A neighborhood group that wants more local kids attending schools on St. Paul's West Side is co-hosting a community schools forum with district officials on Wednesday night.
"Less than half the parents on the West Side are sending their kids to our local schools and we want to ask district leaders how they plan to counter that exodus out of the neighborhood," said Rebecca Noecker, founder of West Siders for Strong Schools.
The district plans to touch on topics that include testing data, enrollment trends, English Language Learner and special education programs, and its Strong Schools, Strong Communities 2.0 strategic plan.
West Siders for Strong Schools formed in 2013 with plans to be more than a "group of parents who are always cantankerous and always making trouble," Noecker said. To get a better feel for the neighborhood's perceptions of its schools, the group surveyed residents and found most respondents were unlikely to send their children to their community schools, despite the district's new focus on neighborhood schools.
According to the survey results released in February, only 40 percent of the 120 respondents said they were likely to send their children to Cherokee Heights or Riverview elementary schools, and 18 percent said they were likely to send them to Humboldt Secondary School.
The survey also revealed that while some parents did not think highly of the West Side schools, they also did not know much about them. Parents who offered an opinion often indicated their views were formed long ago or without much research -- or that they were based on hearsay.
Wednesday's meeting is scheduled to run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Riverview Elementary, 160 Isabel St. E. Free childcare, translation services and a light dinner will be provided.
Noecker hopes that residents come with plenty of questions.
