Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius has appointed two men with ties to the Minneapolis Public Schools -- William Green and Myron Orfield -- to a statewide panel tasked with evaluating the use of state integration funds for K-12 schools.
Green, an Augsburg College history professor, preceded Bernadeia Johnson as Minneapolis schools superintendent. Orfield, a district parent, is the executive director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on Race and Poverty.
Green and Orfield were two of Commissioner Cassellius' six appointees to the 12-member panel. The state House and state Senate appointed three members each.
During the last legislative session, state lawmakers voted to restructure integration aid beginning in 2013. The money -- millions of dollars annually -- has primarily gone to Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth to encourage racial integration in schools. The task force will develop recommendations for state legislators on how to redistribute the funds.Their first meeting is at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Minnesota Department of Education offices in Roseville.
"I am hopeful they will engage in a rich discussion that will lead to substantive recommendations about how best to ensure that we meet the needs of every unique learner in public schools that reflect the rich tapestry of our state," Cassellius wrote in a press release.
Orfield, a former state legislator, discussed his opinions on the need for school integration in a recent Star Tribune story about projected enrollment growth in the Minneapolis Public Schools.
Another appointee to the panel, Center for the American Experiment fellow Katherine Kersten, is a contributor to the Star Tribune's opinion page.
Here's a look at the Department of Education release:
Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame: A class-by-class list of all members
This retired journalist changed professional wrestling from Mankato
