[Mpls] An alternative to downsizing the school district

[Socialist2001 at cs.com]

The actual loss of revenue for the district in recent years is much smaller 
than the $100,000 that the district leaders are talking about. Declining 
student enrollment accounts for the net loss of revenue. The problem is that as the 
district downsizes, per-pupil expenses go up, and per-pupil title 1 revenue 
(federal poverty money) goes down

The school district gets more aid per-pupil from low income students, but 
spends less money educating them. Students who are eligible for free and 
reduced-priced lunch bring in something on the order of $2,500 per student in title 1 
money. About one-third of the district's operating budget is spend on regular 
Ed teachers, and the difference in average pay per teacher between schools in 
high and low poverty neighborhoods is huge.

On the other hand, a charter school that takes in a lot of title one money 
may be able to afford a more stable and better paid teaching staff than one sees 
in some of the district-run schools. 

The public schools could easily win back the low-income students it is losing 
by offering them a substantially higher quality of education than they 
currently have access to, and higher than what most of the charter schools can 
offer. I believe we can do that and maintain and even raise the standards at some 
of the district's best schools.

In my opinion, the following steps are critical to equalizing and generally 
upgrading the quality of instruction offered in the district: The district 
administration must stop laying off teachers by June 30 it plans to rehire or 
replace before the first day of school in September; desegregate probationary 
teachers; phase out the non-college bound curriculum tracks in grades K-8; and 
expand college prep programs in high school so that everyone who wants to get 
into a college prep program can get into a college prep program.

Do any of the candidates on the ballot have a plan, other than to close 
schools, strip teachers of their seniority and tenure rights, and reintroduce 
"merit-pay" for teachers?

-Doug Mann, King Field
write in "Doug Mann" for school board
www.educationright.com
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