A week into the call for a fast-paced overhaul of 34 struggling Minnesota schools, Minneapolis and St. Paul officials hope to hold onto big changes already under way in some of their buildings.

At East Central Senior Secondary School in Finlayson, Minn., the first order of business has been "damage control" -- quelling students' fears that some of their favorite teachers are about to be shown the door, school board Chairwoman Jeannette Kester said.

Local leaders are finding there is much work to be done, and interests to protect, among schools both new and accustomed to federally mandated change.

Last week, the state released its list of persistently low-achieving schools facing major shakeups or closures, part of a get-tough strategy being pushed by President Obama.

In the Twin Cities, where many schools already have failed to meet expectations of the federal No Child Left Behind law, the idea of "fresh starts" is nothing new. But also under the gun are outstate schools like East Central that were eligible for but not recipients of federal Title I money.

Pat King, director of school improvement for the state Department of Education, said of the fixes ahead: "Basically, it's the biggest overhaul we've ever seen in turning around schools in the state of Minnesota."

The changes will require quick action -- they must be in place by next school year -- and will see public school officials like those in the Minneapolis district, which has seven schools on the list, and charter school leaders working closely with a new state Office of Turnaround Schools.

About half of the 34 schools tagged are charter schools.

Being on the list allows districts and charter schools to apply for a share of an anticipated $34 million in federal grant money.

In return, the schools must select one of four fixes. They include: closing the school and moving students to better schools, starting anew as a charter school, replacing the principal and at least half of the staff or adopting a new model that would include longer school hours and tougher performance evaluations for teachers.

Flexibility desired

Willie Fort, an associate superintendent for the Minneapolis schools, said the district plans to apply for the money, but hopes to preserve changes at already overhauled schools.

Two years ago, Edison High School in northeast Minneapolis undertook a "fresh start" that let a new principal hand-pick teachers. But it's landed back on the list because graduation rates are stuck below 60 percent.

Laura McQuiston, whose son is a ninth-grader, said she'd been cool to Edison, but now is a "big fan." Of the school's placement on the list, she said: "We have to give the schools the time to get their changes in place and let them work."

King said she hopes some of the work already being done at Edison will be "honored," but that it's up to federal officials to decide that.

St. Paul wants to avoid a restructuring of Humboldt High School, which this year was combined with struggling Humboldt Junior High.

Kester, of the East Central schools, said that students, parents and teachers are working to regain their cool after an initial news report "exploded" into fears that the solution there would be to "fire all teachers."

"It really did shake up the whole district," she said. "Many of the teachers live [here]. Everyone's concerned about the economy. It doesn't make you feel very safe."

No decision has been made, she said. On Monday, Kester was awaiting a callback from King as part of her research into the four fixes.

For East Central schools, the overhaul mandate comes at an odd time, Kester said, with test scores improving and school finances stabilizing. She's trying to see potential benefits: "I think it can be a great opportunity, too," she said.

The district's K-12 school is only six years old, Kester said. And, yes, she added, "we have great, great teachers."

Anthony Lonetree • 612-673-4109