Category Archives: Crosswinds

Pioneer Press: Crosswinds school will know its fate soon

Christopher Magan wrote a story for the Pioneer Press: Crosswinds school will know its fate soon. It is a terrific summary of the current situation and the decision the board faces this coming week.

“Certainly for families, this was a light we were excited to see shine,” Crosswinds Principal Bryan Bass said of Perpich’s proposal. “These parents searched for a place to call home. and to hear and know it could be in jeopardy is an awful feeling.”

Crosswinds families have coalesced behind the Perpich proposal, but it is far from a sure thing. They need to persuade lawmakers to give Perpich the authority to govern their school, then designate a source of money to operate it.

The story also includes some wonderful pictures like this one!

Bulletin: Curriculum key for Crosswinds backers

Amber Kispert-Smith writes in the Woodbury Bulletin: Curriculum key for Crosswinds backers. The article describes the hearing at Crosswinds and the choice facing the EMID Board.

The EMID School will review proposals during its Jan. 16 meeting before making a final decision at its Jan. 23 meeting.

“I do not envy you at all,” said Crosswinds special education teacher Jeff Parker. “I’m not here to change your mind, but I am going to push on your mindset – it’s not wise to spend energy fighting the change, but it is wise to spend energy shaping that change.

“I don’t believe that school closure is a term that I want to hear anymore because that is a mindset of decay; I want to shift our mindset to a more preservation mindset – turn away from closing and turn toward preserving the program. I don’t believe this is the end, it does not need to be the end.”

Transcript of Crosswinds Hearing

A number of you have been awaiting the transcript of the public hearing last week at Crosswinds and Harambee. EMID just put the Crosswinds transcript on their website (PDF).

Hearing Re The Proposed Closing of Crosswinds Arts & Science School, Public

Contents:

George Hoeppner Opens the meeting / 5
Shari Thompson presentation / 6
Jan Mohr presentation / 17
Dan Larson, parent / 21
Fred LeBlanc, parent / 23
Abby LeBlanc, student / 25
Kim Zaiman, parent / 26
Kathy Romero, teacher / 28
Jonah and Dalton Thomas, former students / 31
Leslye Taylor, parent / 34
Laurel LeBlanc, parent / 35
Ihsan Ingersoll, student / 37
Holly Ingersoll, parent / 38
Dave Bishop, parent / 41
Jeff Parker, teacher / 43
Bev Sellie, parent / 45
Kayleigh Schlenker, student / 47
Tim Stepan, teacher, union president / 49
Dan Stein, student / 52
Josh Kenow, student / 53
Casey Markovich, student / 54
Jill Markovich, parent / 54
Zander Danielson Sellie, former student / 56
Cornelius Rish, teacher / 59
Savannah Taylor, student / 61
Kelly DeBrine, parent / 63
Eric Celeste, parent / 64
Mike Boguszewski, parent / 68
Leah Bourg, teacher / 71
Amanda Hoffman and Madison Linke, students / 73
Susan Larson, parent / 76
Denise Dzik, teacher / 77
Rose Vang, student / 80
Anna Barker, teacher / 81
Shannon Hannigan, parent / 83
Tami Bayne-Kuczmarski, parent / 85
Yolanda Rivera, parent / 87
Jan Mohr, proposed findings / 88

EMID Board Discusses Perpich Option

Tonight the EMID Board spent most of it’s discussion time talking about the option to have the Perpich Center for Arts Education take over governance of Crosswinds. The board also heard briefly from the two other interested entities: South Washington County Schools (ISD 833) and Northeast Metro (ISD 916).

Once again, Perpich was the only one of the three enthusiastically embracing the July 2013 deadline originally proposed by the board. Perpich wants to take over Crosswinds starting next school year, keeping most of the program and staff intact. 916 said that they would certainly not continue the current Crosswinds program and would also not be ready to move into the building this fall. South Washington still prefers to have more planning time, but said that the would “do our darndest” to open the building in the fall if they were given clear indication that it was theirs by April 1st.

