Three years after stepping in to save a Woodbury arts and science magnet school, the Perpich Center for Arts Education is under fire for its management of the school, and on Thursday its board chairman stepped down unexpectedly.
Pierce McNally, an attorney and a board member for the past five years, attributed his decision to "a recent confluence of occupational, personal and professional opportunities and obligations," according to a Minnesota Public Radio report.
His departure comes as the state-run agency awaits results of a legislative audit inspired in part by parental concerns as well as student and staff turnover at Woodbury's Crosswinds School, a grades 6-10 facility with a stated mission of helping all students achieve by teaching in and through the arts.
State Rep. JoAnn Ward, DFL-Woodbury, who pushed for the program audit, said in a news release earlier this year that she had heard from "many parents, faculty and community members who have grown dissatisfied and question whether Perpich is truly fulfilling its educational mission."
The Perpich Center took over management of Crosswinds in 2013 after the East Metro Integration District, a multidistrict collaborative promoting the integration of students in St. Paul and its suburbs, decided it no longer could afford to run Crosswinds and Harambee Community School in Maplewood.
Harambee now is part of the Roseville School District.
Crosswinds parents endorsed the Perpich Center plan, and the agency described the Crosswinds program as a strong fit with its own commitment to seeing students of diverse backgrounds transformed through the arts and global and cultural awareness.
Since then, however, Ward said she has heard concerns about the elimination of parent groups, cuts in art education experts and inconsistent direction to faculty members. She also questions whether the board cedes too much authority to the executive director, saying it raises accountability concerns.
