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For the new school year. . .
Major changes at area schools
Mary Diedrick Hansen
Staff Writer
West Side
Starting this fall, a reconfigured grade 7-12 Humboldt Senior and Junior High School will be housed in the senior high building and will offer a new environmental studies curriculum, new staff, and new "academy style" small class design.
The upcoming school year will also be the last for Roosevelt Elementary School, located at 160 East Isabel St. The school is falling victim to St. Paul Public Schools’ (SPPS) Long Range System Changes, implemented in response to enrollment declines of 500 to 600 students per year. Projected revenue, allotted on a per-student basis, will not support current and future budget demands.
The district’s resources are spread across an infrastructure designed to support more than 45,000 students, yet the district currently has around 39,000 students. Simply stated, the formula is fewer students, meaning less money for the schools.
This makes it difficult to provide additional academic support for students. This support is vital because the achievement gap between white students and students of color in the district is among the widest in the nation, and federal and state expectations for student achievement are accelerating. Only half of SPPS students are proficient in reading, and fewer than half are proficient in math.
Roosevelt, along with St. Paul’s Longfellow and Sheridan elementary schools, were designated for closing in order to bring the number of operating buildings in line with the number of students. The decisions were based on a system that evaluated academic achievement and Average Yearly Progress (AYP) test results, enrollment, costs to maintain the buildings and other factors. Many West Siders who attended the school district’s public meetings feel the West Side is bearing the brunt of the district’s plans with its closure of Humboldt Junior High and the pending closure of Roosevelt elementary.
But Nancy Stachel, SPPS chief of schools, sees it differently.
"I understand this is extremely difficult for the West Side community," said Stachel. "The district is trying to revamp and revitalize the West Side schools so they are a destination point for West Side families. The West Side is like an island. It can be sustainable for a long time if we do it right."
The new environmental studies curriculum is part of the strategy. Humboldt will be the only urban 7-12 school in the metro area offering an environmental focus, and the only one to offer an agricultural program. Opening Humboldt as an academy-style, grade 7-12 secondary school is another piece. Total enrollment of students in grades 7-12 will be 750 to 850 students, about 130 per grade.
"A small school will allow a stronger relationship with students," said Principal Mike Sodomka. "We will get to know their strengths and weaknesses. We can move them forward faster and can tailor a curriculum to their interests. The curriculum gives students the chance to reach out to the community. School and academics are more relevant in the students’ lives." For example, the school has "adopted" a portion of the Mississippi River for clean-up and intensive study.
"Recall that Humboldt Junior High needed corrective action based on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) criteria," said Stachel. "The district couldn’t treat the two schools separately."
The corrective action called for dramatic improvements to help students succeed because the number of subgroups at Humboldt Junior not making AYP had increased since 2005. Enrollment had declined from 461 students in the 2004-2005 school year, to 290 students in 2008-2009.
The school and district were required to follow specific NCLB guidelines for restructuring. To meet requirements, an environmental studies and college and career preparatory program had been started at Humboldt Junior even before the district got involved.
"Humboldt is unlike any other change site," said Stachel. "We took a group of five teachers who were identified at the building level and pulled them out of the classroom to design a grade 7-12 program. There was a teacher in each of the content areas and one in technology. They went to the East Coast to check out model schools. Then the team started connecting with students. One of the students thought it would be cool to have huge aquariums in the school, so the district is investing in two 15-by-4-foot aquariums," in keeping with the school’s new focus on the environment and the river.
The district is also making physical changes to the high school. A new robotics and science lab will replace a woodshop. The video and piano lab is being brought over from the junior high. The junior high’s gymnasium and swimming pool are the only areas of the school that will remain in use.
"There is no other school like it in the urban area," said Stachel. "It is a completely new program and what’s great is that West Side students have first choice. My dream is to have the schools filled with West Side students. Start-up and charter schools and private academies have a 7-12 structure. If you look at Breck or Blake or St. Paul Academy, parents are paying for the 7-12 experience," she added.
"We wanted to invest in a strong sustainable program and increase demand. All said, the district will invest around $350,000 to get the school ready to go to meet the academic needs of the students and the needs of the community."
A new look
Students, faculty and the district have been working together to gear up for the first day of school. Gardens have replaced the pillar at the front of the school. Students recently completed a 250-foot mural on the wall facing Elizabeth Street.
"The students are reinvigorating and reinventing Humboldt. It’s a renaissance," said Sodomka. "It’s a tremendous opportunity. It’s a year where we can create the school we really want. We have a committed staff, involved students and a community that supports it. We are the only urban school with an agriculture program where horticulture…and animals will be part of the curriculum. We hope to have an edible garden where produce can be used in the cafeteria and school-run café. It’s exciting that this is the direction the country is taking."
