Category Archives: SOS

EMID Board Meeting Tonight, 10/17

The EMID Board will meet at Crosswinds at 5:30pm this evening (10/17), with public testimony probably around 6pm or so. As we learned last week, Superintendent Mohr felt it was important for families to show up and share their input with the board this month. She is also asking the board to move their November meeting out of the holiday week since it looks like that meeting will be a very important one for our schools.

This month the board is likely to authorize Superintendent Mohr to begin conversations with member district administrators about the future disposition of our schools. There is a very real chance that the school buildings would be transferred to member districts, with severe consequences for what we have come to know and love about them. At tonight’s meeting we will hear the board begin to discuss this situation, and in November they are likely to come to some kind of decision.

To help you understand some of the technical issues, we have prepared two new background pages on the EMID Families web site. One page is about the EMID Joint Powers Agreement, which binds the district together. Another page is about EMID Finances, and tries to explain some of what has happened over the past few years. These two pages join the EMID data analysis we already had available.

Of course, what the board really needs to hear is your voice. So if you can be at the meeting tonight, or send a letter to the board today, that would wonderful.

Integration Task Force Meeting: 20 December 2011

These PDF notes of the 12/20 meeting are not official minutes, these are very biased and raw notes. Don’t expect fairness, balance, or completeness! I am just trying to be quick at communicating what is happening on the task force. Initials generally refer to task force members, a list of whom can be found at the official task for website.

During this meeting the task force took testimony from experts in the field, including social scientists and lawyers. Dan Schulman says, “I am ready to bring a case.”

More about the task force on our Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force page.

Pioneer Press: Harambee, Crosswinds magnet schools won’t close

The Pioneer Press ran a story by Megan Boldt about last night’s EMID board vote:

Two east metro magnet schools that opened to address racial segregation will stay open – at least for the next few years.

…

Robert Roston, 24, a former Crosswinds student, was among more than 100 people who came out for the vote. Roston said he and his sister were the only nonwhite kids in their Maplewood neighborhood and his time at Crosswinds – being around other students who looked like him – helped him blossom.

Roston graduated from North High School in North St. Paul and is now an EMT volunteer with the American Red Cross.

“You keep hearing people talk about producing productive members of society. I’m proof,” said Roston. “Thanks for giving other children like me the opportunity.”

EMID Board Votes to Keep Crosswinds and Harambee Open!

The EMID board rearranged its agenda this evening and voted to keep Harambee and Crosswinds open even before they allowed any public testimony. Of course, being who we are, the community testified anyway, but most testimony included sincere thanks to the board for letting our schools remain as an option for all the kinds in their districts. Thanks for all the hard work on the part of EMID families for making this happen!

Of course, this is only the beginning. Now the board, administration, and all of us have to figure out how to live under a new and much more restricted budget. A lot of work remains ahead, but for this evening at least, we can all celebrate what our joint action has accomplished: the thread of imminent closure has been lifted.

MPR: Fate of EMID’s schools to be decided tonight

Tom Weber filed a story with Minnesota Public Radio this morning: “Fate of East Metro Integration District’s schools to be decided tonight.” Indeed, that is so! We hope you can join us at the board meeting this evening, Wednesday 10/19, 5:30pm at Crosswinds.

Board members face two choices Wednesday night: close its schools in Woodbury and Maplewood, or keep them open under a new financial arrangement in which member districts send less of their state integration funding to EMID.

Roseville School Board Member Gogins a Likely Vote for “Option Two”

A report from tonight’s Roseville school board meeting suggests that Kitty Gogins, Roseville board member and their representative on the EMID board, will support “option two” to keep the EMID schools open at tomorrow’s EMID board meeting. She noted that a vote for “option two” does not “kick the can down the road” and that Roseville superintendent Thein wants to maintain the two schools as labs for innovation. Roseville’s school board chair and other members supported this direction.

Remember, the EMID board meeting is tomorrow, Wednesday 10/19, at 5:30pm at Crosswinds School. Come and show your support for keeping our schools open!

South Washington County Bulletin: Decision on future of Crosswinds School could come Wednesday

The South Washington County Bulletin ran a story by Judy Spooner today: “Decision on future of Crosswinds School could come Wednesday.”

Before last week’s meeting, most of the member superintendents supported closing the schools and retaining but changing the role of EMID, according to Gelbmann.

While EMID board members seemed to support closing the schools, after hearing of a second option that would keep them open but with funding changes, resolve to close them appeared to wane.

“I don’t think there are six votes here to close the schools,” Gelbmann said.

The article makes it sound like this shift came about by magic. We all know the hard work that was involved, though, don’t we?

EMID Board Meeting, 10/19, this is it!

The East Metro Integration District (EMID) School Board will meet on Wednesday, October 19, at 5:30pm at Crosswinds School, 600 Weir Drive, Woodbury, MN. Please join us at this meeting!

Last week the EMID School Board decided it would hold two votes at the meeting on 10/19. One vote, for what they call “option one” will be a vote on whether to close Harambee and Crosswinds at the end of this school year. The other vote, for what they call “option two” will be to reduce the funding for the schools, but allow them to stay open and serving the children of our ten member school districts. There will be a chance for public testimony at the meeting this Wednesday. Raise your voice for our schools!

The full board packet (PDF) is available at EMID’s website.

Children are also welcome at the school board meeting. Those who can sit through the meeting will learn a lot about how their schools are governed. There will be child care provided during the school board meeting at Crosswinds for those kids who are potty trained but don’t have the patience for sitting through the meeting.

Translators will also be available.

Woodbury Bulletin: Crosswinds to close?

We learned today that the Woodbury Bulletin had published a story called “Crosswinds to close?” on 10/13.

This week, 833 Superintendent Mark Porter will be speaking to the EMID board in support of closing the schools because they are “not performing as intended” and arguing the money could better be used for integration projects that would serve all District 833 students.

The information in this story clearly pre-dated the 10/12 EMID board work session, even though the story was dated later. A number of the facts cited in the story were also not well explained. Two parents have since had conversations with another reporter at the Woodbury Bulletin, and we expect them to publish a new EMID story on Wednesday.

Stillwater School Board Director Hoeppner Supports “Option Two”  

According to EMID families at the Stillwater School Board work session last night, George Hoeppner, Stillwater’s representative on the EMID board, provided an overview of the two options presented by the superintendents this week. He discussed the financials of “option two” quite a bit. Stillwater board members asked questions about per pupil funding and why it’s higher in EMID than in Stillwater. George explained that “option two” came along because the EMID board wasn’t comfortable with closing the schools although the member district superintendents clearly support “option one” (closure). Hoeppner complimented the EMID families for speaking up, sharing their feelings, and telling their stories. The equity director from Stillwater said it was very impressive that people rallied for their school and made an impact on policy decisions.

Hoeppner affirmed that he will be voting for “option two.” So that is our first confirmed vote to keep the EMID schools open!