April 20, 2011

Redesign of North High

'Loyal opponents' selected to help plan new North High

By Beth Hawkins | Published Tue, Apr 19 2011 8:41 am

Minneapolis Public Schools has a rich tradition of co-opting its critics. Frustrated parents tend to end up on the District Parent Advisory Committee. Exasperated employers end up adopting classrooms or stumping for referenda.

A plurality of board members at any given time first ran because, having crusaded against one or another wrongheaded proposition, they got to know the district better than many of its boosters.

Yet for years, two parts of the community have eluded the insider-making-machine: the state Legislature and the city’s near north side. The former might be a lost cause, at least for the moment, but tonight, in the auditorium at North High School, a few select northsiders are scheduled for induction into the fold.

In the wake of the community uproar over last fall’s now-reversed decision to shutter the venerated, depopulated school, district leaders promised to invite their critics to help design its replacement. Earlier this month, MPS asked for volunteers willing to advise redesign consultants from a New York-based nonprofit that specializes in community-led school turnarounds.

It would appear MPS brass got the loyal opponents they asked for, and they couldn’t be more pleased. Yesterday, the district announced the names of the nine committee members and four alternates who, along with five MPS administrators, will help the Institute for Student Achievement (ISA) plan the new North High.

Four were chosen from 23 applications received by MPS; five were elected by the 40-plus audience members at a community forum last week.

“We wanted this to be a hands-off process,” said Director of School Improvement Eric Molho, who added that he was impressed with the “depth and breadth” of the applicants.

“When you have 200 people showing up at board meetings asking for things, you hope to have a lot of interest,” he said.

Committee members

There are two former presidents of the Minneapolis NAACP, which in the 1990s sued the district for failing to provide poor kids with an adequate education: North alum Brett Buckner and Leola Seals (an alternate). Part of the suit’s settlement was the creation of The Choice is Yours program, under which hundreds of Minneapolis kids have been bused to suburban schools.

There are several members of an ad hoc coalition to save North including Marcus Owens (an alternate) and Rose Brewer who, as a University of Minnesota professor and a trustee of the St. Paul Academy and Summit School, presumably knows a little something about schools. 

There’s Kale Severson of the North High Alumni Association, parents Ariah Fine and Susan Young and Kim Ellison, a high school math teacher whose name is usually associated with her ex’s. Former board member T. Williams will serve as an alternate, as will Buzzy Bohn, head of the Loring Media Center and a fixture on the MPS District Parent Advisory Committee.

The MPS administrators contacted for this story did not immediately have biographical information about the last two committee members, Deanna Williamson and Kerry Felder, or the fourth alternate, Erika dos Santos.

They’ll join Molho, MPS Associate Superintendent Mark Bonine, Executive Director of Family and Community Engagement Scott Redd and Director of Strategic Planning Maggie Sullivan. Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson will be an ex-officio member.

“We’re serious about community engagement,” said Molho. “We’re trying to learn from our past mistakes.”

The panel’s members will scarcely have time to draw breath before they start work. The committee will hold its first official meeting tomorrow, while ISA staff are here.

Tonight, they and interested community members are invited to meet the ISA team at 6:30 p.m. in the North High School Auditorium. Two consultants will talk about the organization and its success working with other schools and hear from audience members. 

Anyone who’d like to stay abreast of the redesign can sign up to receive email or phone updates by emailing answers@mpls.k12.mn.us with the subject line “North redesign updates” or calling 612-668-0230.

New North High Update

New North High Update

Minneapolis Public Schools promises an inspirational education experience in a safe, welcoming environment for all diverse learners to acquire the tools and skills necessary to confidently engage in the global community. In order to ensure that all students enrolled in the Minneapolis Public Schools receive a high quality education, Superintendent Johnson and the MPS Board of Directors have decided to create a new North High School program, to open for 9th graders in the fall of 2012, and to phase out the current North High School by 2014. 

North High is the city’s oldest high school program and has anchored North Minneapolis for over a century.  The District acknowledges the need for change in order to establish a solid secondary education in this community.  Enrollment at North has dropped almost 80% in the last five years and district data reveals North HS is one of its 25% high priority schools in 2010. The Superintendent is confident that this new design will meet the the district’s strategic vision “Every student college ready” and will create a school of educational excellence where students thrive.

In order to prepare for the launch of the new North High in 2012, the District and community stakeholders will select a consultant to lead Phase I of the new design.  The Phase I consultant will complete the following:

Develop of  a strategy to engage community and gain input from multiple stakeholders about potential North High School programming

Provide multiple models of innovative high school designs that may be applicable and that are research based and explore opportunities for rigorous curriculum, relevant learning opportunities and meaningful relationships

Design and implement a process of selecting a  new design model for North High based on community needs/requests, demonstrated success, financial feasibility and alignment with MPS

Ensure that the community and key stakeholders are engaged throughout the process and provide a comprehensive communications strategy

Develop a strategy and process for the recruitment and selection of the New North school leader

Construct a customized implementation plan to be executed by MPS throughout 2011-2012 school year to launch the new design in the 2012-2013 school year

Local and national consultants were vetted in January 2011 and consultants that met the necessary criteria were interviewed by both community and district leadership in February. Criteria for consultant selection has been evaluated by both district and community leadership.

The core of the work at Minneapolis Public Schools is to ensure that all students have the opportunity to reach their greatest potential.  The new North High School design and community engagement process will establish a high quality high school in the north community worthy of the North High School tradition and historic reputation.