The district is also working behind the scenes to more evenly place late enrollees and students who move during the school year. Until now, Humboldt has carried a greater portion of that population — as well as students requiring special education — than other schools.
"Humboldt has a great reputation for its special education programs," said Stachel. "It’s just that the perception, when marketing the school, is that it’s a special education school. Humboldt will be maintaining the hard-of-hearing program. Otherwise, the special education population will be moved so that services can be offered throughout the district."
Stachel added that Riverview and Cherokee elementary schools are doing well.
"The new principal at Cherokee is moving things forward," she said. "A bilingual pre-school has been opened. They also have a greenhouse, which we hope to articulate into the environmental program at Humboldt. They are also one of five elementary schools piloting the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program."
The district’s Student Placement Center will hold enrollment sessions at Roosevelt elementary this year to help parents in transferring their children to different schools next year. Stachel also said the district hopes to work with community organizations to continue the Early Childhood Family Education program, which has been at Roosevelt.
Conlon resigns
In other school news, St. Paul School Board Member Tom Conlon completed 18 years of service on the board, as of July 1. Elected in 1991, he was the longest serving member. He has purchased a historic inn in Asheville, N.C., and has moved there to be the innkeeper. A self-employed photographer, he also teaches in the College of Management at Metropolitan State University. He intends to continue teaching on-line.
Conlon had a reputation as the lone conservative on the board.
"We won five consecutive citywide school board elections as a Republican-endorsed candidate in heavily-DFL St. Paul," said Conlon. He frequently used his position to question proposals before the school board, including the distribution of contraceptives and eliminating the Pledge of Allegiance in St. Paul schools.
"I always made sure our viewpoints were heard. I believe we may also have stopped the more extreme proposals from coming up in the first place," he said. "I will keep my ties to St. Paul, as my parents, at least for now, continue to live here in our Macalester-Groveland home. I will periodically be home for some ongoing photography commitments and to stay connected to my native city."
Conlon’s seat will be filled during a special election in November. Three of his fellow board members will also be up for reelection. The DFL has endorsed Vallay Varro, education policy director for St. Paul, to fill the final two years of Conlon’s term. The Republicans have given the nod to teacher, John Krenlick. The DFL has also endorsed for additional four-year terms incumbents John Brodrick, Tom Goldstein and Elona Street-Stewart.
ISD 197
With health care benefits rising rapidly and state funding remaining flat, Independent School District 197 (West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan) is feeling the squeeze of a tightening budget.
The good news is that after making $2.3 million in budget adjustments for the 2009-2010 school year, the district will not be closing any schools, and no teachers are being let go. In fact, with 14 teachers retiring, the district is now hiring.
The bad news is that an additional $1.5 million to $2 million in cuts or adjustments are expected for each of the upcoming four years. This number is based on state and federal budget projections.
"We have skinnied our programs as far as they will go," said Carl Colmark, the district’s director of business services.
And this is a district that has won numerous awards this year, including Newsweek magazine’s designation of Henry Sibley High School as one of the outstanding public high schools in the nation, and one of the top 28 in the state.
In fact, Colmark pointed out, the district has carved out of its programs $1.5 million to $2 million each year for the past 15 years to make up for budget shortfalls from the state. With cost of living and health care costs rising, and state and federal dollars projected to decline, Colmark said the next few years could be very interesting for school districts statewide.
Jay Haugen, ISD 197 superintendent, said he breathed "a bit of a sigh of relief," when he learned of Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s intent to hold education dollars at current levels despite a projected $4.8 billion state budget shortfall over the next two years.
"It could have been much worse," said Haugen. "It happened exactly how we had expected. Because of the process we went through to plan the budget, the head of human resources said this is the fewest cuts in eight years."
The governor generally holds back 10 percent of state aid to schools, but this year will hold back 27 percent. This will have a dramatic impact on some school districts that are not accustomed to borrowing money to cover the shortfall.
Colmark isn’t too concerned, saying that ISD 197 typically borrows to cover fluctuations in property taxes and state aid. When the district has months of huge cash influx, the extra dollars are taken out and invested short term. Interest gained from those investments tends to offset interest accrued through borrowing.
"The catch-up factor is the issue." said Colmark about the 27 percent hold-out.
