Saint Paul Public Schools

Saint Paul Public Schools

Location of Saint Paul within Minnesota
Location
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Minnesota
USA
District information
Type Public
A World of Opportunities
Grades K-12
Established 1856
Superintendent Valeria Silva
Budget $629.1 million (2007-2008)[1]
Students and staff
Students 38,380
Teachers 3,470
Staff 3,092
Athletic conference Saint Paul City Conference
Other information
Website www.spps.org

Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is a school district that covers all of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Saint Paul supports a robust network of publicly funded primary and secondary schools. Saint Paul Public Schools is the state's largest school district and serves approximately 38,380 students.[2] The district runs 67 different schools including 48 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 7 high schools, 3 alternative schools and one special education school. The district also employs over 6,500 teachers and staff.[3] The entire school district also participates in the University of Minnesota's College in the Schools program.[4]

The school district also oversees community education programs for pre-K and adult learners, including Early Childhood Family Education, GED Diploma, language programs and various learning opportunities for community members of all ages.

In 1993, St. Paul became the first city in the U.S. to sponsor and open a charter school, now found in most states across the nation. Saint Paul is currently home to 21 charter schools.[5]

In 2006, the St. Paul Public Schools celebrated its 150th anniversary. Notable graduates of St. Paul Public Schools include former U.S. Supreme Court justices Harry Blackmun and Warren Burger, civil rights leader Roy Wilkins, creator of the Peanuts cartoon strip Charles M. Schulz, and many others from various professions and among notable achievements.

Demographics

The district has students from families speaking 70 different languages, although only 4 languages are used for most school communication. Those languages are English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali.[3] 73.91% of students are students of color.[6] 69% of the district's students qualify for free or reduced lunch, 17% of students are considered Special Education and 40% of students are ELL (English Language Learners).[7] The school district currently receives $22 million a year in desegregation funding from the state.[8] However, because of two United States Supreme Court cases,[9] schools are no longer allowed to assign students to schools based on race.[10]

As of 2001, the district had 46,000 students. About one third of them were Hmong. At the time, about 13,000 of the Hmong students received English as a second language (ESL) services.[11] In 2002, of all of the American school districts, St. Paul had the largest Hmong student population.[12]

Governing body

The governing body of the school district is the seven-member Board of Education.[13] The Board of Education then appoints a Superintendent who is responsible for the general supervision of the school district.[13]

Board of Education is elected during Saint Paul's general municipal elections.[14] Board members are elected every two years in odd-numbered years and serve staggered four-year terms.[14] The school board elections are technically nonpartisan, however most candidates seek and advertise party endorsements. The entire school board is endorsed by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, with the exception of Jean O'Connell, who ran as an independent.

The current Superintendent is Dr. Valeria Silva. The current Board of Education members are:[14]

Elementary schools (PreK-5)

  • Adams Spanish Immersion Magnet
  • American Indian Magnet
  • Ames Elementary ( Now Hazel Park Prep PreK-8)
  • Barack and Michelle Obama Elementary
  • Battle Creek Elementary
  • Benjamin E. Mays Magnet
  • Bridge View School
  • Bruce Vento Elementary
  • Capitol Hill Gifted and Talented Magnet (1-8)
  • Chelsea Heights
  • Cherokee Heights
  • Como Park Elementary
  • Crossroads Art and Science Montessori Magnet
  • Dayton's Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary
  • Eastern Heights Elementary
  • Expo for Excellence Elementary
  • Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet
  • Four Seasons Achievement Plus Elementary
  • Frost Lake Elementary
  • Galtier Elementary
  • Groveland Park Elementary
  • Hamline Elementary
  • Hayden Heights Elementary
  • Highland Park Elementary
  • Highwood Hills Elementary
  • Horace Mann School
  • Jackson Elementary
  • John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary
  • Jie Ming Mandarin Immersion Academy
  • L' Etoile du Nord (French Immersion)
  • Linwood-Monroe Arts Plus
  • Maxfield Magnet School
  • Mississippi Creative Arts Magnet
  • Nokomis Montessori Magnet ( North and South
  • Randolph Heights School
  • Riverview West Side School of Excellence
  • St. Anthony Park Elementary
  • Wellstone, Paul & Sheila Elementary

Middle schools (6-8)

High schools (9-12)

Special programs

LEAP - International Academy

In Fall of 1994, Saint Paul Public Schools started the Limited English Achievement Program (LEAP) as a school completely dedicated to English language learners (ELL) aged 16 to 24 years. In 2005, the school's name was changed to "International Academy - LEAP" to reflect a more direct meaning for the school. These are students whose needs often do not match the offerings provided in traditional high school.[15]

New iPads

Two roll outs of the iPads were scheduled for the 2015-2016 school year, with the target of supplying every student in the district with iPads for use in the classroom. The vision is to use Specialized Learning along with use of the iPad to engage and track student's progress throughout the day/year.

A roll out did take place in the 2014-2015 school year, but not all schools received these iPad. The majority was pushed to the following year. [16]

References

  1. ↑ "Adopted Budget - Summary" (PDF). Saint Paul Public Schools. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  2. ↑ http://www.twincities.com/stpaul/ci_21828151/st-paul-replaces-anoka-hennepin-has-minnesotas-largest
  3. 1 2 St Paul Public Schools. "About Us". Archived from the original on 2007-06-04. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  4. ↑ "College in the Schools - Participating Schools". College of Continuing Education. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  5. ↑ Minnesota Department of Education (2005). "Charter Schools". Archived from the original on 2007-06-01. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  6. ↑ "District Enrollment Data" (PDF). Saint Paul Public Schools. 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  7. ↑ "Student Characteristics By School Or Program" (PDF). Saint Paul Public Schools. 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  8. ↑ Walsh, James (2007-09-18). "A course in marketing". Star Tribune. pp. B1,B5.
  9. ↑ Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 and Meredith v. Jefferson County Public Schools
  10. ↑ Hopfensperger, Jean (2007-07-09). "Supreme Court: Schools". Star Tribune. pp. B1.
  11. ↑ Her, Lucy Y. "Ceremony is Hmong welcome to educators - Culture-sharing event aims to aid students, educate parents and elders.." Minneapolis Star Tribune. Saturday March 31, 2001. News 9B. Retrieved on March 12, 2012.
  12. ↑ Chavez, Erika. "Hmong cry for help has been heard A state forum will seek ways to improve student achievement." The Sacramento Bee. Tuesday May 28, 2002. B1. Retrieved on March 12, 2012.
  13. 1 2 "Leadership". Saint Paul Public Schools. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  14. 1 2 3 "The Saint Paul Board of Education". Saint Paul Public Schools. Archived from the original on 2007-08-13. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  15. ↑ International Academy-LEAP, Saint Paul Public Schools Official website
  16. ↑ http://personalizedlearning.spps.org/ipad_rollout_schedule

External links

See also

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