St. Paul School district targets Roosevelt Elementary for closure
Decision expected at July 14 St. Paul School Board meeting
Mary Diedrick Hansen
Staff Writer
Murmurings of impending change by St. Paul Independent School District (ISD) 625 to counteract falling enrollment and funding began last fall with the announcement that the Humboldt Junior High School building would be closing, with the junior high grades moving to Humboldt Senior High. This was the beginning of a long-range district-wide plan to cut costs while continuing academic reforms. Further large-scale system changes are expected at the July 14 school board meeting, when the board is scheduled to vote on its proposed plan to close the West Side’s Roosevelt Elementary School, located at 160 East Isabel, Merriam Park’s Longfellow Elementary, and the East Side’s Sheridan Elementary by the 2010-2011 school year. The board is also considering changes to the School Choice program. Well-attended public meetings have already been held to introduce the district’s proposed changes.
"It’s an unfortunate situation for everyone, the students and families, the graduates, and the kids that have been here for a while," said Roosevelt Principal Scott Trygeseth said of his school’s proposed closure. "We will continue with family support at Roosevelt."
The president of Roosevelt’s Parent Teacher Organization also commented on the school board’s proposal.
"We are more than numbers, we are a community," said Theresa Plasch. "Now they want to break up kids that are so comfortable." She went on to explain that Roosevelt has three family programs, and that the African American families’ participation had risen from 63 percent to 84 percent.
ISD 625 reports that a demographic decline in school-age population is affecting both public and private schools across the state. With a decline in enrollment comes a decline in budget for public schools since they are funded primarily through state and federal funds based on the number of students enrolled in the district. ISD 625 expects a shortfall of $25 million this year and $10 million over the next few years. According to Nancy Stachel, ISD 625 chief of schools, of the $25 million, $10 million is due to declining enrollment, while the other $15 million is due to increasing costs.
"We cannot afford to maintain the same number of buildings, buses, etc., when we have fewer students bringing in revenue to cover the costs of operation," said Stachel.
For this reason, the district’s infrastructure was targeted for cuts. Currently, it has space for 43,000 students, yet enrollment stands at approximately 39,000, and is expected to fall further in the next several years. To bring facility operation costs into alignment, Humboldt Junior High has closed, and the three elementary schools are slated for shutdown by the 2010-2011 school year. Approximately $8 million is needed to run the three elementary schools. A savings of $2.4 million per year is expected through their closure.
Closing criteria
According to the district, criteria for choosing schools for closure were based on enrollment trends, academic performance, how much it would cost to keep the building operating, and whether or not the building was at or close to capacity. Roosevelt’s enrollment declined from 578 students in school year 2007-2008 to 497 this past school year.
Academic performance was off at Roosevelt, as well. Based on 2006–2007 school year data versus the following year’s Average Yearly Progress (AYP) data, reading test scores declined from 49 percent 36 percent. AYP math scores dropped from 49 percent to 35 percent.
Stachel said that in reviewing the academic performance of schools, AYP data provides a direct comparison of student scores among St. Paul public schools. It compares the gains students have or have not made during the school year as compared to their peers within the district. She said AYP scores dropped at Roosevelt for two reasons: the students were not achieving gains they had in prior years, and the required levels to make AYP are increasing each year.
The condition of the Roosevelt building also played a part in its fate. When factoring in how many things in each building need to be repaired versus being totally replaced, Roosevelt rated high in replacements required.
Revamping school choice
Many options are available for students if Roosevelt closes, but probably not as many as in the past. To further cut costs, the district is considering revamping its School Choice transportation system for the 2011 – 2012 school year. It had been talking about doing it for the Fall of 2010-2011, but now is expected to hold off to allow administration to better focus on academic reforms for the next two years.
Although school choice is regaled by many as critical to providing great education to children in public schools, others say it breaks up neighborhoods by enabling children to scatter to schools throughout the city. Currently, 86 percent of students are bussed to district schools. Of the $625 million school district budget, eight percent is used for transportation and meals.
To bring costs down, the revamped School Choice system would divide the school district into three regions. Students that rely on bussing would have to choose a school in their region because transportation would be limited to regional boundaries. To encourage community building and further decrease transportation costs, students living within walking distance of the nearest school would have priority enrollment in that school. A savings of $1-$2 million each year is expected by eliminating cross-town student transportation.
The proposed three-region plan intends to provide equal academic achievement opportunities by having similar educational programs available in each region. The district estimates that nearly 20 percent of its students will change schools during the first year of the three-region system.
The school board stated that the new system will improve access and the quality of education for all students at all schools. It further stated that if no action were taken, less revenue would be available to distribute among all the schools. Federal and state funds that are assigned to each student stay with them and are transferred to the new school they attend.