Federal stimulus dollars from President Obama’s economic recovery plan are being funneled into the district, with $1.5 million expected over the next two years. Title 1 programs, such as the hot lunch program, have already received $250,000 in federal stimulus funds. Another $2.6 million coming from the state is actually federal stimulus dollars. The state is using federal dollars so it can hold back state aid education dollars to balance the state’s budget.
The challenge to the district with federal dollars is that they are acquired through reimbursement. In other words, the district has to use the money first, then get reimbursed by the federal government. However, strings are attached to these dollars, which means reimbursement will take place only if the dollars are used for items specified by the Feds. For example, Special Education and Title I dollars (funding of schools and districts with a high percentage of students of low income) must be used for new initiatives or programs with the goal of hiring new people. That’s the key: new jobs. Haugen said he might have to hire someone specifically to monitor where these dollars are spent to ensure reimbursement.
"It’s more red tape and documents for the finance department," commented Colmark.
Budget adjustments
In ISD 197, a reduction in pay increases for teachers and administrators has resulted in a savings of $1.2 million. Another $200,000 was chiseled away at all levels by shifting workloads and using resources more efficiently.
Utility costs declined $150,000 by purchasing a full year’s supply of fuel oil and natural gas when prices were at rock bottom. Of the five elementary schools, all but two have been shut down this summer to save on energy and maintenance costs.
The state has waived the requirement to set aside two percent for staff development ($250,000 annually in ISD 197) for each of the next two years. Since the district typically doesn’t spend all those dollars and transfers the extra into the next year, they already have accumulated $250,000 in carry-over. Consequently, those dollars are freed up for use in other areas.
Despite the adjustments, Haugen says he sees improvements taking place in the district. The change in start and end times at all the schools enabled students needing extra class time to catch up on their lessons, stay after school and still get transportation home. More than 30,000 hours in "targeted services"—extra help with homework, English language learning, etc. — were seen in the district last year because a ride home was available.
Haugen points to partnerships with community groups and businesses as critical to student achievement. He mentioned the Dodge Nature Center and Garlough Elementary’s collaboration, which resulted in GEMS: Garlough Environmental Magnet School. Last year the school was named one of the top new and emerging magnet schools, and received a prestigious Hogan and Hartson School of Excellence Award. In addition, through $1.2 million in federal funds, "The Kindness Campaign" has enabled the district to hire counselors at all five elementary schools for the next three years. Haugen said the counselors have had a significant impact. Teachers and administrators are freed up to focus on academics and operation of the school, knowing that someone is advocating for struggling students and families, and that these students are being integrated into the schools.
Haugen is proud to report that this fall, the district will be partnering with Search Institute, a Minnesota-based non-profit that specializes in research on adolescents. In a presentation by the institute’s president, Peter Benson, the focus was on how to light the "spark" for learning within students. The message resonated deeply for Haugen.
"This is what I’ve been preaching for years," he said. "School isn’t just about passing tests. A successful school supports the strengths and passions of its students. Somehow kids need to ‘want’ to learn. How do you instill in them a passion for achievement?"
Search Institute advocates a theory about student achievement that says that if three people support a student’s area of interest or passion (the spark), the student will succeed in his or her career and other aspects of life.
"The ‘spark’ could be volunteering with old people, cooking, soccer, music, rocketry, something that adds value to the world," said Haugen. "If they have three adults who know what it is and support them, they are successful."
By partnering with Search Institute, knowing each student’s "spark," and developing a personalized education plan for each student starting in fourth grade, ISD 197 staff and students will have the opportunity to put the theory to the test.
Haugen is also waiting for the results of a blue ribbon panel of stakeholders, including parents, who have been meeting since January to discuss the priorities and direction they believe the district should take in the future. Those insights will be valuable as the district continues to wrestle with budget constraints over the next few years.
South St. Paul
Despite instability in funding from the state and federal government, South St. Paul Independent School District (ISD 6) has managed to make major headway in academic achievement through its International Baccalaureate (IB) program as well as build a $2.3 million rainy-day fund of budget reserves. On the down side, the reserve, which the district wants to preserve for as long as possible as a backup to ongoing under-funding from the state, will be tapped into this year along with cutting teachers and staff at the primary and secondary (grades 7-12) levels.
IB honors
The district recently became the first International Baccalaureate (IB) accredited K-12 district in the state, and the fourth in the nation. "We have done this while offering (free) all-day kindergarten, every day," said Superintendent Patty Heminover. "The state funds half the cost and the district makes up the rest. During this time we also added the IB program at the primary and middle school levels, which required a cost for staff development. It’s been a good investment."
