Category Archives: Legislative

Testimony of Dr. Jennifer Marker Johnson to the Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force, 1/10/12

To the Integration task force:

Here is a summary of the statement I gave on Tuesday January 10th. What follows should be bit less emotional than I was during my testimony. (In my defense, I’d just left the funeral of a family member). I thank you for the energy and time spent to help our children.

I was grew up in the St. Paul Public school system in the Midway area from K through 5th grades. I am currently a practicing dentist in the Twin Cities. My husband spent K-12 in the Moundsview school system and now is a professor of physics in the MNSCU system. We understand how important a good education is to a productive life.

The main issue begins with confusion regarding the definition of “integration”. EMID has a unique environment that is not duplicated in the twin city area. The specialized training of the staff in both schools has led to a very interesting byproduct. The schools have moved from basic racial integration to a more expansive definition that includes children from different environments and abilities. There is an expectation of success, with college bound goals for all students.

My son is an example of a child with a unique learning situation. He joined Crosswinds in 7th grade of this year. The year-round option for him is ideal. He has reading issues and has needed moderate support in the past to keep up with his class. He utilizes private tutors and has been approved for targeted services throughout his elementary years to keep on task. The option of a nurturing, year-round school is perfect for him. He will actually get to take smaller breaks throughout the year instead of going from the school year into summer school. The school calendar also provides breaks for his main support system (his parents!!). I’d happily send him to a private school, but his IEP and reading issues make that nearly impossible. I finally feel as if he will be able to learn to his potential at Crosswinds.

At the begining of the year I was hoping for an overall improvement in my son’s grades, understanding of the classes he was taking, and demeanor. Additionally, I was hoping that his IEP needs would stabilize or decrease. I was hopeful that I would notice a change by the end of the year. Instead, the EMID schools integrated methods of teaching have made Austin feel like a normal kid. His reading and learning disabilities have been addressed and are monitored. There has been a confirmation of Dyslexia and we are moving forward. Last year his grades were barely in the “C” range (and he really should have been held back). Half way through the second term he has all A’s and B’s. He is engaging in his classes and tells me that he is smart. He is starting to talk about going to college. You need to look at the CHANGE in scores and grades for these kids. I really think many of these kids are high risk for dropping out or becoming statistics. EMID is helping them see a road that leads to a productive life. I believe the training the integrated teachers receive is critical to the success behind why kids that learn differently are successful in EMID model. Crosswinds has already made him a success. What more can they do in the 3 years he has left? We need to find a way to make the EMID system succeed.

I also ask you to think about why any parent would have their child spend an hour commute if there was any other choice.

Again, thank you for your time.

Testimony of Eric Celeste to the Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force, 1/10/12

Dear members of the task force,

Soon after moving to Minnesota my wife and I discovered the East Metro Integration District. Both our children have attended EMID schools ever since. One is now a college sophomore, the other is in ninth grade at Crosswinds. I have been attending all your meetings and am eager to see the result of your deliberations. Please know that I and other parents care deeply about the work you are doing and believe you have the interests of our children at heart.

The EMID magnet schools are wonderful, but you know that. What you may not know is the degree to which the true innovations of a setting like EMID’s are compromised by the very drive toward standardized testing that lie at the foundation of the focus on the achievement gap. This discussion addresses your third question: historically, what worked and what didn’t work. The statewide testing model fails to accurately measure innovative programs like EMID and does not reflect the growth of students in our program.

EMID runs on a year-round schedule that avoids the regression typical of summers off. Instead, EMID places three week breaks between each quarter. Our kids are never away from school for long, and even during each break (except August) the schools offer “bridge” programs to keep students engaged. However, these breaks throughout the year mean that when the statewide testing window rolls around, our kids have had six weeks fewer educational contact days than other kids. The inflexibility of the testing calendar has forced the district to cut Fall and Winter breaks to only two weeks, eliminate much of the looping multi-age dynamic in our schools, and led to the impression that our schools are worse than others simply because our scores are a bit lower than others. I don’t expect you to resolve this problem, but I do want you to be aware that the data you see does a particularly poor job of reflecting the effectiveness of innovative programs.

