Cultivating Excellence; SPPS Reorganization
Questions & Answers (Q&A):Cultivating Excellence; SPPS reorganizationOffice of Community RelationsUpdated: April 13, 2010The following list of questions and answers was prepared to explain administrativerecommendations for enhancing Saint Paul Public Schools’ (SPPS) ability to close achievementgaps while redefining how the District delivers education in tight budgetary times. Thepresentation that introduced these recommendations, along with more detailed analysis, isavailable on our Web site, www.spps.org. This document will be updated as more questions arecompiled and answered.Why are schools being temporarily closed, relocated or co-located?Our economic realities have created an opportunity for us to redefine how we deliver educationin Saint Paul. Rather than bemoan our fate, with this budget process we will begin to implementa three to five year change process, resulting in a more consolidated school district that investsits resources in high quality programming and services, instead of maintaining unnecessarybricks and mortar.Our goal with these changes is to enhance our ability to close achievement gaps and increase thenumber of graduates who are prepared to explore the post-secondary options of their choice; andto enter college without the need for remediation.What are the advantages of this proposal?While many of these potential change recommendations are difficult, each can have positivelong-term results. Closing and co-locating schools, for example, provides an opportunity for theDistrict to improve student achievement by allowing SPPS to focus its limited human and fiscalresources in fewer buildings. By combining high quality staff, technology, and financialresources in fewer sites, we create the opportunity for students to access enhanced programmingand services through economies of scale. In the short term, the proposal is expected to save theDistrict 3.5 million in Fiscal Year 2011.In addition to budget savings, are there other benefits to the proposal?There are several academic benefits to the proposal including instructional opportunities atsecondary level, special education and English Language Learners (ELL). Electives at theelementary level can be expanded and all students can participate in the increased offerings. Atthe secondary site, programs electives can expand to multiple language opportunities, band,choir, and/or orchestra, technology and support services. Required special education and EnglishLanguage Learners services can be concentrated, creating greater quality and efficiency.Will I still be able to choose where my child goes to school?The on-time choice process for the 2010-11 school year has been completed and notifications arebeing sent. There is some space remaining in schools. Student Placement Center staff will beready to assist students and parents as needed. However, students not affected by the proposedchanges and those on waiting lists or who already have an SPPS school may not be able tochange at this point. It is likely that waiting lists will move little if at all or will move much laterthan in previous years.Q&A: Cultivating Excellence; SPPS reorganizationPage 1 of 6Last Revised: April 13, 2010
There can be no guarantees of specific schools and sites. Students affected by the changes will begiven personalized attention to find a school that works for them to the extent possible.How were these schools selected?Districtwide, enrollment is declining. In each of the proposed co-locations at the elementarylevel, at least one of the schools is expected to have fewer than 300 students enrolled next year.In the case of the middle grades, one of the schools is expected to have fewer than 350 studentsenrolled.By co-locating schools, students will have better access to resources than they would otherwisehave had at a single school site.How many students would be affected by the closure, relocation and co-location of theschools?The projected enrollment of each school for school year 2010-2011 is:o Ames Elementary:287o Bruce F. Vento Elementary:495o Prosperity Heights Elementary:285o Hayden Heights Elementary:262o Sheridan Elementary:277o Highwood Hills Elementary:295o Franklin Music Magnet:365o North End Elementary:266o Hazel Park Middle School Academy:349o Battle Creek Middle School:505o Washington Technology Middle:745o Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary:670What happens if they don’t want to go to the new site?Some students may wish to make a change in their schools for next year as a result of theproposed changes. Those students will be able to work with Student Placement Center staff on anindividual basis. While there can be no guarantee of schools, staff will work to provide a rangeof other options.How will this affect notification of students who need to know to which school and programthey have been accepted?Students will be notified of their acceptances in the coming weeks. This is a bit later forsecondary schools (grades 9-12) but similar to the notification of elementary (PreKindergartengrade 6) students in past years.How many staff would be affected by the closure, relocation and co-location of the schools?Because these moves mean changes, all current students and staff would be affected in someway. Currently we have the following numbers of staff (not only teachers) in the schools:Program closing:o 169 at Arlington Senior High School, which is proposed for closureQ&A: Cultivating Excellence; SPPS reorganizationPage 2 of 6Last Revised: April 13, 2010
