Editorial: A critical juncture for St. Paul schools

St. Paul voters who want to ensure the best possible future for their public schools should view the Nov. 3 election as critically important. The school board choices they make will go a long way toward answering these challenging questions:

What should be done to boost student achievement more quickly among St. Paul students? How can the board and administration better manage limited resources to get the best results for kids? And how should the board work more effectively with the community to make tough budget, building and program choices?

Eight candidates are vying to fill four seats on the school board. Our endorsements go to the four candidates most capable of bringing innovative ideas and strong leadership to the board: Tom Goldstein, Jean O'Connell, Elona Street-Stewart and Vallay Moua Varro.

Superintendent Meria Carstarphen left St. Paul in May to head the Austin, Texas, schools, and the board is continuing its search for her replacement. Selecting and managing the new CEO will be one of the most important jobs board members perform.

Another priority will be addressing a persistent achievement gap. Like most urban school districts, the 38,000-student St. Paul district continues to struggle with inconsistent student performance. This year, only about 41 to 48 percent of students of color were proficient in reading, compared with 80 percent of white students. The administration has set an ambitious goal of improving those levels by 10 percentage points this year. Citizens should select board members who can follow through on that commitment.

Voters should also look for candidates who can help build better staff relationships and improve board functions. Evidence of problems in those areas surfaced when the teacher's union refused to endorse any of the DFL-supported incumbents. Instead, the union's leadership backed DFL-supported newcomer Varro and O'Connell, an independent. A report by an outside consultant recently identified poor administrative/staff relations and communication as district problems.

Four-year term One of the most impressive candidates in the field is newcomer O'Connell, 57, a retired 3M executive. Among the first female engineers at the company, she is a smart, strategic thinker with a track record of successfully managing change. The St. Paul native, who is running as an independent, has a long history of community service, including volunteering in the schools. She led advisory teams for the schools and helped develop the district's current five-year strategic plan. She would bring a much-needed independent, business perspective to the board.

Incumbent Tom Goldstein, 52, also merits a return to board service for a second term. A thoughtful attorney and former businessman and community organizer, he is a business rep for a health care union. Like Street-Stewart he has been part of some district successes, including passing the 2006 referendum, developing a promising framework to improve achievement and making some courageous budget decisions.

John Brodrick, 67, is a retired St. Paul teacher and coach who wants to return for a third term. While he is enthusiastic and caring, he has not been an innovative contributor to the board. Candidates John Krenik, 46, a former St. Paul educator and adult education teacher with the state, and Chris Conner, 36, a Lutheran pastor, clearly care about students. They raise good questions about accountability and decisionmaking, but neither are as well prepared to serve as others.

Two-year term Veteran board member Tom Conlon resigned, creating a vacancy to fill the remaining two years on his term. The superior candidate in that race is Varro, 33.

Soft-spoken, yet forceful, Varro has spent her career in education and knows the issues well. She has been an early childhood reading and literacy educator and trainer, and her preschool expertise can help shape educational policies. Frustrated at times with current board operations, she would take bolder steps to handle budget, achievement and declining enrollment, including "right-sizing" the district.

As education policy director for the city of St. Paul, she has helped leverage more than $10 million in state and private funding for pre-school opportunities. As an employee of Mayor Chris Coleman, we hope she can work through any conflicts that might arise while serving in both roles and recuse herself if necessary on some issues.