The board spent quite a bit of time interviewing Perpich Executive Director Sue Mackert about Perpich’s intentions and the legislative process Perpich must go through to acquire the authority and funding it needs to proceed. Mackert said that Perpich had already made appointments with various state agencies and was ready to contact legislators on January 24 if the EMID board decides to give Perpich that chance next Wednesday.

Superintendent Mohr described an option to give Perpich the first go at governance of Crosswinds while also giving South Washington an option to govern should Perpich not get legislative support. This would mean that the EMID board would not have to vote again to transfer governance to South Washington if Perpich runs into a road block at the Capitol.

However, some board members were hesitant about the risks involved in that plan. They noted that the legislative process might scuttle the Perpich proposal as late as May or June, well after South Washington’s April 1st deadline for planning anything for the 2013/2014 school year. This might leave EMID in the position of owning the Crosswinds building without any program to put in it since the school would already be closed. Mackert pointed out that she would probably get some early indications of such a failure at the legislature and would be very open about sharing the state of affairs with EMID and South Washington. She thought Perpich should have a pretty good read on the legislative progress by the end of March.

The board will move this matter to a vote at next week’s EMID board meeting, Wednesday 1/23, 5:30pm at Harambee. The public forum at the start of that meeting will be the last chance to be heard on this matter, so please come to the meeting and share what you have to say with the board.

We have video of key portions of this meeting (just click on “next” to see more videos below).

We also audio recorded this evening’s meeting, available as this MP3 file. Highlights include:

00:18:00 Jim Gelbmann asks what would happen to Crosswinds if the board conveys the building to Perpich and Perpich fails to get authority and funding.
00:42:45 to 01:05:00 an extended Q&A with Sue Mackert of Perpich.
01:54:00 to 01:10:15 a brief set of questions for the 916 representative.
01:10:30 to 01:13:30 a brief exchange with the 833 representative.
01:15:00 a discussion of the risks of the Perpich proposal.

Perpich answers Crosswinds families questions

About forty people attended an extended question and answer session with Sue Mackert last night at Crosswinds. In the notes below times in [brackets] are times in the audio recording included at the end of this post. Sue is the Executive Director of the Perpich Center for Arts Education, which has made a proposal to take over Crosswinds.

Superintendent Mohr began with a few general introductory statements. She announced this week’s EMID board discussion meeting (Wednesday 1/16, 6pm, Harambee) and next week’s EMID board decision-making meeting (Wednesday 1/23, 5:30pm, Harambee). Public comment will only be invited at next week’s meeting.

Sue Mackert then made some comments [04:20] and began answering questions. “The only reason we are here is because you have all — family, staff, and students — built a wonderful wonderful program.” She stressed that Perpich wants to keep the school functioning “as is.” Perpich is a state agency, so there would be some “normal changes” that would be required, including work with the legislature to get authority and funding to run Crosswinds [09:00]. Perpich wants to be prepared to step in July 1, as the EMID board requested initially.

Would you change the makeup of the school? [10:00] Perpich intends to maintain 6-10 program at Crosswinds.

Would you keep maintenance and nutrition staff, teachers? [10:30] Yes, yes, yes. This is not an unfriendly takeover. What we have is special and Perpich will not “muck with it.”

Sue described the budget request process [11:00]. Don’t expect Crosswinds in the initial Governor’s budget. A special bill for Crosswinds would only emerge after an EMID board decision on 1/23. First deadline for bills is in March.

What is the Perpich experience working with the legislature? [12:40] Perpich has been working with the legislature for over 27 years. Perpich has done quite well because it is efficient and good at what it does. Sue feels it is appropriate to be accountable to the legislature and respond to legislator questions. “I always approach the legislature with a level of optimism.” Also working with Governor and his staff, Department of Education, and other agencies.

Will you still pull students from same districts that are currently at Crosswinds? [15:10] Yes, for the most part, though Perpich would not restrict attendance to only those districts.

Transportation? [15:55] Transportation is still “up in the air” since the due diligence work awaits the 1/23 EMID board decision.

Proportion of Saint Paul students? [16:30] Perpich is not tied to the same school districts and parent and guardian choice would drive student attendance, but the expectation is it would be similar to current attendance.

