Mpls. school board has a sales job to do on outsider pick

Signaling its commitment to a new approach in leadership of the Minneapolis Public Schools, the school board on Tuesday selected Anchorage Superintendent Ed Graff to be its new chief, pending contract negotiations that will begin soon.

Graff's selection marks only the second time in at least 20 years that Minneapolis schools will be run by someone with no prior ties to the city or the district. The only other "outsider'' during that time period was in the job only 18 months.

Graff, 47, will certainly face "newcomer'' challenges here as he works to get to know the district and the city. Originally from Bemidji, he will come to the district having spent his 20-plus years as an educator in Alaska. He has been a teacher, an administrator and — for the last three years — superintendent in Anchorage. The school board there decided last fall not to renew his contract, but it's not clear why. That makes it especially important for the Minneapolis board to fully explain its rationale and convince a dubious public that Graff was the right pick after a tortured 16-month search process that had a number of unfortunate twists and turns.

When Graff starts in July, he'll immediately be involved in the campaign to renew an expiring levy that will be on the ballot in November. District leaders will ask voters to renew a property tax levy that generates more than $70 million per year for schools.

Board members said they were impressed with Graff's temperament, student-centered focus and the reviews they heard from those who worked with him in Anchorage. Last week, two board members traveled to Alaska to speak to parents, school staff members and community members. They reported that Graff was often described as a thoughtful, engaging, detail-oriented leader who created a positive staff culture in Anchorage despite deep cuts in budget and staff. He also was widely praised for working well with diverse communities. Anchorage has about 47,000 students; 55 percent of them are biracial and students of color.

Graff was selected on a 6-3 vote over the only other finalist, Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. Before serving as commissioner for the past five years, Cassellius had been a teacher, an administrator and an associate superintendent in Minneapolis for much of her career. She also has been an administrator in Memphis and Oklahoma City. Some board members cited concerns about Cassellius' lack of experience as a superintendent and said results for students of color have not greatly improved in her time as commissioner.