More St. Paul teachers would recommend their schools

With enrollment on the decline, the St. Paul Public Schools could use a little help spreading the good word about its offerings.

But surveys of teachers show ­varying levels of commitment to their schools.

While commitment has improved from two years ago, teachers at 15 schools still are said to have weak ties, according to a set of questions in a survey known as the 5Essentials. Survey results are analyzed by a University of Chicago nonprofit to determine how well a school is positioned to improve student performance and retain its teachers.

Results were provided by the ­district at the Star Tribune's request.

Generally, the whiter a school's student population, the more likely St. Paul teachers are to agree with the statement: "I would recommend this school to parents seeking a place for their child."

But several schools with minority populations topping 85 percent — Phalen Lake Hmong Studies Magnet, Eastern Heights Elementary and Johnson High among them — have teachers who are deemed to have a strong or very strong commitment to the school.

Here are results from a sampling of schools that have attracted media coverage in recent years, with additional information about demographics and enrollment.

In the news: The lunchroom beating of a physical science teacher by a 16-year-old student in December 2015 led the St. Paul Federation of Teachers to threaten to strike if more wasn't done to protect teachers and staff members.

Students: 38 percent white; 35 percent black; 22 percent Asian. About one-half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

Teacher commitment: Strong

Percent unlikely to recommend school: 6 percent

Projected 2017-18 enrollment: Down by 81

Neighborhood: Hamline-Midway

In the news: The school board, inspired by parent activism, voted in dramatic 4-3 fashion a year ago to turn aside a recommendation by ­former Superintendent Valeria Silva to close a school that then was losing students.

Students: 62 percent black; 13 percent white; 12 percent Asian; 12 ­percent Hispanic. About 85 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

Teacher commitment: ­Neutral

Percent unlikely to recommend school: 31 percent

Budget: Up $265,643

Neighborhood: Greater East Side

In the news: Principal Delores Henderson, who is black and has been honored for her racial-equity work, was accused of discriminating against a white teacher in a lawsuit settled by the district last year, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Students: 45 percent black; 31 percent Asian; 17 percent Hispanic. About 85 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

Teacher commitment: Very weak

Projected 2017-18 enrollment: Down by 87

Budget: Down $454,818

Neighborhood: Summit-University

In the news: Principal Ryan Vernosh, a former Minnesota Teacher of the Year, turned to Twitter this spring to invite a legislator to look over his school's budget so he could show that anything less than a 2 percent increase in the state's per-pupil funding formula was inadequate, MinnPost reported.

Students: 76 percent black; 8 percent Hispanic; 7 percent Asian; 7 percent white. About 95 percent of students ­qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

Percent unlikely to recommend school: 24 percent

Projected 2017-18 ­enrollment: Down by 23

Budget: Down $326,612

Neighborhood: Macalester-Groveland

In the news: Concerns about unruly student behavior spurred a parent revolt in 2014-15, and several specialists were brought in to work with disruptive students.

Teacher commitment: Very weak

Percent unlikely to recommend school: 54 percent

Projected 2017-18 enrollment: Up by 10

Budget: Down $162,585