Would current students have to reapply? [17:20] No, no reapplication necessary to stay at Crosswinds.

11th and 12th grade? [17:50] Such an expansion for Crosswinds is not on the immediate horizon. Such changes would be part of a future planning process. But first goal is to stabilize and consistency. Perpich has no preconceived ideas, it wants to keep the school successful.

Year-round? [19:05] Yes, it will remain year-round.

Special education services? [19:10] Absolutely, these services would be present.

Who determines whether Perpich or one of the other two proposals will get to move ahead? [19:20] The EMID board will determine which proposal to move ahead. Perpich’s role would start after 1/23 when the board has made its decision.

Why does the educational budget take till May or June to resolve and what part can families play in that process? [21:00] “It is the largest pot of money and it is difficult.” Perpich intends to have a bill separate from the big education bill, so it might emerge sooner. But it is complex.

What are key messages for our own legislators, when should we call? [22:30] We will want letters and contact with your legislators. The first call Sue will make after the 23rd will be to the Governor’s office. “Then you will see me again and again and again.” Perpich currently has a 2/14 day to “take love to the Capitol.”

What is the Perpich board and will it oversee Crosswinds too? [24:30] PCAE is governed by a board appointed by the governor. They are the governing body for Perpich. They would be the governing body for Crosswinds. There would probably be an advisory committee to work with family and staff as well.

Enrollment is an issue, will your board work with us to help develop enrollment? [26:25] Yes, Perpich board will work to help staff develop a plan. But Sue said she was not “overly concerned in the beginning about enrollment” given the uncertainty of the past few years and next few months. But we will rebuild.

Is it important to have a “Plan B” as parents and staff? [28:00] Having a Plan B is solid advice. However, Sue thinks she will know before May if it won’t work out and she will let us know. “But I expect good things.”

Registration in February and bussing? [29:25] If you need to register in Saint Paul or elsewhere in February, go ahead and register so you have a Plan B. The bussing question will be addressed after 1/23. Our bill in the legislature would include what is required for the full program at Crosswinds.

Will the name stay “Crosswinds?” [30:30] Yes. The name is part of the value and identity.

Might Perpich run out of money after getting this started, have other state agencies failed as they worked on educational facilities? [31:20] Three sets of state agency schools: academies for deaf and blind, correctional institutions, and Perpich. Sue stresses that neither she nor Governor would support a takeover of Crosswinds on a short term basis. The funding is critical to success.

Would Perpich bring more after-school programming back? [34:50] Not sure yet, not sure what the current budget supports.

Would we bring back the seven period day? [35:35] It gets a little ahead of ourselves to consider these changes now.

Where is the Perpich Arts High School? [36:30] In Golden Valley, on the site of an old Lutheran College.

Does a change in Governor turnover the Perpich board? [37:30] Appointments to the board are staggered, so it never turns over all at once. Perpich also has the opportunity to advise the Governor on appointments.

Could Perpich get governance but not funding? [38:30] There is a possibility that the EMID board could give Perpich a green light but the legislature not provide authority and funding. Superintendent Mohr said this was an issue for the EMID board. This would impact decisions for staff and families. There is “an unsureity” said Mohr.

When will we know for sure, one way or the other? [41:00] The board deliberates on 1/16, makes its decision on 1/23. Two decisions, one on school closure, then another decision on transfer of governance.

[42:18] A point is made about families role in communicating our desires to the EMID board. Families must be clear about our tolerance for uncertainty in pursuing the Perpich option. Stress that our board could allow the Perpich option and if it fails, turn the facility over to one of the other proposals.

Have all member districts been informed of all proposals? [44:20] A student relates an experience with a superintendent that indicates they may not be fully aware of the extent of the Perpich proposal. Mohr describes a special meeting with superintendents and business managers.

Public comment at board meetings? [46:00] No public comment on 1/16, but there will be a public forum on 1/23 at 5:30pm at Harambee.

If Perpich does not get funding would EMID board fund the takeover? [47:20] Probably would not fit within the guidelines of the joint powers agreement. Also, the board will have already voted to close the schools before they vote on governance.

