st. paul

At a school board meeting Tuesday, Chief of Schools Nancy Stachel laid out what the district plans to do to turn around academic performance at the schools, including extending the school day, changing the staffing at both schools and creating one small seventh- through 12th-grade school in place of Humboldt Junior and Senior High on St. Paul's West Side.

All teachers who want to remain at Humboldt and Arlington, except for specialty staff for Arlington's biotechnologies program, must reapply for their jobs next spring.

"This is really an opportunity for us to rethink our high schools," said Stachel. "We currently offer families large, comprehensive high schools. This is an opportunity to add small, academy-style programs."

For both schools, the enrollment the district seeks is considerably less than current enrollment. But Stachel said the district will not need to keep kids out of those schools; if current enrollment declines continue, that's how many students the district expects there.

The district also plans to create extended school days at the two schools starting in 2010-11. That means students would be encouraged to stay after school for increased tutoring and assistance. The district says it plans to work out any contract issues with the teachers union.

Mary Cathryn Ricker, president of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers, said the contract would be affected if the district extends teachers' work days rather than asks some to come to school later and stay later in the day.

As for teachers' reapplying for their jobs if they want to stay, Ricker stressed that it doesn't mean teachers in these schools are more likely than those in other schools to lose their jobs.

Those who reapply for their jobs and aren't selected or those who don't want to reapply can always use options such as retirement or transfer to another school, she said.

There is precedent for such an approach in the district. When Dayton's Bluff Elementary was restructured five years ago, teachers had to reapply for their jobs -- agreeing to increased professional development in the process -- or choose jobs elsewhere.

"It is our responsibility to educate all kids," Superintendent Meria Carstarphen told the school board. "As educators, we can teach and transform a student's life. ... What we can control is the quality of programs we offer, and supporting those kids in real time to get what they need to produce outcomes we know they can do when we give them the right supports."

Emily Johns • 651-298-1541