Achievement gap data based on these tests often do little to illuminate how individual children learn and grow in a school. Our middle years school, Crosswinds, for example, gets an influx of new students in seventh grade who perform far below their classmates who have been in EMID schools since kindergarten. While our school prides itself on the significant progress these kids make from grade to grade as they move through our program, the achievement gap numbers are based on tests that don’t show this progress because they focus on snapshots of grades, not progress of individuals. Our data is flawed, and our sense of what works is flawed as well.

Integration is about more than simple diversity. Integration is about more than pumping up achievement gap numbers. Integration at the EMID schools does help all students achieve excellence, but it also teaches them to celebrate one another. To enjoy each others company at lunch, during after school activities, and during our bridge programs. The respect our students show for one another as they build a comprehensive, year round learning environment results in skills that our students carry into the world, to college and to the workspace, skills that our multicultural society desperately needs.

My hope and the hope of many EMID families who could not be here today is that you find a way to continue funding the kind of innovative, truly integrated environment that our magnet schools represent. We know it has been working for a decade now. We need your help to provide a similar exciting opportunity to east metro families in the decade to come.

Governor’s Task Force on the Prevention of School Bullying

The Governor is seeking eight people with backgrounds & expertise in health professions, pediatrics, psychology or psychiatry, with expertise or special knowledge of legal policy, or with experience as advocates for students who have been subjected to bullying and with teaching or school administration careers. These eight will be part of a fifteen member task for on the prevention of school bullying.

The task force will examine the state of bullying in Minnesota and to advise the Governor’s Office and Legislature on policies to ensure the safety of all students in Minnesota.

Application forms may be found on the web or may be obtained from the Office of the Secretary of State, Open Appointments, 180 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1299, or in person at Room 180 of the State Office Building.

EMID Community Meeting

On Tuesday, May 24, 7pm EMID Interim Superintendent Jerry Robicheau and members of the EMID School Board will be hosting a meeting to provide EMID families with information about recent legislative activity and its impact on our students and schools. The meeting will be held in the Great Hall of Washington Technology Magnet School (previously Arlington High School) at 1495 Rice Street in Maplewood. For more information call Harambee at 651-379-2500 or Crosswinds at 651-379-2600.

Letter: Revise the current language eliminating integration aid

Honorable Representative Pat Garofalo:

The Minnesota School Integration Council (MSIC) commends the Governor and legislators for making education funding a priority in their respective budgets. Well-prepared students are a long-term investment in the health and stability of our region. Minnesota’s future success is directly linked to our ability to prepare citizens that can thrive in a diverse, global marketplace.

MSIC strongly urges you to revise the current language eliminating integration aid. The proposed changes will have a profoundly negative impact on the children of Minnesota. Eliminating integration aid will severely limit school choice in Minnesota. Integration aid provides transportation to integration programming, including magnet schools, throughout the state. Cuts to the integration program will mean fewer tools and resources to promote college readiness, ensure inclusive curriculum, develop cultural competence, diversify school staff, and strengthen civic engagement. Strong integration policy is a critical component of a larger agenda focused on eliminating disparities and creating educational equity and opportunity for all Minnesotans.

Current integration programming efforts have greatly benefited students and communities. In a qualitative analysis of youth programming and professional development funded by integration revenue, East Metro Integration District students reported gains in academic achievement/skills, work readiness and career exploration, ability to relate across differences, and leadership development. Teachers described improved ability to connect in effective learning relationships with all students and the improved student achievement they saw as a result of better relationships and improved instructional strategies. Benefits of integrated schools and classrooms include both academic and social outcomes. Integrated learning environments more fully prepare all students, including white students, for our increasingly diverse workplace and society. Long-term benefits of integrated education apply to students of all racial/ethnic backgrounds.

MSIC urges you to maintain Minnesota’s commitment to providing integrated and equitable learning opportunities for our students by amending the Desegregation Rule and Integration Revenue Statute. MSIC supports the recommendations from the Statewide Task Force on School Integration. These recommendations promote a focus on results and require greater accountability for uses of integration revenue. It’s time to clarify the outcomes of the program, identify measurable metrics, and distribute resources to meet outcomes. Integration serves as a key structure of opportunity and a foundational element for transforming schools, districts, and communities.