[48:30] A teacher makes a plea to keep the Harambee and Crosswinds closures in sync so that employee rights are preserved.

Would the EMID maintenance reserve transfer to Perpich (or Roseville)? [49:20] This maintenance money would be transferred to member districts under the joint powers agreement.

What kind of offers will be made for teacher positions? [51:20] Perpich intends to keep the staffing the same. It is normal during a takeover for people to reapply for their positions. There is a legal process that will have to take place, but the intent is to make this a smooth transition that protects employees.

How did it happen that the Arts High School was set up as 11th and 12th grade? [53:10] This was a compromise that came about partly due to the housing situation at the high school. Perpich actually also has authority for a 13th year, though that has not been used yet.

What would the relationship between 6-10 Crosswinds and 11-12 Arts High School be? [55:10] The synergies are very strong between the programs. Arts and science, global initiatives, and a commitment to profession development for teachers are all common opportunities. Each will have its own integrity, but there will also be some potential for collaboration between the two.

[57:20] Student points out some of the current Perpich involvement with Crosswinds students and events.

[58:20] Sue wraps up with: “This is tough on everyone. I am sorry that you are in this position. I am proud the EMID board is going to do something about it. Just continue to support one another through all of this. Thank you very very much.”

The times in [brackets] above refer to this MP3 audio recording of the question/answer session.

Testimony at Crosswinds: Transition to Perpich, Meeting Monday 1/14

The testimony tonight at Crosswinds was extraordinary. 36 students, parents, and teachers testified to the EMID Board and every single one called on the EMID board to withdraw governance from the school. Nearly every testimony also indicated strong support for a transition of governance to the Perpich Center for Arts Education. The testimony was beautiful, powerful, and heartfelt; it was also being recorded and we will try to share it as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, an important announcement was made at the hearing: representatives from the Perpich Center will be at Crosswinds next Monday evening, 1/14 at 6:30pm to talk with families and answer questions about their proposal. (They will be available to teachers that same morning.) Given how much support there was for a transition to Perpich governance of Crosswinds, this will be a great opportunity to both learn what Crosswinds under Perpich may be like and how we can help bring this future to reality.

A special meeting of the EMID Board to discuss the options before them will also take place on Wednesday evening, January 16, at Harambee. The decision-making meeting of the board remains on Wednesday January 23 at 5:30pm at Harambee.

So, upcoming meetings include:

the Harambee “closure” hearing tomorrow, Thursday January 10, 6:30pm at Harambee
the Perpich Q&A session for families Monday January 14, 6:30pm at Crosswinds
a special EMID Board meeting on Wednesday January 16, 6pm at Harambee
the next regular EMID Board meeting, at which they intend to vote on the fate of the schools, on Wednesday January 23, 5:30pm at Harambee

EMID school closure hearings Wednesday and Thursday

The EMID Board hearing on closing Crosswinds will be this Wednesday at 6:30pm at Crosswinds. The hearing on closing Harambee will be this Thursday at 6:30pm at Harambee. The public is welcome to testify at either or both hearings. Some folks who wish to share the themes of their testimony and get feedback ahead of the hearings will be gathering at 5:30pm at each location, so feel free to show up early if you wish.

You may also wish to write down and share your testimony with the board (their addresses are available on the EMID Families website) or other families (just send a copy to info@emidfamilies.org).

According to board chair George Hoeppner, both hearings will follow a similar format. Superintendent Janet Mohr and Finance Officer Shari Thompson will present information related to the reason we are at the current point. After their initial comments,
there will be opportunity for public testimony.

Public testimony will follow the structure of the open forum at a board meetings. There will be a five minute limit for each speaker.

Mohr and Thompson will then speak a second time.

The board will not have discussion either of these evenings.

If board members can find an evening to meet before their January 23 board meeting, they will try to refine the criteria for selection and discuss options. That date will be made public if it can be found.

Decisions will be made at the EMID Board meeting on January 23, 5:30pm, at Harambee.

