Thread by @AndyRowell

This panel discussion about the Comprehensive District Design (CDD) plan by Minneapolis Public Schools @MPS_News was excellent.
m.facebook.com/story.php?stor…
The plan is to be voted on by the school board May 12th. This panel of people of color argue the plan is poorly thought out.

https://twitter.com/nvlevy/status/1253028121424596998

The principles behind the Comprehensive District Design are to
1. Save busing costs.
2. Reduce the number of schools that are over 86% students of color to under that line.
3. Close no schools.

So last August Minneapolis Public Schools hired a logistics company to model how to do this. In November, the District presented maps that placed magnet schools in the center of the city and made the rest of the schools neighborhood schools with radically new boundaries.

The logic is clear: centralized magnets if students want special programming helps the district save money on busing. Save $6.9 million, 1.1% of budget (which helps with $19.6 million shortfall).
However, there are some logical problems as well.

There were many stable, healthy, economically and racially integrated schools all over the district. They all will have to start over. The magnets become community (neighborhood) schools, the central community schools become magnets. Plus new gerrymandered boundaries. Disruption.

They also decide to standardize schools, getting rid of K-8 schools for only K-5 and 6-8. Logical except the district has most students leave the district, (taking their money with them), after 5th grade and there is less loss in its K-8 schools.

And many families of color love K-8 schools because siblings go together and one school is easier to manage. So, many schools are moving from K-8 to K-5 or 6-8 or vice-versa because the district under pressure relented and will still have two K-8.

The result is a massive turnover of students, teachers, staff, grades, programming, and buildings in fall 2021. They project 10 schools will move from 86% students of color to under that number by making 8 of them magnets so theoretically attracting a few more white students.

The other two barely get under 86% with boundary changes. Meanwhile, there are still 11 schools with 86% students of color, including one new one. Also, there are two schools that are more than 86% white, a result of the focus on neighborhood schools and less busing.

Because they are only busing to the middle of the city, the schools in the north will have more black students and the schools in the south will become more white. The centralized magnets are projected to become less students of color by 10%.

The plan has been advertised as disrupting a broken system and bringing more resources to the center of the city. However, the teacher's union opposes the plan and 97% of phone calls two weeks ago were against it. Still, rumors indicate there are enough board members to pass it.

The advocates for this plan are enthusiastic about the disruption of the status quo. They are optimistic that their priorities will be implemented at a later stage: more hiring of teachers of color, a less racist curriculum, and less racist discipline of students.

I, like the panel, am skeptical the plan will improve student outcomes for students of color. If it did, I would support it.

I also doubt it will save the district money. This kind of disruption will prompt many students, staff, and teachers to leave the district and renovation costs will be enormous.

So, Minneapolis people, listen to the panel. All five panelists are articulate, thoughtful, gracious, and passionate.

Or dig into the data.
cdd.mpls.k12.mn.us/school-info,
mpls.k12.mn.us/cdd_documents

Then talk to your school board members.

@KidsFirstMPLS #OurMPS

Report on tonight's meeting from @ByLizSawyer @StarTribune
m.startribune.com/in-online-meet…

Board: @KimEllison @nisoka4 @JoshPauly @MplsKerryJo @JennyArneson @NelsonInz @SiadAli @irajourdain @bobwalser #ourMPS #MpsCDD