Sincerely,

Kathy Griebel

Letter: Please do not take integration funding away

Senator Koch and Michel,

My name is Kelly Lenz. I am a parent of 2 boy’s that attend Harambee Elementary School, which is part of the East Metro Integration District 6067. We choose to send our boy’s to this school. We made the choose. Why?

We choose Harambee for our boy’s because we feel as parents that our children need to experience an integrated classroom where cultural differences are embraced and celebrated. EMID has built terrific schools using integration funding that have fantastic arts and science programs, have innovative approaches to teaching cultural awareness, and provide students, including my “white” boy’s, an incredible learning ground for what their world will be and is. They are being prepared for what their workforce will look like – they are doing great at living in our colorful world.

There is no way that are local district could provide this learning environment. Yes, they have people of color at the local district, but their whole premise is not “community cultures and environmental science”. They are not truly integrated.

Without integration dollars, EMID will not survive. This great program that embraces all cultures in the East Metro will no longer exist. What a shame. We all need to get better at embracing all, and that is what this district does. Embraces all. How many districts can truly say that in this state? Not many.

Please do not take integration funding away. Please continue to embrace what the mission of the funding is about. Please embrace the Minnesota Integration Taskforce recommendations and keep integration funding alive!

Thanks – Kelly Lenz

Impact of the K12 Education budget on EMID

As you know, the education budget has worked its way through the Minnesota House and Senate and is currently sitting in conference committee. The Republican majority has created an all-Republican conference committee and in a very unusual move has asked the Governor to come negotiate with them before they have a final bill. The Governor had presented a very different education proposal weeks ago and has said until the majority finishes their work he can’t effectively negotiate with them. I have no idea what will happen next.

I have testified at the House Education Finance hearing on the Education “omnibus” bill, I’ve attended the Parents United for Public Schools education summit and spoken with leaders of the House and Senate there, I spoke at the commissioner’s town hall this week, and I attended a town hall run by my representative. I have been very impressed by how much EMID presence there has been at these events. I’ve seen EMID students testify twice, EMID staff and former staff a number of times, and of course EMID parents (not just me) taking part in these events. We are not being silent.

Unfortunately, I am also not sure we are having much of an impact. The sides seem pretty firmly drawn. The odd thing is that the Education budget is not really at the heart of the tax or no tax battle. In fact, the majority’s bill only cuts education by about $22M which in this environment is pretty much leaving K12 “whole” as they like to say. I appreciate that this demonstrates a commitment to education on the part of the majority. Oddly, though, the bill goes to the trouble to reallocate much of that “whole” in a way that creates very clear winners (rural districts and charter schools get much more funding) and losers (Saint Paul, Minneapolis, and Duluth are cut dramatically). It creates these winners and losers by gutting integration funding, further cutting our already insufficient funding for special education students, and pulling support for desegregation transportation. The cuts to integration and transportation strike at the core of EMID’s funding. Even though EMID is not explicitly shown on any of the legislature’s spreadsheets of impact-per-district, it is clear that the majority bill if passed would present EMID with an extremely challenging future.

On Wednesday I asked the EMID board to provide some data that I could use next week, when a group of parents from EMID and WMEP (our West Metro counterpart) meet with a representative of the Governor’s to discuss the Education budget. I got a briefing yesterday and wanted to share some of that data with you. Please note, I’m an amateur at this, so my presentation may be off base, but it is the situation as I see it.

The current majority budget would probably cut 35% of EMID’s budget, plus a bit. EMID could use the remainder of it’s “savings account” to get through the 2011/2012 year, but would be very hard pressed to get through the 2012/2013 year or beyond. EMID has an annual budget of roughly $12M. About $1.5M of that comes from our own “savings account” (the “fund balance”), $200K comes directly from Federal funds, the rest comes from our member districts. The member districts pass along to EMID about $5.2M of “general education” funds, $1.3M of special education funds, and $3.8M of integration funding. The cuts to all of these funds passed along by the member districts would be the core of the loss to EMID. Note that transportation funds are not included in this calculation and it would probably cost EMID close to $500K to replace transportation if that is killed by the bill.