EMID school closure hearings next week

As we learned in a letter from Superintendent Janet Mohr just before the holidays, EMID will hold public hearings on the closure of Harambee and Crosswinds next week.

the Crosswinds hearing will be on Wednesday, January 9 at 6:30pm at Crosswinds
the Harambee hearing will be on Thursday January 10 at 6:30pm at Harambee

These hearings are being called “closure” hearings because for statutory reasons EMID has to “close” the schools in order to hand them off to new management. In fact, we all hope that the schools do stay open under new management, but that is not a certainty.

For Harambee the path forward looks fairly clear. Roseville (ISD 623) has presented a compelling proposal to the EMID board that would keep the school more or less intact, with much of the same staff and program, allowing current students to continue to attend. So for Harambee, “closure” will probably mean “opening next year as a Roseville public school.”

For Crosswinds the path forward is much more complicated. South Washington County (ISD 833) and Northeast Metro (ISD 916) have both made proposals that would essentially close the school as we know it. They would reuse the building for new programs with new staff and new students. However, there is a third proposal from the Perpich Center for Arts Education that would carry Crosswinds as we know it forward with much of the program we know and love and an opportunity for staff who want to stay to keep building a unique and attractive community in the school.

The complexity arises because Perpich is not a traditional public school, it is a stand-alone state agency. As such, it needs to seek legislative authority and funding to take on the management of Crosswinds. This means we cannot know whether Perpich will even be able to take on Crosswinds till the current legislative session is nearly over, in May or June.

The bottom line is that these hearings are very important to the future of our schools. We will walk a fine line of advocating for “closure” (in other words, advocating that EMID withdraw from governing our schools), while also advocating for the continued nourishment and growth of the programs developed at Harambee and Crosswinds by Roseville and Perpich.

If you appreciate the learning environment your families have experienced at Crosswinds and Harambee, it is very important that you share that appreciation with the board at these public hearings. It is very important that the board hear both our support for their decision to withdraw from governance of the schools, but also our expectation that they will work in every way possible to keep our schools open under new management.

In either case, the “closure” will give our teachers an opportunity to apply for jobs in EMID member districts. This means that even if the schools are open under new management next year, there will be significant changes ahead. EMID Families have been through so much over the past few years, it is a lot to ask of you to continue to speak out for these schools. Just know, every voice matters. Thanks for paying attention and sharing your views with the board. If you cannot get to the hearings, please consider writing to the board, their addresses are on our web site.

EMID Families Meeting Sunday, 12/23, 3pm

EMID Families will meet tomorrow, Sunday 12/23, 3-5pm in the meeting room at Caribou Coffee, 3100 White Bear Avenue North, Maplewood.

This meeting will focus on how to support the Perpich option (a.k.a saving Crosswinds as we know it) and on planning for the public hearings on school closure coming up in early January.

At the board meeting this week it became very clear that neither the South Washington (ISD 833) or Northeast Metro (ISD 916) proposals would allow the program at Crosswinds to carry on. Even though the Perpich proposal is in very early stages and would be very difficult to pass (requiring not just our board to approve, but also the Legislature and Governor), it is the only remaining hope for carrying forward the spirit of Crosswinds.

The closure hearings are required of EMID by statute. While we hope the schools will not actually close, from a state perspective EMID is “withdrawing” from the schools. These hearings will be the public’s chance to be heard with regard to this change.

Please join us if you want to help us consider strategy and next steps as we try to save our schools.

EMID Board receives two new proposals for Crosswinds

Last night the EMID Board spent nearly its whole meeting considering proposals for the future of Crosswinds. They heard again from District 833 (South Washington County) as well as hearing new proposals from District 916 (Northeast Metro) and the Perpich Center for Arts Education. The most exciting proposal of the evening was Perpich, so be sure to read more about that below. Superintendent Jan Mohr also shared a “school closing rating scale” to be used to judge the various proposals. It asked that each of these criteria be judged on a scale of 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (highly satisfied):

Proposal represents a political subdivision and meets MMB statues.
Proposal is not a legal or financial risk to EMID.
Proposal accounts for staff and employees in a responsible manner with consideration to contracts and statue.
Proposal’s impact on change to current students and families.
Proposal’s timeline for transfer of governance.
Proposal aligns to vision of EMID.