Programs relocating:o 91 at Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementaryo 123 at Washington Technology MiddlePrograms co-locating:o 36 at Ames Elementaryo 88 at Bruce F. Vento Elementaryo 51 at Franklin Music Magneto 52 at North End Elementaryo 40 at Prosperity Heights Elementaryo 47 at Hayden Heights Elementaryo 34 at Sheridan Elementaryo 91 at Highwood Hills Elementaryo 67 at Hazel Park Middle School Academyo 81 at Battle Creek Middle SchoolIt is important to note that in the case of programs relocating or co-locating, staff will maintainpositions and follow the students to the new buildings pending Districtwide staffing reductionsdue to budgetary constraints.What is the process for working with staff who may seek reassignment at the affectedschools?Teachers will have right to reassignment through the voluntary and involuntary transferprocesses. Clerical, educational assistants, teaching assistants and other supports staff have rightsto reassignment per their bargaining agreement.In the case of Arlington Senior High School, how will we work with seniors to make surethey are welcome at their new schools?Staff and counselors at the receiving schools will work with students to ease the change, answerquestions, set up schedules and programs. In addition, departments such as the District’s EnglishLanguage Learner, Special Education, etc. will work closely with students who require theirservices. The District may also consider an orientation program for all students who will beaffected by the temporary closure, relocation and/or co-location moves.Why is the Arlington program being closed?Arlington is a senior high school program that SPPS began with a vision of providing studentswith diverse educational opportunities in a smaller learning communities environment.Originally, the Arlington facility was built to serve more than 2,000 students. The projectedstudent enrollment for 2010-2011 represents only 35 percent of Arlington’s original capacity.Only 90 ninth grade students have indicated Arlington as their first choice for fall of 2010, andthe projection of total enrollment for school year 2010-11 is 698. The District is not in a positionto run a school at 35 percent of capacity.Why is Washington Technology Middle moving into the Arlington Senior High Schoolbuilding?Washington will become a seventh to 10th grade technology magnet, whose major emphasis isBioSMART for all students. It will relocate to the Arlington site, starting in 2010-11, and eachyear will add a successive grade, with its first graduating class in June 2013. WashingtonQ&A: Cultivating Excellence; SPPS reorganizationPage 3 of 6Last Revised: April 13, 2010
Technology Middle is currently an oversubscribed school. Washington Technology Middle hasbeen part of the three-year, federally-funded BioSMART project, which all students will be ableto continue in.Why are ninth and tenth graders encouraged to attend Washington?Washington will recruit from their present eighth grade students to enroll at the new Washingtonsite. In looking at other secondary sites, it was not possible to place all 698 students at other highschool without causing substantial overcrowding.What is happening to the BioSMART program? Will the BioSMART program end?No. Over the past three years, BioSMART has provided over 6 million in grant funding toarticulate a bio-sciences program at Arlington and Washington. The new Washington school willfulfill the earlier BioSMART promise of an articulated 7-12 STEM pathway. Students enrollingin Washington will be able to take core Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)courses in grades 7-8 and continue to choose one of the three BioSMART pathways in grades 912. To support the implementation of the BioSMART program, the program will incorporateextended learning time. We look forward to continued business and community partnershipsupport as we move forward with the 7-12 BioSMART program at Washington.What will happen to students currently at Washington Technology Middle?At a projected enrollment of 745 students for the 2010-2011 school year, WashingtonTechnology Middle school currently exceeds both its fixed and functional capacity based on the2009 Facilities Conditions and Educational Adequacy Assessment (FCEAA). In 2009, demandfor Washington exceeded space allowed for students, with first choice applications, and therewere waiting lists through the start of the school year.Washington staff will work with present eighth grade students. Students will be given the optionto continue at Washington as ninth graders at its new location (Arlington facility) or be placedbased on their original high school application.What will happen to students currently at Arlington Senior High School?Present Arlington ninth grade students will be encouraged to continue at the Arlington facility, asa part of the new Washington. Ninth grade students not choosing to remain at the Arlingtonfacility may register for a different secondary site and be considered an on-time applicant. Tenthand 11th grade students will register for other secondary sites and be considered on-timeapplicants. Registration will still follow the procedures for on-time applications.Why not provide more services and programs at these schools to bring up their enrollmentand academics, rather than closing them?Closing or moving any school is a difficult choice. Our current structural shortfall, meaning thatwe have capacity for about 43,000 students and enrollment of more than 38,000, means wecannot afford to keep all of our buildings and programs functioning as they are currently. Addingother services to these schools would actually increase our overall costs, and would not matchcapacity to student enrollment.In developing the recommendations, the following primary criteria were considered:o Enrollment trendso Facility conditionQ&A: Cultivating Excellence; SPPS reorganizationPage 4 of 6Last Revised: April 13, 2010