During the 2004-2005 school year, declining enrollment motivated the Board of Education to seek ways to take advantage of open enrollment by attracting students from outside the district. It sought to differentiate South St. Paul from other public schools by offering a higher level of academic rigor. Since grades 11 and 12 had been experiencing huge academic success with the IB diploma curriculum for the past 20 years, the board elected to do something very unusual and implement the IB curriculum in the middle and primary grades, as well.
"We worked really hard," said Heminover. "It was planned with a task force that moved us forward. It’s been successful because of the good quality teaching staff. Teachers must have a passion and commitment. Additional training was required for the IB middle year program (MYP) and primary year program (PYP)."
Bruce Hagerty, Board of Education president, added: "All that work started in 2005 and continued annually, and has paid off with a rare standing among public schools."
South St. Paul Secondary School has been named one of the top high schools in the country by Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report.
Now the district wants to maximize its standing, but foresees challenging days ahead with state and federal budget projections forecasting a decline in revenue over the next few years, likely resulting in fewer education dollars.
"School funding has to be fixed," said Hagerty. "We need stability. We have become dependent on economic winds and the government to determine our allotment. It becomes difficult year after year not knowing what we are getting in finances. Over the last eight to ten years the district has positioned itself in a good financial standing, having built up a fund balance of $2.3 million needed to ride out difficult times."
"It hasn’t been easy," said Heminover of building the reserves. "It had to be done to bring stability into the district to continue providing programs."
That’s because in balancing the state budget in May, Gov. Tim Pawlenty did not cut educational dollars, but he didn’t increase them, either.
"And costs are rising with textbooks, fuel and heating costs and health benefits," said Heminover. "They are out of our control."
Without an increase in state funding to offset the ongoing rising cost of operation, school districts are being forced to cut teachers and staff and borrow money.
To make matters worse, the state is withholding 27 percent of the allotted educational dollars this year because of decreased cash flow into the state’s coffers. Typically, the state withholds 10 percent of its education funding from school districts as a sort of backup in case they don’t get cash revenue from taxes and fees as expected. The school districts have essentially carried a ten percent IOU from the state year after year with the expectation that they will be reimbursed once state revenues come in. The 27 percent was unanticipated and not in the budget. So while technically funding hasn’t been cut, the district will be forced to borrow funds to meet the 27 percent hold-out of educational dollars.
"I am pleased that there were no cuts to education," said Heminover, "but holding in reserve 27 percent of the dollars will cost the district money since they will have to borrow that money, which could amount to $110,000 in interest payments based off the last time the district borrowed in 2006."
Services to be cut
Toward the end of last year, the district administrative team and Board of Education members attended a series of retreats to develop priorities and goals that focused on the district’s vision, mission and strategic plan initiatives. Common goals and priorities were developed to help guide the district through the budget reduction process. Here are some of the approved changes to reduce the budget by $1.6 million:
• Restructuring the two elementary schools resulted in the consolidation of the three media, technology and IB Primary Years Program coordinators at both schools into one position at each of the schools. Five elementary teachers were let go, as well as five secondary teachers.
"The focus was to keep layoffs as far away from the classroom as possible," said Heminover, "but some non-tenured teachers had to be let go as well. There was a slight increase in class size but we are still one of the lowest in the area."
• Transportation costs will be trimmed by expanding the eligibility distance for elementary student bussing from one mile to 1.5 miles. Students living within the 1.5 border can pay to ride, or arrange their own transportation. Students living north of I-494 enrolled at Kaposia Elementary will remain eligible so they won’t have to cross 494. Secondary school students must live more than two miles away to be eligible for bussing.
• After-school athletics for grades 7 and 8 have been cut from five days to four days. Secondary School Principal Bud Manning has recommended the Board of Education give the Booster Club permission to raise funds for an extra day of coaches’ salaries.
• The mailing of progress reports, monthly newsletters and report cards will be discontinued.
• Student activity fees have been increased by $5.
• Salaries for district administrators have been frozen.
Heminover said the "new norm" in the district is that when a position becomes vacant it will be analyzed and not automatically filled.
Since state aid to school districts is based on the number of enrolled students, the district is pleased with census data projecting a slight increase in the Pre-K and kindergarten age group in the district over the next few years.
"But we will have to wait and see," said Hagerty. "There’s a lot of mobility in the district right now with homes for sale."
To save on expenses and maximize new programming, the district hopes to partner with the city, nonprofits and surrounding school districts. It is also searching for grants, and has received preliminary approval from the state for a $450,000 grant that will provide more academic intervention programs for elementary and secondary students.