Superintendent Keith Jacobus returned from District 833 (South Washington County) without any new details for the 833 proposal from last month. He did stress that it was now clear that District 833 could not commit to the “program” of Crosswinds. In other words, while aspects of what Crosswinds does, like year-round education, IB curriculum, arts and science focus, were attractive to South Washington County, these elements, if continued at all, would probably be parceled out among other schools in the district. There would be “no Crosswinds as a school” that holds all of this program together. In other words, 833 is mostly interested in Crosswinds as a building to fill with whatever program it most needs to meet demographic demands. Jacobus also stressed that 833 would be much more comfortable receiving the building in 2014 than 2013, which is when the EMID Board was hoping to hand off the school.

Superintendent Connie Hayes of Northeast Metro 916 Intermediate School District, brought the 916 proposal for governance of Crosswinds before the board (more details in Northeast Metro 916 makes a proposal for Crosswinds). This proposal did not even anticipate using the whole building. 916 would only be able to use half the building and even that they would need to gut and renovate to meet their needs. Given the amount of investigation that needed to go into determining the feasibility of such a renovation and the engagement of a partner for the other half of the building, Hayes also said that 916 would not be able to take control of Crosswinds in 2013 and suggested 2014 as a more reasonable handoff.

The final proposal of the evening came from a team representing the Perpich Center for Arts Education. Pam Paulson, Carlondrea Hines, and Debra Kelley presented Perpich’s proposal to take over Crosswinds to the board. More details are in Perpich Center for Arts Education makes a proposal for Crosswinds and some wonderful insight into the synergy between Perpich and Crosswinds can be found in this public testimony by Dan Larson. Perpich proposes to take on governance of Crosswinds with much of the program, teaching, and student body as it is. They see a great deal of common ground between the Crosswinds mission and methods as they have been, and the goals of the Perpich Center. Some big questions remain (getting approval and funding from the legislature and planning for transportation, for example), it was clear that Perpich is eager and ready to launch an aggressive process to make a takeover possible in 2013. In fact, when repeatedly asked whether a 2014 handoff would be better, the Perpich team responded that they preferred to move fast and accomplish this transition on the original timeline proposed by the EMID Board. If funding realities or EMID made a 2014 transfer necessary, they assured the board that could work as well.

After hearing these proposals, Jim Gelbmann, the EMID Board member from South Washington County, proposed that the EMID Board immediately vote to delay the transfer of Crosswinds to any outside entity until 2014. He felt that by stating immediately that Crosswinds would remain under EMID governance next year the board would be providing assurance to parents and staff that they could count on one more year of stability at Crosswinds. No mention was made of how unstable such “stability” would feel given that two of the three proposals being considered would end the school as we know it. However, the board was reluctant to consider such a drastic change without public input and more chance to understand the impact. After some discussion, Gelbmann withdrew his proposal.

We now have a little breathing space for the holidays, but January will be an extremely busy month. Perpich will be moving to flesh out its plans with meetings with administration, staff, families, legislators, and even the Governor, so keep your eyes peeled for opportunities on that front. But EMID also has to begin to touch some statutory bases in order to make a 2013 handoff of Harambee to Roseville and Crosswinds to whoever possible. This includes:

9 January, a public hearing on the necessity and practicability of closing Crosswinds School.
10 January, a public hearing on the necessity and practicability of closing Harambee School.
23 January, the EMID Board meeting at which they will take action on closing the schools or transferring governance to another body.
23 January, if necessary, begin action to transfer title of the buildings to third parties.
20 February, if EMID ceases school operations at end of 2012/2013, this is the date by which the EMID Board has to officially notify employees.
In March EMID has to take further actions with all teachers with regard to withdrawal and termini nation and tenure.

The language above is pretty scary, with all the talk of “closing.” Clearly EMID is doing what it can to hand off the schools and the situation with Harambee is pretty clear (it will be going to Roseville, more or less intact). But from the state’s perspective even this sort of “transfer” or “withdrawal” is the same as a “closure” with regard to EMID. EMID is getting out of the business of schools. Look for more details about these dates as they approach.