts Education to manage the Crosswinds program next school year. This would require that the EMID Board leave Crosswinds open, as they decided to do for Harambee, and contract with Perpich to run the school, similar to the contract they agreed to a few weeks ago for Roseville to run Harambee. This is a last chance to keep Crosswinds open next year. The board will have a work session at 5:30pm and start its regular meeting at 6:30pm. Public testimony is welcome at the start of the regular board meeting.

Thursday, 7/11: Crosswinds Carnival!

The Crosswinds Carnival will be a great chance to spend time with the whole Crosswinds community on Thursday! For students the fun will start at 2pm, but everyone is welcome to join in after school from 4-7pm. Please make sure your student has a signed permission slip allowing them to stay after school that afternoon if you plan to join us or to pick them up later.

Harambee Looking Good for Fall

The EMID Board met yesterday and approved a plan by Roseville to operate the Harambee school next year. Because of the legislature’s failure to act earlier this year, the EMID board decided to delay its closure of the school until 2014, keep the school open, but hand all operational responsibility over to Roseville. The net effect for families should be that Harambee will pretty much feel as it always has. For the most part the staff won’t change (though they will become employees of Roseville), transportation will continue to be provided, and the year-round schedule will continue. Kathy Griebel plans to continue as principal. See 0:34:55 in the video of the meeting below for the Harambee discussion with Roseville Superintendent John Thein.

The situation for Crosswinds will be addressed at a special board meeting next month (7/10, 5:30pm at Crosswinds). While some board members asked that the meeting include options for both Perpich and South Washington County to take over Crosswinds, one board member reminded them that they had received a copy of an email from 833 Superintendent Keith Jacobus stating that South Washington County had no interest in running an integration program at Crosswinds next year. Since an integration program is the only option allowed to Crosswinds without legislation, EMID Superintendent Janet Mohr confirmed that only Perpich was preparing a plan to run the school in the Fall. That plan will be presented and discussed in July. See 1:55:30 in the video of the meeting below for the questions the board raised when considering calling the special meeting.

Video of the entire meeting is available on YouTube and includes many items not discussed in these notes.

EMID Superintendent Resigning

The EMID Board meets again on Wednesday 6/19, 5:30pm at Harambee.

The packet for next week’s EMID Board meeting held a surprise for those reading closely: EMID Superintendent Janet Mohr is leaving us to become the Executive Director of the Board of School Administrators on 8/1. Even though she will have served for less than 18 months, she is actually the longest serving superintendent EMID has had since Carl Wahlstrom left the position in the summer of 2010. Since then we had Brenda Cassellius for six months, Jerry Robicheau as an interim for one year, and now Jan is leaving after a brief stay. This highlights the chaotic nature of EMID governance, if nothing else (note WMEP has been in the news lately as well). More about Jan’s departure can be read on page 38 of the packet.

The EMID board plans to consider Roseville’s proposal for Harambee at the meeting next week. However, the agenda does not include a discussion of Crosswinds and Perpich. Instead, the board plans (see page 41 of the packet) a “special board meeting” on 7/10. This special meeting will include consideration to amend the resolution closing Crosswinds and consideration of a management agreement for Crosswinds.

If you have not already done so, please sign our EMID Families petition asking the board to allow Crosswinds to stay open under Perpich leadership next year!

This means the week after July 4th will be a very busy week for Crosswinds. We are anticipating a hearing of the House Education Policy Committee on 7/9, a meeting of the board on 7/10, and the Crosswinds carnival on 7/11. Stay tuned!