West Metro Education Program

Changes to the Consortium and Implications for:

1. Achievement & Integration Rule

2. Professional Development Options

3. CHPS Strategic Roadmap

4. Financial Obligations

Achievement and Integration Legislation

As a result of state legislation, funding that once went solely

to racial desegregation efforts can now be used for both

integration and improving academic achievement.

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is in the

process of developing new rules to align with the legislative

change.

West Metro Education Program

Previous Model

Integration through FAIR

school attendance

Professional Development

Student programs

New Model

Elimination of Integration

schools

Tiered professional

development

Student programs

Previous Model: WMEP Partner Advisory Group

(PAG) for Professional Development

• Clear purpose to provide multiple on-ramps to equity

work through a common protocol in three areas of

strategies, cultural competency and equity leadership

• Monthly meetings, Fridays 9:00-11:00 am

• Attended by Zena Stenvik and/or Duane Berkas regularly

• Collaborative planning for professional development

offerings and budget

• PAG ended June 2015

Examples of WMEP Professional Development

Through this school year:

- enrollment open to all staff for any WMEP course offering

Examples:

Class

Title:

My Brother's Keeper: A Courageous Transformation of the Plight of

Black Males as we Journey Back to Love, Engagement and High

Achievement

Class

Title:

BEYOND DIVERSITY: A STRATEGY FOR DEINSTITUTIONALIZING

RACISM AND IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

New model: WREP Regional Equity Partners

• Purpose of WREP will be aligned with the new service model

• Sporadic schedule, date and time changes, last minute

notifications, monthly meeting schedule finally provided in

November 2015

• To date “Sit and get” method, not collaborative discussions

for “Background Knowledge Building Around Customization

Process”

• New model is being created by new WMEP, not co-created

among districts

• Overlay of new model is not aligned with the approved CHPS

Strategic Roadmap

CHPS Equity: From Learning to Action & Application

CHPS Equity: From Learning to Action & Application

Any interested staff have the opportunity to join.

• School Equity Teams

• rubric for effective implementation

• Equity leads at every building (PreK-12)

• District Equity Team

What do the CHPS Equity leads do?

• On-site professional development and events

• ex. book studies, teaching strategies

• AVID, College & Career Benchmarks, Life Skills

• Inclusive Curriculum and Instruction

• Measure of our own cultural competence

• Fall 2015 data from IDI (Intercultural Development

Inventory) for the district Teaching and Learning

Leadership (includes teachers, principals, coordinators, peer

reviewers, directors, etc.)

• ABOVE National average for cultural competence

CHPS AVID Expansion

From one school, to a district-wide approach

New Rating of WMEP Districts

to fit the new “Service Delivery Model”

Quadrant A

Foundational Knowledge

Quadrant B

Skill Application

Quadrant C

Higher Level Knowledge

Quadrant D

B + C + On-call Consultancy

Based on Education Reform Enterprises’ review of MCA

data:

Columbia Heights was placed into Quadrant A =

Foundational Knowledge Workshops

What we miss out on in Quad B, C and D:

- Application tasks

- Higher level knowledge workshops

- On-Call Consultancy

Map of WMEP

District FRPL Non-White Students

Columbia Heights 79.50% 75.50%

Brooklyn Center 75% 76.90%

Richfield 66.20% 69.80%

Minneapolis 64% 66.40%

Robbinsdale 50.70% 44.50%

Hopkins 37.20% 41.90%

St. Louis Park 35.40% 40.70%

St. Anthony-NB 22.10% 27.80%

Eden Prairie 20.70% 33%

Wayzata 12.50% 29.30%

Edina 8.20% 21.10%

Transportation

Is the district saving money by discontinuing

transportation for resident students attending Fair

Schools?

• No

• The district had funding to cover these costs.

• The district’s transportation costs have actually

increased in 2015-16 because of less efficient routing.

WMEP Service Benefits and ValueService WMEP Stated Market Value Actual Value

Cultural Collaborative Workshops

220 per one day workshopArt Therapy AssociationMN Continuing Legal Education

$1,000

Equity Leadership Training

18,800/Cohort plus customization fee 7,500PRG, ERE, Pearson – discount pricing

$0Already established

Student Programs

31,200/site (Dare 2 be real)Civil Rights Research Experience (CRRE) 3,000

$3,000Four students

Mock Lab(New Proposal)

2,520/site 70 per hour2,550/12 weeks Academic Coaching200/hour School of Coaching Mastery100/hour ABA PD Coach

More information neededWould we qualify given our basic rating?

WMEP Service Benefits and ValueService WMEP Stated Market Value Actual Value

Global Ready Networks(new proposal)

4,000/site $0In house, if needed

Coaching and Consulting(new proposal)

175,000/district ?Need more informationAlready occurring in-house

Extension Resource(new proposal)

7,500/site $0 We cannot access because of sub shortage

Data Monitoring and Analysis(new proposal)

45,600/system (Leadership, Elementary, Middle School, & High School)45,600 X 4 contacts = 182,400

$0 We have a district assessment coordinator in-house and additional position through 916

WMEP Membership Value

• Was $62,605 ($19 PU)

• Current Cost $16 per PU = $52,720

Semester 1: Value of services provided $1,000

Semester 2: Projected Value of services provided $4,000

Projected total cost/value $5,000

Projected value to receive is10% of membership fee.

Future Options for Achievement and Integration

Possible future options to explore, but may not be limited to:

• Implement Achievement & Integration work on our own

• Collaborate with one other district

• Explore memberships with other existing integration

districts such as the East Metro Integration District (EMID)

• Explore possible expansion of the partnership with the

North Suburban Alliance

• or some combination of the above

On October 21, 2015 WMEP staff asked Columbia Heights to

sign a commitment letter to continue with WMEP for a period

of three years. July 2016-June 2019

On November 6, 2015 a lawsuit was filed against the state of

Minnesota for racial and socioeconomic segregation,

persistent achievement gaps and enrollment practices.

Given that:

• WMEP has asked for a three year letter of commitment (2016-2019)

• The revised WMEP model overlay is not congruent with the

approved Columbia Heights Public Schools Strategic Roadmap and

integration plans already in place or planned

• the opportunities for choice and collaboration with the new WMEP

Model have decreased

• CHPS Demographics has changed substantially over the last 20

years and is less reflective of the other districts in the collaborative

• in Columbia Heights 25% of students qualify for EL services and

18% qualify for Special Education services, WMEP does not provide

comprehensive supports or programs in this area

Given that:

• the geographic distance is too expansive to have significant and

meaningful collaboration

• as customers of WMEP the return on membership investment

is minimal

• the cost benefit analysis for what we are receiving vs. what we

are spending in WMEP is not in balance

• Achievement and Integration Rule Revision allows greater

flexibility for districts with 20% diversity or better

• there is an impending lawsuit against the state of Minnesota

including some of the WMEP member districts

At this point in time:

Administration recommends that Columbia Heights Public

Schools explores other integration and equity options for the

2016-17 school year.

Administration recommends that the Columbia Heights

School Board considers sending a resolution to the Chair of

the WMEP Joint Powers Board prior to December 30, 2015

indicating that Columbia Heights Public Schools will withdraw

from the WMEP Joint Powers Board and membership as of

June 30, 2016.