The West Metro Education Program is getting out of the business of running schools.
The organization's board voted Wednesday night to transfer ownership of the FAIR (Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource) School to Minneapolis Public Schools and Robbinsdale Area Schools. State lawmakers must sign off on the move.
Minneapolis will assume control FAIR's downtown campus, which currently serves students in kindergarten through third grade and high school students. Robbinsdale will pick up FAIR's Crystal campus, which serves students in grades 4-8.
Officials from both districts have said they plan to keep both campuses focused on the arts and integration for the next four-to-five years. Beyond that, it's less clear what will happen to FAIR.
There have been discussions of turning the downtown campus into an arts-focused high school. At a meeting last month, Minneapolis Interim Superintendent Michael Goar said district officials were thinking about making FAIR downtown a Community Partnership school, which has more autonomy from the district.
Long-term plans for the Crystal campus might include making it a K-8 arts-focused school.
Without a school to run, WMEP will be focused on the professional development training and student programs. It is also contemplating a few other new initiatives aimed at promoting integrated schools.