o Maximizing services to studentsHow far out does the district look before making decisions to temporarily close or move aschool or program?In terms of enrollment, the district is able to use current kindergarten enrollment numbers tomake projections for the next 12 years. While we can get some idea of future kindergartenenrollment from birth rates, our most accurate figures use the actual kindergarten enrollment.Over time, these have proven to be very close to actual enrollment numbers, especially at thedistrict level.What is the plan to ensure that displaced students would find new schools in SPPS so wedon't lose them from the district?The Student Placement Center will work closely with the three elementary schools andExecutive Directors to provide alternative school options to families at each of the schools.Throughout the course of the 2009-10 school year, the Student Placement Center intends to holdschool-based enrollment support sessions at each of the three schools.If students were moved into other schools, how would you ensure that the remainingschools and classrooms don’t become too crowded?When students move out of a temporarily closed school or program, some of the staff (includingteachers, educational assistants, and teaching assistants) would also move into other schools inthe district. So while it would be reasonable to expect that class sizes would go up at someschools, class sizes would also go down at others, because of increased staff and other resourcesin many of the remaining programs. Remember that we are proposing these changes becauseDistrictwide we have more capacity than we have students. In other words, we have space in ourremaining schools for any students whose schools would close/repurpose.What about recent investments (new carpeting, etc.) made in the buildings being affected?Since we didn’t know which buildings or programs would be recommended for temporarilyclosure or relocation, we kept up with standard maintenance schedules for these and all otherdistrict sites.What is the legal timeline for notification regarding closing a school?Although we have taken more time in sharing and getting input on these proposals, state lawrequires two weeks (i.e., once a week for two consecutive weeks) published notice in theDistrict's official legal newspaper before the Board of Education makes a decision topermanently close a school building currently housing students. The Board could then decide topermanently close the school immediately upon voting to do so. A temporary school closing (forup to three years) could be done in as few as four days.How long does it take to do the things needed to close a school?The building itself does not take considerable time to get ready for closing. However, we knowfrom the experience of program changes in the past few years that the transitions for staff andfamilies take more time.Won’t it cost money for the schools to sit vacant?Q&A: Cultivating Excellence; SPPS reorganizationPage 5 of 6Last Revised: April 13, 2010
There are minimal costs for keeping a building serviceable but vacant. These costs are a fractionof the costs of keeping a building open and were factored into the net savings from temporarilyclosing buildings.The big picture about the achievement gap for the whole system is important, but how doyou explain this to families when it’s their child’s school being closed and their communitythat’s impacted?These are difficult decisions and difficult times in our schools. It has been stated multiple timesthat we must efficiently and effectively use the resources available to ensure SPPS provides ahigh quality program at every school. All schools suffer when we maintain under utilized schooland inefficient practices. As our site council members and principals can tell you, meeting theneeds of students becomes more difficult with each year of budget cuts. Due to the decline inenrollment at the high school level, the district will continue to see multiple years of significantbudget cuts, approximately 10 million each year. If we maintain the current system, all of ourschools would suffer under the weight of increased accountability requirements and decreasedresources.Will central administration meet face-to-face with parents at the affected schools?Yes, we expect to have opportunities for families to meet with District staff in the coming weeksand throughout the summer to help through the transition.What is the district doing to communicate this change to families that are affected?The District will use phone messages, written communications, e-mail communications, and theDistrict Web site to update families as the Board reviews the recommendations and makesdecisions.What happens to teachers at schools that close?The teacher’s labor agreement discusses the process used upon temporary school closure. Stafffrom the Human Resource Department and the St. Paul Federation of Teachers will meet withstaff at the school if the decision is made to temporarily close a school or program to answerspecific questions and to provide support for staff in transition.Q&A: Cultivating Excellence; SPPS reorganizationPage 6 of 6Last Revised: April 13, 2010
Q&A: Cultivating Excellence; SPPS reorganization Page 2 of 6 Last Revised: April 13, 2010 There can be no guarantees of specific schools and sites. Students affected by the changes will be given personalized attention to find a school that works for them to the extent possible.
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