"We need to be very creative about managing expenses and revenue," said Hagerty. "The $680,000 technology levy did not pass last year. Expect it on the ballot again this fall. It’s an issue of trying to sustain funding. Even if it (the levy) doesn’t pass, the district still has $400,000 in embedded costs to maintain equipment currently in operation.
"We are going into the first year of two of the most difficult years for budgeting for public schools," he added. "Even those with years of experience don’t know what to expect."
Private schools
St. Croix Lutheran
1200 Oakdale Ave.,
West St. Paul
651-455-1521
www.stcroixschools.org
The big story at St. Croix Lutheran is that a new middle school will open its doors for the first time in August 2009, offering grades 6-8. Although housed at St. Croix Lutheran High School, the middle school has its own principal, teachers, and even its own athletic logo. Originally, the intent was to open the school with grades 6 and 7 and add grade 8 next year but an overwhelming interest in grade 8 persuaded the school’s leaders to add it to the school’ debut.
According to school officials, St. Croix Middle School offers a close-knit learning community that emphasizes experiential learning through a challenging, integrative and exploratory curriculum based on "God’s Word." Tours are available by appointment. Scholarships
are available.
St. Michael’s K-8 Catholic School
337 East Hurley St.
West St. Paul
651-457-2510
www.stmichaelweststpaul.org
This year, St. Michael’s celebrates 125 years of instructing students, both spiritually and academically. The school touts its low class sizes and certified instructors with decades of experience as key factors that allow it to meet the needs of its ever-changing diverse population of students.
"In the beginning we were very Irish and located in the Flats, where Torre de San Miguel is now," said St. Michael’s Principal Maryanna Charley. "Then it became very German. We have always had a Spanish population, and the Hmong were part of the school ’til many moved to the East Side. Although the majority of students are Catholic, our doors are open to everyone."
St. Michael’s has specialists in art, computers, library, music and physical education. A K-8 Power Point computer program is part of the curriculum, as well as a Spanish program that uses videos from Northern Arizona University. For spiritual instruction, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is used for pre-K through grade 4. Extra-curricular activities include band, CAA sports, drama, Quizbowl, science fair, scouting, service projects and teen government day. Before- and after- school care is available, as well as tuition assistance.
St. Matthew’s K-8 Catholic School
497 Humboldt Ave.
St. Paul
651-224-6912
www.st-matts.org
St. Matthew’s is a small but growing Catholic school serving an ethnically and economically diverse student body. Last year enrollment climbed 25 percent, from 139 to 175, and is expected to rise again this year. Enrollment will not exceed 200 students, however.
Doug Lieser, school principal, attributes the growth in part to a newly organized and active alumni group, whose goal is to raise scholarship money so that any family desiring a Catholic education can get one.
"They raised $120,000 last year and so far have $100,000 this year," he said.
Lieser said that staying small allows teachers, students and families to develop a sense of community that is difficult to duplicate in a large school. An average class size of 20 gives students an opportunity to lead, serve, explore and develop their talents, he said.
St. Matthew’s goal is to help students discover the gifts God has given them and help them understand that it is their responsibility to use them not only for their own good, but for the benefit of others as well. St. Matthew’s welcomes students of different faiths who subscribe to the values and discipline embodied in Catholic teaching.
St. Joseph’s K-8 Catholic School
1138 Seminole Ave.
West St. Paul
651-457-8550
www.stjosephswsp.org
St. Joseph’s (fondly known as St. "Joe’s") offers a K-8 Catholic education, as well as a half-day pre-school for 3- and 4-year-olds, added last year.
"We had a phenomenal first year," said Principal Jane Nordeen. So phenomenal that the school is considering opening a program for 4- and 5-year-olds, for parents interested in an academic flavored program transitioning to all-day kindergarten.
"If we have sufficient numbers in the next month we will open for the fall," said Nordeen.
The accredited school, which opened its doors in 1949, held an all-school 60th reunion this summer. Nordeen reports that the school is healthy and going strong with a 2009-2010 enrollment of 640 students.
Students attending St. Joe’s learn under a challenging and comprehensive curriculum that includes religion, mathematics, language arts, science and social studies. St. Joe’s has specialists in physical education, music, art, computer literacy and library. Other program highlights include Spanish, band and special education.
Over two-thirds of the faculty and staff hold advanced degrees. Students in grades K-8 benefit from classroom instruction in the Catholic faith and daily prayer. Students in second and eighth grade are prepared for and receive the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation.
Activities include math teams, art club, science club, yearbook, student council, school play, junior high mixed choir, varsity, junior varsity and pep bands, altar servers, lectors, volleyball, football, soccer, basketball, hockey, swimming, baseball, softball and track.
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