Another way to look at this is to ask, what would it take to keep EMID going if the budget passed as it is now? It looks to me like EMID could survive it it got $4.3M to replace the funds lost from transportation, integration, and special education.

Advocacy for EMID is a bit scattered, so arguing for this funding will not be easy. Our board is actually not a “school board” but a “joint powers board” that includes representatives from each member school district. Remember that each member of our board actually has a “real job” back in their home district and the budget proposal may look very different from home. In some case, these districts will end up doing better under the new budget than they did under the old (suburban school districts come out slightly ahead, according to the legislative spreadsheets). As one person put it to me, as the water level drops at the watering hole, the animals start eyeing each other differently. We also only have a part time interim superintendent in place at this time. As I said earlier, EMID is being remarkably represented in the various hearings I’ve been a part of, but I fear that we still don’t have a consistent set of talking points or a strong message to carry forward. That comes from leadership and leadership is in short supply in today’s EMID.

So that’s where we stand.

There is a lot you can do to make a difference. Write the Governor. Write the leadership of the House and Senate. Write the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press. Let them know you care about EMID. Let them know that integration funding has built an incredibly innovative school district with a focus on cultural awareness, arts, and science that serves as a beacon for other districts in the east metro. Let them know why you value EMID and why it deserves the funding to continue its mission. We need every possible hand on deck if we want to see EMID continue in its mission. Please step up.

Check out our Your Voice page for names and addresses. If you do send a letter, consider sharing it with us so we can put it on the website, you might inspire others!

Legislative Update

As you may be aware the Minnesota State Legislature has put forward education bills which would significantly impact integration programs in Minnesota. If these bills are passed it would have a detrimental effect on EMID. As members of the EMID community it is very important for legislators to hear our voices. We encourage you to contact your elected officials and the state leaders making these decisions to let them know why Crosswinds and Harambee are important to you and your children.

Read on for more details. Continue reading →

Garofalo proposes to kill integration funding

Rep. Pat Garofalo included a plan to kill all special funding for school integration as part of the education “omnibus” bill that he plans to put before the house. There will be hearings about this bill at the capitol on Monday 3/21 at 9am. There was a brief article in MinnPost. Shari Thompson writes “House Representative Pat Garofalo, chairman of the House Education Finance Committee, announced that the House’s main education finance bill includes the elimination of integration revenue. The full bill will be posted sometime over the weekend possibly as early as this evening. Testimony is being taken on Monday. Superintendent Mark Robertson from the Northwest Integration Collaborative will be testifying on behalf of the metropolitan area integration collaboratives.”

Clearly, testimony from parents, or even just our presence in the room, would be very helpful. If you would like to testify please contact Aaron Solem (aaron.solem@house.mn; 651-296-5524). If you would like to organize to testify, please feel free to use our list families@emidfamilies.org.

This is a big deal, since EMID is founded on integration funding.

Parents United’s Mary Cecconi, Monday 10/20

Mary Cecconi, Executive Director of Parents United for Public Schools, will be speaking to the EMID Community on Monday October 20th at Harambee!

As parents we understand the need for sustainable, dependable, and adequate dollars to support public education. House File 4178, the “New Minnesota Miracle Bill,” calls for a significant increase in spending for our schools. This bill will not pass by luck, but by the work we in the community are willing to do on its behalf.

On Monday October 20th Parents United for Public Schools, the League of Women Voters and the Minnesota PTA will be joining together to present information about HF 4178 to the EMID Community. Come to listen and learn what the passage of this bill can do to enhance student achievement in the state of Minnesota.

We need to understand what challenges our schools face and how investing in them will benefit our state. We also need to understand the cost of disinvesting. Finally, we need to understand this well enough to explain the need to our friends and neighbors AND ask those who are seeking election this fall where they stand on it.

Please join us on Monday October 20th from 6:30-8 pm at Harambee to learn more about HF 4178. Democracy works best when we are all a part of it! Hope to see you there. Childcare will be provided. Light refreshments will be served following the presentation.