Minneapolis schools with low scores will get overhauls

Two Minneapolis high schools are about to get the "fresh start" treatment.

Edison and Washburn will get new teaching staffs next school year because of poor performances on state tests. They will be the first Minneapolis high schools to go through restructuring.

Staffs at both schools got the word Thursday afternoon.

"It was like we'd been slapped," veteran Washburn teacher Terry Keir said Friday. "We came away with the impression that we haven't been doing a good job."

Edison Principal Carla Steinbach said her staff was stunned. "Some were upset, others felt insulted and offended. It was tough."

Edison and Washburn become the eighth and ninth schools to get "fresh starts" since the district began the pioneering approach to address low academics in 1996.

The schools, each with slightly more than 1,000 students, are required to make significant changes under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Reading and math test scores at both schools were among the district's lowest last year.

"Fresh start is never our first option," said Bernadeia Johnson, the district's chief academic officer. "But when you weigh the outcome you want for students against what's already there, then it has to be done.

"This gives us a unique opportunity to build community confidence and increase enrollment."

Robert Panning-Miller, president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, said he's disappointed with the decision.

"It seems like the district continues to use a sledgehammer instead of using finer instruments when it comes to improving schools," he said.

Of the seven schools previously fresh-started, four have since closed; one has made modest gains and it's too soon to tell with two others, said Dave Heistad, the district's research and testing director.

Schools typically undergo complete staff overhauls from top to bottom, but first-year principals, Steinbach at Edison and Carol Markham-Cousins at Washburn, will remain.

Teaching jobs will be filled through an interview process that bypasses normal seniority-driven placement. Edison currently has 72 teachers and Washburn has 60.

"After 28 years in the district, I do feel like I'm in jeopardy of being pushed around someplace else," said Jay Ritterson, an English teacher at Washburn.

Steinbach hopes that many of her current staff will consider interviewing for the jobs.

"The potential here is unbelievable and I think it will be an exciting period at both schools," she said.

But Panning-Miller has questions: "Are the ripple effects you're creating immediately going to pay off in the long run? Is there another way of doing this?"

"It's just like last year when teachers were held responsible for the lack of performance and that's grossly unfair."

Last fall, two North Side elementary schools, Nellie Stone Johnson and Lucy Craft Laney, received new principals and teaching staffs. A few instructors at each school were retained, Panning-Miller said. The majority were reassigned to other schools.

The district is collaborating with the University of Minnesota to evaluate how those two schools are faring, Johnson said. The principals there are expected to share their experiences with Steinbach and Markham-Cousins.

The latest restructuring comes as the district is prepping to revamp its high schools under its new strategic plan.

Judy McQuade, a Washburn parent of two, said Friday both schools have excellent staffs but changes are needed.

"A teacher who is good and on track [with the district's vision] should not worry about losing their job," said McQuade, also a member of the district's parent advisory committee. "To me, this signals this district is absolutely serious about making sure every single kid is going to have a challenging rigorous curriculum."

Terry Collins • 612-673-1790